Table 9.
Summary of findings from systematic reviews of melatonin v placebo to treat sleep disorders
| Population | Total sleep time (TST) | Sleep onset latency (SOL) | Authors’ conclusions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No of trials | No of children | Estimate (95% CI) | No of trials | No of children | Estimate (95% CI) | ||||
| Buscemi,10 12 trials, 7 crossover | Secondary sleep disorders; heterogeneous population | 9 | 382 | WMD: 15.6 (7.2 to 24.0) | 6 | 163 | WMD: −13.2 (−27.3 to 0.9) | No significant effect on SOL and small and clinically unimportant effect on sleep efficiency | |
| Braam,8 9 trials, 7 crossover | Intellectual disability, adults and children | 7 | 257 | WMD: 49.8 (34.2 to 64.8) | 7 | 273 | WMD: −33.8 (−42.97 to −24.70) | Decreases sleep latency and increases total sleep time | |
| Rossignol,7 5 controlled trials, 5 crossover, 57 patients | Autistic spectrum disorders | 5 | 5 | Hedge’s g: 1.07 (0.49 to 1.65); Glass’s Δ: 0.93 (0.33 to 1.53)* | 5 | 57 | Hedge’s g: 2.46 (1.96 to 2.98); Glass’s Δ: 1.28 (0.67 to 1.89)† | Improved sleep parameters and minimal side effects. Call for large RCT | |
| Phillips,4 3 cross over studies, 35 children | Children with neurodevelopmental disabilities | No meta-analysis | No meta-analysis | Might be effective in reducing SOL. No evidence of effect on TST. Call for large RCT | |||||
WMD=weighted mean difference.
*44 min longer TST with melatonin.
†39 min shorter SOL with melatonin.