The benefits of melatonin on sleep disturbances in women with breast cancer

The authors aimed to determine whether or not a hormone called melatonin could positively influence the quality of life of women with breast cancer.

Sleep disturbance is common among women with breast cancer. Melatonin is a hormone that induces sleepiness. This hormone is naturally found in our body but may decrease with age and menopause in women. This may also increase the likelihood of hot flashes in post-menopausal women.

Melatonin has been used to treat jet-lag and insomnia (inability to sleep). As melatonin has no obvious negative side effects, studies have recently been conducted to examine its effectiveness among menopausal women with breast cancer who experience sleep disturbance and hot flashes.

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of melatonin in improving sleep and reducing hot flashes in women with breast cancer or in those recovering from breast cancer.

86 postmenopausal women with a history of breast cancer were evaluated in this study. Patients were randomly assigned to receive 3 mg of melatonin per day or a placebo (a substance with no effect on the body). Sleep quality, depression and hot flashes were measured in the women both before and after 4 months of treatment. 

Overall, women allocated to melatonin showed a greater improvement in sleep than those in the placebo group. Of the patients who reported being bad sleepers at baseline, 19.5% of those receiving melatonin improved, compared to 7.7% of those receiving placebo.

The number and severity of hot flashes decreased for both groups.

Extreme toxicities or side-effects were not observed within those who received melatonin. Headaches, fatigue (chronic tiredness) and bad dreams were common.

The authors confirmed that melatonin was effective in improving sleep among postmenopausal women with breast cancer.

This was the first study of its kind, and was conducted over a relatively short period of time. Longer studies with larger numbers of patients are needed to determine whether melatonin can improve sleep-related problems and fatigue in breast cancer patients.

If you are having sleep-related symptoms, discuss the use of melatonin with your doctor. It is important to always consult with your doctor before beginning any type of supplement.