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Three daycare workers were arrested after allegedly giving children melatonin before naptime — here’s why that’s a terrible idea

We don't know if melatonin works or is safe for adults. Even if so, that doesn't make it safe for kids. And it wouldn't make sense to give it for naps.

  • Three daycare workers in Illinois were arrested after they allegedly gave 2-year-olds melatonin-laced gummy bears to help them fall asleep at naptime.
  • We don't know whether melatonin is safe or effective for adults and we certainly don't know whether it's safe or effective for kids.
  • Even if it were, naptime wouldn't be the time to take it.
  • Don't give kids drugs or supplements without parental permission.
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Three daycare workers were arrested in Illinois after allegedly admitting to giving their class of 2-year-olds melatonin-laced gummy bears to help them fall asleep at naptime, CBS Chicago reported. The sleep supplements were reportedly given to kids without parents being informed.

From a 120 gummy bottle, only four were left.

"This is just a horrible case of bad judgment," Des Plaines Police Chief William Kushner told CBS Chicago.

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There are a number of reasons why this is a terrible idea, aside from the obvious (and potentially criminal) component of the story, which is that you don't give kids drugs or supplements without their parents permission.

There are also reasons to question whether or not supplemental melatonin is a safe or effective sleep aid for adults. Regardless of the answer, that doesn't make it safe for kids — and even if it was, it wouldn't make sense to give it at naptime.

Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by the brain. In our bodies, it helps regulate our sleep cycle. In a healthy person, the brain will start to release melatonin a short time before sleep, though bright artificial light from screens can convince the brain it's daytime and delay that hormone release. Provided you haven't recently changed time zones (or gone through daylight savings time) and keep a regular schedule, it should naturally happen around the same time every night.

An artificial formulation of that hormone is often marketed as a sleep aid — and apparently, it comes in gummy form, too.

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Plenty of adults take melatonin — some regularly, others while trying to adapt to new time zones.

  • There's a lot of debate about whether or not melatonin works for adults.
  • Why We Sleep
  • If it works, it's probably most effective when you are dealing with jet lag, and it's probably only good in the short term.
  • It's probably not effective long term.
  • told Business Insider
  • We have no idea what's in most melatonin pills.
  • supplement industry is almost entirely unregulated
  • Studies have shown
  • What's safe for adults isn't always safe and doesn't always work for kids.
  • safe for kids with ADHD or autism spectrum disorders
  • doesn't change sleep time
  • Naptime wouldn't be the right time to give kids melatonin anyway.

The daycare workers reportedly told local police that they thought what they were doing was harmless, since melatonin is sold over the counter. But over the counter supplements like St. John's wort have been known to interact dangerously with drugs meant to treat serious conditions. And in general, just because something is sold over the counter, it doesn't mean it's safe to take it at any time — the active ingredient in Tylenol kills about 150 Americans every year and sends up to 80,000 people to the ER in the US every year.

You can't give kids supplements or drugs without talking to their parents — even if you think, mistakenly, that they are harmless.

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