The Heart Failure Warning EVERYONE Got Wrong

The headlines were hard to miss… they were everywhere.

One researcher warned that a popular supplement “may not be as harmless” as we thought.

A USA Today headline screamed that nobody had talked about the risks… until now.

A new study presented at an American Heart Association conference warned that people supplementing with the sleep aid melatonin were at a dramatically higher risk for heart failure… and even death.

But before we sound the alarm… let’s make sure we’re sounding the right alarm.

Because I think there’s a glaring problem this research missed… and that nobody is talking about.

And fixing that problem could be the key to protecting your heart… and your health.

Let’s start with the basics…

A study presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025 looked at five years of health records for more than 130,000 adults with insomnia who had used melatonin for at least a year.

The results may have been shocking to the media… but they weren’t to me (I’ll explain in a moment).

Researchers found that folks who used melatonin for 12 months or more were 90% more likely to be diagnosed with heart failure over the course of five years… and they were more likely to die from any cause.

“Melatonin supplements may not be as harmless as commonly assumed,” the study’s lead author warned.

Now, listen, I’m not a big fan of supplementing with melatonin… and I’ve shared that many, many times. Among my concerns is possible damage to the retina when melatonin levels are too high, especially when getting too much light exposure.

But as far as this latest research goes, here’s an idea…

Before we start screaming about melatonin, shouldn’t we look at why these people were taking it in the first place?

We’re talking about people with insomnia that was so bad that they were on melatonin for a year or more.

If you ask me, this is an entire group of people whose circadian rhythms – our bodies natural sleep/wake cycles – were horribly out of whack.

Your circadian rhythm actually controls the release and suppression of your body’s natural melatonin throughout the day. And if it’s not working properly, you’re going to have a very hard time sleeping – simple as that.

But that’s not all… A poorly functioning circadian rhythm has been linked to numerous heart issues over the years, including, you guessed it, heart failure.

Fix your circadian rhythm, and you can improve your heart health… and you won’t need supplemental melatonin anymore, either.

Luckily, keeping your circadian rhythm working properly takes just a couple steps.

Get sunlight in your eyes first thing every morning. No glasses or contact lenses.

Don’t stare directly into the sun… keep it in your peripheral vision. This will help set your circadian rhythm for the day.

Next, avoid artificial blue light from TVs, cell phones, and laptop computers at night. This light actually disrupts your circadian rhythm and suppresses melatonin.

If you have to look at screens at night, wear blue-light-blocking glasses – you’ll find plenty of choices through online retailers like Amazon.

 

View Sources

American Heart Association. (2025, November 3). Long-term use of melatonin supplements to support sleep may have negative health effects [News release]. Retrieved from https://newsroom.heart.org/news/long-term-use-of-melatonin-supplements-to-support-sleep-may-have-negative-health-effects

Kelters, I. R. (2025). Circadian rhythms in cardiovascular disease [Review]. European Society of Cardiology / Oxford University Press. Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12450527/

USA Today. (2025, November 5). The long-term risks of melatonin no one talked about – until now. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2025/11/05/melatonin-heart-health/87103008007/