WASHINGTON – Recent headlines may have caused concern by linking melatonin to heart failure, but experts urge not to worry.

This reassurance comes after alarming reports about an early-stage study that questioned the long-term safety of using melatonin as a sleep aid. The study prompted a debate over its potential risks for individuals dealing with insomnia.

Medical professionals have long recognized that insufficient or disrupted sleep can increase heart disease risk. However, heart specialists emphasize that the type of observational study in question cannot definitively establish a link between melatonin use and heart issues, as opposed to the insomnia it is intended to treat.

“We shouldn’t be quick to sound the alarm and advise patients to cease using melatonin,” stated Dr. Pratik Sandesara, an interventional cardiologist at Emory Healthcare, who was not involved with the study.

Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by the body to regulate sleep cycles. Its levels typically rise in the evening as darkness falls, promoting a feeling of sleepiness.

People may take lab-produced melatonin to help them fall asleep or to adjust for jet lag or time changes.

The new study used international electronic health records, tracking adults diagnosed with insomnia who had a melatonin prescription that suggested they used the supplement for at least a year.

Over five years, 4.6% of the chronic melatonin users developed heart failure compared to 2.7% of insomnia patients whose charts showed no melatonin use, the researchers found. The study is being presented at an American Heart Association meeting but hasn’t undergone peer review.

But only certain countries require a melatonin prescription. It’s over-the-counter in the U.S., meaning Americans in the study might have used the supplements without it being recorded, said Northwestern University cardiology chief Dr. Clyde Yancey, who wasn’t involved in the study. The study also did not show dosages.

Also, U.S. supplements don’t require government approval, meaning brands can vary in their ingredients. The researchers, from SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, characterized the findings as a call for more research.

Meanwhile, patients wondering about melatonin should talk it over with their doctors, said Emory’s Sandesara. Generally doctors recommend it for short-term use, like for jet lag.

Yancey noted that while the study doesn’t prove there’s a danger from long term melatonin use, there’s also no evidence that people should use melatonin indefinitely.

And one key to better shut-eye is to practice better sleep hygiene, like making sure your room is dark.

“When we expose ourselves to blue light in particular at night, we are diminishing our melatonin levels. That’s science,” he said. Sleep problems aren’t about “just being sleepy and tired — they’re putting yourself at risk.”

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.