Wake-up call: Is melatonin a safe sleep aid for kids?

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As more adults are turning to the all natural supplement melatonin is that -- is called.

An -- and doing to help them fall asleep they are also turning it.

To -- T help their kids.

Get to sleep so is this safe -- is -- bad parenting.

Joining us from Fox's -- medical eighteen psychiatrist -- he bowed low and pediatrician doctor Allan green welcome doctors.

Thank you LT -- -- check out -- these -- -- you call this a lazy parenting but what are parents supposed to do -- their kids can't sleep.

How about comforting your kids but teaching them to deal with the fact that it sometimes takes self soothing.

To get to sleep.

This is convenience parent thing.

This is putting your kids to sleep with drugs with a hormone the body produces sometimes on a nightly basis isn't it convenient Allison doesn't it fit in.

With our increasingly technical convenience oriented society that you turn your kids on with a Ritalin and -- turn him off with melatonin.

Not in my house.

Doctor green -- pediatrician.

I assumed that you hear parents saying that they feel comfortable with -- time because the sense is it's all natural.

But I do hear that melatonin is a powerful hormone.

And I left they -- using melatonin to help kids fall asleep but the melatonin kids and make themselves up about tone and uses a supplement.

How do you do that had him off to -- -- it.

So melatonin is produced when it gets really really dark.

And because we have lights on electronics on the hours before -- they don't like the melatonin they should be to help the policy naturally.

So I agree that you don't want the open Medicaid and get them fall -- but instead turned on the lights or at least put on blue -- sunglasses melatonin plummets as soon as blue light is in their -- -- -- saying that doctor outlook so many adults lately.

Have sleeping problems assisting something biological.

Is going wrong with kids and adults -- is there's something psychological.

Well adults who have sleep problems I think doctor green -- pediatrician.

Has his finger on the pulse of this problem.

You know we stimulate ourselves we over stimulate ourselves we remove ourselves from these natural rhythms.

And listen if you have your cell -- next year bad.

If you're using your bed to look at your iPad every night.

-- beds no longer place of refuge a place of relaxation.

Of course people sleep problems and -- this.

Culture we've created depression is skyrocketing.

Depression one of the cardinal symptoms as insomnia.

So you -- -- consider what other.

Diagnoses.

Might need to be identified in order to bring insomnia under control but using melatonin for your kids not a good idea.

A doctor -- it is so stressful to parents when their kids won't sleep I mean.

You know I remember not in the distant past in -- I had new babies and they wouldn't sleep and then you as a parent you're up all night and you're getting more and more crazy and you're getting more and more depressed -- your kids -- sleep is it okay to ever.

Use melatonin to get.

Over the hump.

-- for normal parenting I really do recommend teaching good sleep habits -- that's a really important thing to do.

But there are some kids in some situations where it -- some kind of supplement her -- extra help can be useful.

Especially kids who can't make enough melatonin like some kids -- autism.

So in other words it you -- child I have to be diagnosed in a doctor's office and then that's exactly.

What I don't.

I would work with the sleep I would work with the sleep specialist before giving melatonin if there's often simple things you can do to make a big difference -- sleep.

Got -- last word doctor Al blow you think that's.

Occasionally -- can be used or just to avoid it.

Listen meg I guess you could use Benadryl occasionally if you had to but they're going criticized Casey Anthony -- -- -- -- -- it she's drugging her kid to put the -- to sleep this must mean that she's a dangerous month.

Listen it's not a good idea melatonin can interfere with growth it can cause lower seizure threshold meaning precipitating seizures don't mess with -- All right doctor Rob -- doctor -- thanks so much for the informative segment I'm sure that helps parents spank him.

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Wake-up call: Is melatonin a safe sleep aid for kids?

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