Published ahead of print on August 11, 2004, doi:10.1164/rccm.200404-488OC Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., Volume 170, Number 9, November 2004, 947-951 A more recent version of this article appeared on November 1, 2004
Submitted on April 11, 2004 Melatonin Improves Sleep in Asthma: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled StudyFrancineide L Campos1,1 Department of Pharmacy, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil, 2 Department of Medicine, Federal University of Ceara, Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: pfelipe{at}superig.com.br.
Disturbed sleep is common in asthma. Melatonin has sleep-inducing activity and reportedly affects smooth muscle tone and inflammation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of melatonin on sleep in patients with mild and moderate asthma. This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Twenty-two consecutive asthmatic women were randomized to receive melatonin 3 mg (n= 12) or placebo (n= 10) for four weeks. Sleep quality and daytime somnolence were assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, respectively. Pulmonary function was assessed by spirometry. Use of relief medication, asthma symptoms and morning and evening peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) were recorded daily. Melatonin treatment significantly improved subjective sleep quality, as compared to placebo (p= 0.04). No significant difference in asthma symptoms, use of relief medication and daily PEFR was found between groups. We conclude that melatonin can improve sleep in patients with asthma. Further studies looking into long-term effects of melatonin on airway inflammation and bronchial hyperresponsiveness are needed before melatonin can be recommended in asthmatic patients. Key words: asthma, excessive somnolence, melatonin, sleep
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