Is melatonin effective for treating insomnia?

​What is INSOMNIA? You may be suffering from insomnia if it takes you more than 30 minutes to fall asleep. Or if you awaken throughout the night and cannot immediately return to sleep. Or if you awaken too early in the morning. Or if your total sleep time is reduced to less than 6 hours. What is MELATONIN? Melatonin has been studied in the treatment of various sleep disorders, including insomnia. Many studies have reported the hypnotic effect of melatonin in improving sleep onset, duration, and quality when administered to healthy volunteers. One meta-analysis found statistically significant improvements in sleep quality, including time to fall asleep, sleep efficiency, and sleep duration in patients taking melatonin.

​Theodora is 75 years old. She complains of INSOMNIA and daytime fatigue. She falls asleep at around 9 pm and wakes up at about 6 am, that includes waking up 2 to 3 times during the night and finding difficult to fall asleep again. Can MELATONIN help her?

​References Koda-Kimble, Mary Anne. Applied Therapeutics: The Clinical Use of Drugs. 9th ed. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2009.