Making Headway On Beta-Blockers and Sleep

Sep. 28, 2012 —
Science Daily/Brigham and Women's Hospital
Over 20 million people in the United States take beta-blockers, a medication commonly prescribed for cardiovascular issues, anxiety, hypertension and more. Many of these same people also have trouble sleeping, a side effect possibly related to the fact that these medications suppress night-time melatonin production. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have found that melatonin supplementation significantly improved sleep in hypertensive patients taking beta-blockers.

"Over the course of three weeks, none of the study participants taking the melatonin showed any of the adverse effects that are often observed with other, classic sleep aids. There were also no signs of 'rebound insomnia' after the participants stopped taking the drug," explained Scheer, who is also an assistant professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. "In fact, melatonin had a positive carry-over effect on sleep even after the participants had stopped taking the drug."
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120928085629.htm