Oral melatonin is a good medication for sleep induction for sleep eeg in children

Aim of study: can oral melatonin induce the sleep in children for registration of a sleep eeg?

Study design: After informed consent of parents in 161 childs aged 28.9±24.7 months (4–132 months) melatonin was given orally before the sleep eeg registration. The weight of the children was between 4 and 47kg, mean 13.5±7.5kg. The mean melatonin dosage was 9.72±3.74mg (2–20mg). After oral melatonin eeg registration was prepared. The time intervall was evaluated between oral melatonin and the beginning of sleep during eeg registration.

Results: Sleep started at 21.3±13.2 minutes (5–55 Min.) after orally melatonin administration. In all children a sufficiently long eeg could be registrated. No side effects were seen. In all eegs no specific signs of melatonin could be detected in visual eeg interpretation.

Summery: Orally administered melatonin at an average dose of 9.7mg induces sleep within 21.3 minutes independent of day time without side effects in order to registrate sleep eegs This way of diagnostic sleep induction is a convincing and safe alternative method for diagnostic eeg registration.