Jennifer J Brown^1,2*, Sheri R Colberg², Shana Pribesh², Kimberly G Baskette³ and Aaron I Vinik⁴

¹Elizabeth City State University, Elizabeth City, North Carolina, United States
²Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, United States
³Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, The DiFeliceantonio Lab, Roanoke, Virginia, United States
⁴Eastern Virginia Medical School, Strelitz Diabetes Center, Norfolk, Virginia, United States

*Corresponding Author: Jennifer J Brown, Elizabeth City State University, Elizabeth City, North Carolina, United States.

Received: July 15, 2021; Published: August 06, 2021

Abstract

Aims: Health complications with diabetes are numerous, and one of the most life-altering is cardiac autonomic neuropathy. This 4-week pilot investigated whether sympathovagal defects in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) may be improved by supplementation with oral melatonin.

Methods: Ten adults (3 male, 7 female) ages 52 - 70 years with T2D and of varying ethnicities, participated in a randomized, double-blinded crossover study, taking 10 mg of melatonin or placebo 30 minutes before bedtime for 4 weeks. Autonomic nervous system (ANS) function, heart rate variability (HRV) measures, ANSAR, sympathetic balance, and sleep quality were assessed via physicals at baseline, 4 and 8 weeks.

Results: Nine subjects exhibited baseline ANS dysfunction and four had abnormal sudomotor function. Valsalva low and high frequency normalized units changed significantly following melatonin supplementation (p = 0.045). Systolic blood pressure (SBP) significantly lowered in response to deep breathing and Valsalva after melatonin, and one HRV measure rose in the standing condition. Melatonin enhanced subjective sleep quality.

Conclusion: Beneficial effects on ANS function, including select improvements in HRV measures and decreases in SBP, may result from melatonin supplementation in adults with T2D and ANS dysfunction. Effects on other HRV parameters warrants additional investigation to evaluate dynamic activities like deep breathing and Valsalva maneuvers.

Keywords: ANS Dysfunction; Melatonin; Sleep Quality; Baroreflex Sensitivity

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Citation

Citation: Jennifer J Brown., et al. “Impact of Melatonin Supplementation on Autonomic Nervous System Function in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Pilot Study". Acta Scientific Clinical Case Reports 2.9 (2021): 07-16.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2021 Jennifer J Brown., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.