For people on metoprolol, atenolol or propranolol
Why your heart pill can wake you at 3am, and what I'd do about it
Researchers first linked these pills to lower melatonin in 1983. Many people who take them have never been told.
By Dr. Helen Sutherland
If you take a beta-blocker, you may know this night well.
You fall asleep around 11 without much trouble. Then your eyes open and the clock says 3:07. Nothing hurts. Nothing woke you. You lie there wide awake until the window starts to turn gray.
Maybe you were told it's part of getting older. For many people on these pills there is a plainer reason, and it has been in the medical journals for over 40 years.
My name is Dr. Helen Sutherland. Steadia asked me to review their sleep formula. I said yes, and I'm writing this letter because more people on heart pills should hear the reason behind it.
This letter is for you if
- You take metoprolol, atenolol or propranolol
- You fall asleep fine, then wake between 2 and 4am
- Your nights changed after you started the pill
- Store melatonin left you groggy the next day
What your pill does after dark
A beta-blocker slows your heart by blocking a nerve signal. That is its job, and it's an important one.
Your body uses that same signal at night to make melatonin, the hormone that helps keep you asleep. When the signal is blocked, your body can make less of it.
Researchers first reported this in 1983. In a 1999 study, the melatonin people made overnight fell 80% after propranolol and 86% after atenolol.
Melatonin through the night
- Without a beta-blocker
- On a beta-blocker
Illustration. In a 1999 study, the melatonin made between 10pm and 6am fell 80% after propranolol and 86% after atenolol. Stoschitzky K, et al. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 1999.
When that happens, many people still fall asleep fine. Then they wake a few hours later and can't drift off again.
Please keep taking your heart pill as prescribed. Nothing in this letter is a reason to stop it or change your dose.
Why the usual fixes let you down
The list is the American Geriatrics Society's 2023 Beers Criteria.
None of these were made with a heart pill in mind. If your pill lowered your melatonin, the simple thing to try is putting a small amount back.
What happened when researchers tried it
In 2012, a team at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston ran that test. Sixteen adults on atenolol or metoprolol took 2.5 mg of melatonin or a dummy pill every night for 3 weeks. They stayed on their heart pills the whole time.
2 mg
the dose in Europe's prescription melatonin for adults 55 and up.
These studies tested melatonin alone, not the Steadia formula.
When the 3 weeks ended and people stopped the melatonin, their sleep did not get worse than before.
What I checked on the Steadia label
When Steadia sent me the label for Steadia Sleep, I looked at three things.
The dose. Each serving has 2 mg of melatonin. That is close to the 2.5 mg used in the Boston study, and well under the 5 or 10 mg in many store bottles.
What else is in it. Valerian, chamomile, lemon balm and passionflower, with GABA and L-tryptophan. It has no sleeping-pill drugs and no antihistamines.
Whether you can check it yourself. The full label is on the product page with a print button, so you can hand it to your own doctor or pharmacist.
Steadia Sleep
Made for people on beta-blockers
- Melatonin2 mgThe hormone your pill can lower
- Valerian root150 mgA calming root
- Chamomile, lemon balm, passionflower100 mg eachHerbs long used to help people rest
- GABA and L-tryptophan100 mg each
Two capsules with water at bedtime. One bottle lasts 30 nights.
Free shipping in the lower 48 states
What to expect
The research looked at nightly use over weeks, so the routine matters more than any single night.
- Night 1Start your routine
Take 2 capsules with water at bedtime. You may not notice anything yet.
- Week 1Same time every night
If you wake up, jot down the time. One night won't tell you much.
- Weeks 2 to 3Look back at your notes
The 2012 study checked sleep after 3 weeks. Compare your notes with your first week.
- Day 30Decide what's next
Keep going, skip a month or stop.
What Steadia Sleep isn't
It isn't a sleeping pill, and it won't knock you out. It doesn't replace your heart pill or change your dose.
Some people still feel sleepy the next morning. If that's you, don't drive until you feel clear, and tell your doctor.
Every pill list is different. Show the label to your doctor or pharmacist before you start, and ask first if you take a blood thinner.
If your nights changed after you started a beta-blocker, you are not imagining it. Take this letter and the label to your doctor or pharmacist, and ask about putting a little melatonin back.
Sleep well,
Dr. Helen Sutherland
From Steadia
Save 25% when you buy 3 bottles
Three bottles for $90.00. That's $30.00 a bottle.
You take 2 capsules a night, so 3 bottles last 90 nights.
- Free shipping in the lower 48 states
- Free Sleep guide and free shipping protection
- 30-day refund on unopened bottles
- Subscribe for 15% off. Skip or cancel anytime.
30-day refund on unopened bottles
Or one bottle for $39.99.
Questions people on heart pills ask
Answered by Steadia.
Is it safe to take with my heart or blood pressure pills?
Steadia was made for people on beta-blockers like metoprolol, atenolol and propranolol. In a 2012 study, people on atenolol or metoprolol took melatonin every night for 3 weeks while staying on their heart pills.
Still, every pill list is different. Keep taking your medicine the way your doctor told you. Ask first if you take a blood thinner.
What about the news linking melatonin to heart failure?
In late 2025, researchers looked at the health records of people with insomnia. Those who used melatonin for a year or more had heart failure more often.
That kind of study can't show that melatonin caused it. Poor sleep is itself linked to heart trouble. And many people in the no-melatonin group may have bought it at the store without it showing up in their records. It was a short report shared at a meeting, not a full published study.
If you have heart failure or this worries you, talk to your doctor before you start.
Will I feel groggy in the morning?
Each serving has 2 mg of melatonin. Many store brands have 5 or 10 mg.
Some people still feel sleepy the next morning, since melatonin can stay active longer as we get older. If that happens, don't drive until you feel clear, and tell your doctor.
Will I get hooked on it?
Melatonin isn't known to be habit-forming. In the 2012 study, people's sleep didn't get worse than before when they stopped taking it. You can skip a night or stop whenever you like.
How soon will I notice a difference?
Everyone is different, so give it a few weeks. In the 2012 study, people took melatonin every night for 3 weeks. Take it at the same time each night and jot down when you wake up, so you can compare.
This is an advertisement from Steadia. Dr. Sutherland reviewed Steadia Sleep at Steadia's request and was not paid for this letter. The studies described here tested melatonin alone, not the Steadia formula.