Melatonin secretion after surgery

Sleep disturbance is common postoperatively. We examined whether melatonin concentrations were related to this disturbance in seven postoperative patients. Nocturnal concentrations of melatonin were significantly (p=0.005) lower on the first than on the second or third nights after surgery. This finding raises the possibility that melatonin suppression and associated sleep disturbance might be prevented by melatonin replacement.