Young people vaping this sleep aid could damage their lungs. It’s a new trend that has doctors concerned

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Experts say the coronavirus pandemic has caused so much stress in some people - they are having trouble falling or staying asleep.

For some, that means turning to the over-the-counter supplement - melatonin.

But some are taking an unusual route to get melatonin in their body - by vaping it, and doctors warn that’s not a good idea.

Doctors say it’s not the melatonin that’s causing concern, it’s the vaping. And since it’s a new trend - they are trying to get ahead of it.

Dr. Gretchen Coady is a Piedmont Medical Center internal medicine and pediatrics doctor.

She says melatonin is a safe sleep aid, but she says she’s seen more and more of her younger patients pick up vaping.

Regardless of what’s in the cartridges, Coady says vaping poses a risk to lungs by causing damage.

While she doesn’t encourage that either, she says melatonin vaping is dangerous because it is not FDA-approved so you might not know what chemicals you are inhaling.

“Your lungs are really sensitive they are really only supposed to be exposed to air. So when you put the melatonin or whatever chemicals it’s mixed with into your lungs you really don’t know the short- or long-term effects of that,” Dr. Coady said.

Dr. Coady says if you do need help getting sleep, taking melatonin over the counter in pill form is perfectly fine.

She also says having a good sleeping pattern and exercising can help you fall asleep as well.

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