What are the best sleep aids, and should you take them?
Jump To The BestOver the counter sleep aids are safe, for dietary supplements to be sold they do have to meet certain good manufacturing guidelines even if they are not directly FDA regulated. That said, there are some interactions of melatonin and people who suffer with high blood pressure should consult their doctor before taking supplements with melatonin in them.
Sleep aids can help with Jet Lag as artificially raising you melatonin levels can trick your body into resetting its circadian rhythm and bypassing your regular sleep schedule.
Practicing good sleep hygiene, this is quite a broad term, but it includes reducing blue light in the evening, exercising regularly, sticking to a regular sleep schedule, not consuming too much caffeine or drinking too many liquids before sleep. It is also ideal to reduce stress although we are aware of the irony that poor sleep in and of itself can cause stress. Whilst we can supplement for vitamins and minerals eating right is a good way to improve sleep. Particularly getting the vitamins and minerals your body needs to product common sleep aid ingredients like GABA and Melatonin. A couple of common examples are Magnesium and Calcium, which almost 80% of American's don't meet their daily requirements of at least one of these minerals that your body requires to produce the hormones for sleep making them good options for natural sleep aids.
The Most Commonly Asked Questions About Natural Sleep Supplements
10mg Melatonin - Melatonin has been tested to be an effective natural sleep aid at doses from 3-10mg with it being deemed to be far less habit forming than the antihistamine alternatives available over the counter. It's your bodies natural chemical that tells your brain it's time to go to sleep and supplementing it is well tolerated. The full 10mg dose may be a little high for someone who hasn't tried it before, so we'd recommend taking 2 capsules rather than the full 3 capsule dose on your first try, but it's a great start for any sleep supplement. It's even perscribed in a lot of cases.
GABA 300mg - This is the ideal dosage range for GABA, it is required for your body to produce it's own melatonin amplifying the effect of supplementing it directly, but it does also work as a stand alone sleeping supplement.
Vitamin Blend B6, B12, D - RestAgain contains 3 commonly deficient essential vitamins for sleep. They've included them in or around the 100% RDI meaning that if any of these deficiencies are what's causing restless sleep then they'll be covered off and with almost 60% of the US population having a deficiency in at least one of these it's a good inclusion.
Valerian Root 300mg - Perhaps the least studied of the ingredients in the natural sleeping pill, Valerian Root does have enough studies to warrant a meta analysis and does seem to be effective at helping people fall asleep quickly. It seems to be most effective in a dose of 300mg, which is correct here. Most sleep supplements under dose this ingredient so that's another reason we like RestAgain.
Calcium and Magnesium - Similar to the vitamins, these are both eseential for your body to be able to produce sleep hormones and are very common as deficiencies, Magnesium in particular has been used to great effect and in some countries it's a perscription option.
Ashwagandha 300mg - Ashwagandha has a double benefit when it comes to sleep, not only has it been shown to work as a natural sleeping aid by helping you get to sleep quicker, but it actually lowers cortisol (the stress hormone) combatting one of the leading reasons of disturbed sleep. 300mg is within the recommended dosages.
5HTP 100mg - 5HTP is a precursor to seratonin production and supplementing it has been shown to help people get better sleep quality and remain undisturbed longer, however it usually takes a few weeks to start working.
L Theanine 250mg - L Theanine is an amino acid that is essential for your body to get a good nights sleep, it's been shown to be an effective sleep aid between the doses of 250mg and 500mg. So once again a good inclusion.
As a result that means that RestAgain pretty much get's all the dosages in their natural sleeping pills right, which makes it quite easy to see why they got our number 1 spot.
However, unlike most sleeping aids, Sleep Upgrade doesn’t contain melatonin. This is to avoid hormonal imbalances and eventual dependence on melatonin to get sleep due to long-term daily use.
On the negative side, Sleep Upgrade does not contain Vitamin K2, an ingredient needed to get the best out of its Vitamin D3 content. We also found that it contains Magnesium Citrate, a form of Magnesium less effective for sleep. Additionally, it is quite expensive and difficult to purchase due to unavailability and high demand.
Melatonin supplements are one of if not the most potent over the counter sleep aids, typically speaking they're relatively safe and taking too much melatonin is likely to just make you a bit nauseous. For the most part it's recommended that you only take 1-5mg, up to 10mg is generally considered fine, but is at the top end. Melatonin supplements work by heling you fall asleep quickly. It's generally recommended that you don't take them for more than 5 nights in a row. Generally speaking melatonin will make you drowsy for about 5 hours. Melatonin is something that the body produces naturally when it's time to go to sleep, so effectively your hacking your circadian rhythm. Doctors can and do prescribe melatonin as sleep medicine, but it's available to treat insomnia otc.
Valerian Root - Valerian root is another good ingredient for sleep aids, it's safe, but the otc sleep aid can cause some side effects such as headaches or nausea. Multiple studies have shown it to be effective in helping people who have trouble falling asleep and disturbed sleep. Valerian appears to help individuals fall asleep faster, experience better sleep quality, and wake up less frequently. Researchers believe that valerian's effects may be due to several compounds working together or the presence of amino acids like GABA or glycine.
Valerian root is commonly made into teas, tinctures, capsules, extracts, and tablets. While each form has its advocates, the tea can have an unpleasant odor, and researchers often use liquid extracts or capsules in their studies. Valerian is typically recommended for individuals with insomnia or general sleep quality issues. Most people report that it becomes more effective with continued use over several weeks. However
Magnesium - Magnesium is particularly effective as a sleep aid and doesn't come with any side effects, whilst it isn't going to treat any serious cases of chronic insomnia it will help deal with mild insomnia cases and restless sleeping. Magnesium is a GABA agonist meaning it turns on your GABA receptors which have sedative effects. It is also essential in helping the body purge cortisol, the stress hormone, which makes it more difficult to sleep. Daily doses of up to 350 milligrams are generally considered safe, although higher levels may be used under medical supervision. Magnesium has minimal side effects, including tiredness, diarrhea, and changes in weight or appetite.
Glycine - Glycine raises serotonin production similar to 5htp, several studies have shown that it can help the body get back into healthy sleep cycles making it a good option for people with jetlag or who have broken their sleep schedule. It's also been demonstrated to improve sleep quality and reduce symptoms of insomnia. It works pretty quickly so you do have to take it right before bed as the effective window is around 90 mins to 2 hours. Glycine is produced naturally by your body and appears in a lot of sleep supplements.
GABA - GABA like glycine is produced naturally in the body, research suggests that supplementing GABA is effective in triggering the bodies signals that it's time to sleep inducing short term natural drowsiness helping you get to sleep quicker.
L Theanine - L Theanine is not the most common ingredient in sleeping pills, but is particularly effective, it also doubles up to help reduce stress as well as improving overall sleep quality.
Ashwagandha - This is perhaps the best ingredient for dealing with stress related sleep disorders, as Ashwagandha has been shown in double blind placebo controlled trials to reduce cortisol build up. As well as it's natural ability as a sleep aid it has a host of other benefits to overall mood and even some hormone balancing effects in males.
Calcium - Your body uses calcium in melatonin production, if you don't have enough of it then you are likely to have broken sleep. And nearly 70% of Americans fail to meet their daily calcium intake. As such it should be a first port of call for people struggling to sleep well.
Hops - Hops flowers contain humulone and lupulone acids, which may interact with the body's GABA receptors, contributing to hops' potential effects.
Hops supplements are often combined with other natural sleep aids, such as valerian. They can be consumed in the form of non-alcoholic beer, dried flowers as a tea, or dry extracts. Different studies have utilized various methods, and there is no evidence favoring one form over another. While consuming hops in the form of non-alcoholic beer or tea is generally considered safe, supplemental use is only considered possibly safe due to the lack of extensive research. Hops may have more potential side effects compared to other natural sleep aids. It can cause changes to the menstrual cycle and is not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding individuals or those with hormone-sensitive conditions. Mild side effects such as dizziness or sleepiness may occur.