Sleep Supplements
by Lisa Sealey, AfterShock
I don’t know when sleep issues became something seemingly everyone suffers from, but the topic of poor sleep and the health impacts of it has slowly and steadily become part of the health conversation, at least in America. Perhaps doom-filled news, pandemics and binge-watching shows before bed are behind the search for magical sleep solutions. Unfortunately, there really is no magic pill or solution. Ambien and other prescription sleep aids were billed as the solution many years ago. I tried Ambien and it didn’t leave me impressed. One time I took it too early and thought I could just finish up a few things around the house before bedtime. One of those things was a phone call to my sister that I didn’t remember until she reminded me of it the next day. I was “asleep” when I called her. That incident, and the next-day grogginess I often felt, was enough to keep me off any prescription sleep aids.
The good news is that there are many other non-prescription options available today. We thought we would test a few with ingredients that you may have heard of, and some you might not have.
CBD
CBD or Cannabidiol, one of many chemical compounds found in marijuana and hemp. Unlike its fellow chemical, THC, CBD isn’t psychoactive i.e. it won’t make you feel altered or high. CBD became legal to sell in 2015 as long as it was derived from hemp, not marijuana (even though it’s the exact same chemical.) Read more in-depth information from Harvard Health Publishing here and here. As with all things new and marketable/money-making, CBD is now in everything from creams for joint pain to products for your pet. It seemed destined to end up being promoted for sleep issues.
And there are some studies that seem to point to CBD being helpful for anxiety and sleep. Most reputable companies that sell a variety of CBD and the newer CBN-based products, formulate its strength and combine it with other ingredients that are also helpful for sleep. It some ways that makes it more complex to figure out what exactly is working, or not working. Human bodies are complex and anything you take is going to have different results based on your specific chemistry, what and how you eat, exercise, sleep, caffeinate, etc. Never mind the placebo effect – how susceptible you are to feeling the result that the product says it does.
L-Theanine
We tested two products that don’t contain CBD or CBN that we think might be worth testing to see how your body reacts. One is L-Theanine, an amino acid that can be found in green and black tea, that has been shown in some studies to promote relaxation and reduce stress. This Psychology Today article notes that L-theanine boosts brain levels of GABA, a calming chemical, and also lowers certain “excitatory” chemicals. Sounds like a good combination. Taking the supplement before bed, rather than drinking a caffeine-filled cup of tea, could be a good place to start.
Melatonin
This hormone – yes, it’s a hormone naturally produced by your body – is pretty well known as a sleep aid. On a recent trip to my local CVS I found an entire shelf of melatonin products in varying potencies and combinations, from pills to gummies to liquid. Melatonin might be “natural” but there are a lot of reasons for not taking it every night. Your body makes its own and you don’t want to discourage it from doing so by taking it all the time as a supplement. It can impact testosterone production in men and fertility in women. Also, many products contain a dose that’s considerably more than we’d recommend – from 5mg to 10mg. Here’s a great podcast from Dr. Andrew Huberman that explains further. You can click on the time stamps to just listen to his sleep advice but there’s also a lot of other fascinating information about hormones in it!
The Sleep Test
We tested these four products. All are available on Amazon, but you may find better deals if you purchase directly from the brand’s website. Prices listed were current as of May, 2022. We have no affiliation or partnership with any of these companies.
Winged Women’s Wellness’ Sleepy – Sleep Support Complex $25 (60 ct. / 0.83/serving)
OLLY Restful Sleep Gummy Supplement with Melatonin & L-theanine Chamomile, BlackBerry Zen $23.99 (120 ct. / 0.39/serving)
Natural Factors, Stress-Relax Suntheanine 125 mg. $18.17 (60 ct. / 0.60/serving)
Wyld CBD’s Elderberry Gummies CBD + CBN $22.79 - sale price on Thrive Market - (10 ct. / $2.27/each)
The Details
Winged Woman’s Wellness Sleepy CBD Gummies with 5-HTP and GABA
From their website: “Winged specializes in supplements to help women with specific needs like Sleep, Mood, Skin, Energy + Stress. We combine specific herbs, cannabinoids and adaptogens that help achieve the desired outcome and also help with hormonal balancing.” We tried Winged Woman’s Wellness Sleepy – Sleep Support Complex. We aren’t quite yet through the container of 30 because we’ve been alternating with some of these other products and also taking nights off where we use nothing at all. There are a lot of ingredients in it which presents a challenge because you can’t really be sure which ingredient your body is responding to – positively or negatively. All in all, I think this works pretty well although I’ve felt a little groggy on some mornings after taking them, which could be the GABA, that I think doesn’t work great for me. The suggested serving size is 1 or 2 but I think taking two, a 4mg melatonin dose, may be a bit too much.
The Olly Sleep supplement can be found everywhere. I must say, it works for me with little side effects. Even my 24-year-old son swears by them. I’m not a fan of some of the additional ingredients like sugar, canuba wax and gelatin. And at 3mg of melatonin per serving, I’d recommend not taking this every night. They are widely available and reasonably priced, especially if you don’t take every night.
These chewable L-theanine tablets are simple and straightforward, with just one active ingredient: 125 mg. of L-theanine. They are a good place to start to see if you just need a little relaxation help to get your sleep on. There should be no next-day grogginess either. If you find they aren’t enough you could pair it with another supplement, like CBD or melatonin, to see how that works. This product also comes in 100mg. dose and in a chewable tablet which includes added sugar. I don’t know if it’s placebo or not but I notice a mild, relaxing effect when I take these tablets. Again, if your sleep isn’t terribly broken, these might work – paired with a warm bath and regular wind-down ritual before bed.
These gummies are made in Oregon with USA-sourced CBD. They don’t contain any THC (the component that can make you feel “high”) and are third-party tested for contaminants. We were interested to see if the addition of CBN would make a difference in our sleep quality. Although it can be hard to tell, these gummies seemed to provide decent results. We like that there are just two active ingredients – the hemp extract and the hemp cannabinol. This means we can try to parse out what works in our system. But the price just isn’t easy to swallow, er, chew (we also didn’t like the added sugars in these gummies!) At $2.27 per gummy, that’s definitely something we’d lose sleep over.
Five Things I’ve Learned
Watch your body’s response. We’ve said this on other reviews, but it bears repeating. You have to be your own guinea pig and notice what you’re experiencing. Better yet, make a log of when you take a particular sleep supplement, what else is happening in your life (stress, vacation, etc.) and how you’re eating, exercising. Make note of how you feel in the morning, before coffee, food or exercise. Any lingering effects or brain fog?
Mix it up. Have a few things in your arsenal that you use and test regularly. It’s better to switch things up anyway, so your body doesn’t get used to one thing. During this test I varied what I used within each week and then tried to note what worked best for me.
What else matters when it comes to sleep? It makes no sense to take any of these products if you’re not also addressing the other aspects that might be contributing to your poor sleep. These things are simple – and you probably read about them everywhere – but it’s one thing to read the tips, and another to diligently implement them. Our top recommendations
Watch your caffeine intake and stop taking anything with caffeine by mid-morning unless you’re absolutely sure you’re a “fast metabolizer”;
Lower the temperature in your bedroom. Most people, especially in perimenopause or menopause, sleep better in cool temps – 65-68 degrees;
Manage sound and light. Earplugs and an eye mask can help your body stay in sleep mode. Gel earplugs have been genius for keeping various sounds from waking me. If you have kids or a needy pet, they aren’t necessarily advisable;
Monitor your viewing habits. I don’t watch scary movies, depressing news or read anything upsetting (work emails?) in the hour or two before bed.
Cost. We try to think about cost when it comes to our recommendations because we know that focusing on your health can get very expensive. Go slow. Keep it as simple as possible. Try the “free” options we recommend above and only add in a sleep supplement if you’re not getting results you want. If you do decide to take something, pulse your intake: use for 2-3 days and then go “dry” for the next 2-3 days. Think of it anything you take as a tool or support for your body’s natural abilities.
Quality matters. I’ve seen CBD-based supplements in gas stations, beach gift shops and discount stores from companies I have never heard of. Do your research as best you can about the companies you purchase from. I like products that are manufactured in facilities that will show their work: where they source ingredients, what type of quality tests they perform, etc.
The takeaway: Sleep is the top recommendation for optimizing your health – and your hormones. It’s the foundation for everything else you may choose to spend your money and time on to be healthy. So, it’s worth researching why you’re not sleeping well and trying out some of the lifestyle changes and products that can help make it as long and restful as possible.
This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advise. Always consult a medical professional before taking any supplement.