Sleep Supplements – 3 Natural Sleep Aids to Fight Insomnia

Woman Sleeping

Enjoying your days cannot happen if your nights are spent tossing and turning and counting the hours until morning breaks through the curtains so you can pretend you can start the day as usual. Insomnia is a symptom. Sleep deprivation – a form of torture. Sometimes, home remedies are rendered powerless in the face of a serious condition. When sleep deprivation and stress outweigh a healthy lifestyle and a normal food diet, you will inevitably suffer from it. Luckily, there are some effective sleep supplements that combine the best natural products on the market to help us get some much needed ZZZs.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has been surveilling the sleep quality, duration, and behavior in the US and estimated that around 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from a sleep insufficiency and sleep disorders.

Woman Sleeping

How much sleep do we need?

First, it depends on age. The National Institutes of Health suggest an average of 7 to 8 hours of sleep for adults, at least 10 hours for children, and not less than 9 hours for teenagers. According to the same data from 2006, approximately 30 percent of adults reported they were getting no more than 6 hours of sleep per night.

What if, after an especially restless night, you have to get through the whole day on zero sleep?

Sleep supplements are trying to address the very problem. Of course, there are some obvious methods you should try first, like taking a break from caffeine and alcohol. Studies show that pre-sleep relaxation can also help, even in tough cases. Feng-shui and physical exercise are also hustle free methods you could try.

However, when all else fails, sleep supplements can be effective in fighting insomnia without raising arms against the rest of your body.

Top Three Sleep Supplements and Their Natural Ingredients for a Restful Sleep

100% All Natural Sleep Aid

Sleep Aid, one of the top Sleep Supplements

The strains of parenthood, working late, or attending social events can really make our circadian rhythm go haywire. First, it will impair our beauty sleep. Secondly, it can lead to far worse health consequences.

Now, falling asleep is one thing. But staying asleep and not waking up in the middle of the night is another. The latter falls under the category of quality sleep and this is what Sleep Aid is after.

Compared to most prescription drugs on the market, Sleep Aid contains all natural ingredients. Thus, you are less likely to become addicted to it. Here we took a peek behind the label into some of the main ingredients:

Phellodendron ingredient in Sleep Supplements

What Does the Label Read?

Phellodendron root, or Huang bai, is listed as one of the 50 most important herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. Its many antioxidants carry a wealth of health properties. One of its chemicals, berberine, lowers bad cholesterol and blood sugar. Additionally, Phellodendron is known to soothe the mind due to its unique phytonutrients that act as antidepressants.

Melatonin is a natural hormone produced by our body’s pineal gland. The pineal is inactive during the day, but when darkness falls it switches into activity, releasing melatonin and sending ‘lullaby’ signals to our brain. So, when our parents used to tell us bedtime stories and we would fall asleep, it was actually melatonin setting in. It’s our body’s own cradle.

Magnesium managed to earn the enviable name of ‘the chill pill’. Only a Thai massage can rival this nutrient’s talent in relaxing our muscles so they feel like butter. Sleep Aid contains 200mg of magnesium that absorbs calcium from the muscles, back into the bloodstream.  Although we might consume magnesium naturally, from organ meats, mineral water, or seafood, our body doesn’t do such a good job in taking full advantage of it. Only 50% of this vital nutrient is absorbed by our digestive system. All in all, magnesium is an old home remedy for your medicine cabinet. It can help with ‘anxiety, insecurity, restlessness, irritability, and sulkiness.’

L-Theanine ingredient in Sleep Supplements

L-Theanine is nothing more than ‘tea in a capsule’. Patented as a mood enhancer, L-Theanine is a natural amino acid found in green tea. While most teas contain caffeine which can lead to a jagged, fidgety kind of sleep, L-Theanine counteracts these effects by crossing the blood-brain barrier and manipulating hormones like serotonin. It also stimulates the production of GABA. And this takes us to our next and final ingredient on our list.

GABA, or the Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, is an inhibitory neurotransmitter whose role is to calm other over-firing or excited neurons in the brain. Although not scientifically proven to help restore a healthy sleep regimen, users of GABA supplements have commended the neurotransmitter for its positive effects.

Pros:

  • Added benefits to your overall health, like muscle and bone health, and weight loss.
  • It comes in capsule form, thus it’s easier to ingest.
  • Reduces sleep apnea symptoms.
  • Only contains 2mg of melatonin. Some people don’t respond well to the hormone.

Ready to try it for yourself?

Instant Sleep

Designed to encourage REM sleep, this formula promotes healthy and restful sleeping cycles. The first promise is it won’t leave you groggy and drained in the morning.

Compared to our other sleep supplement mentioned above, Instant Sleep brings a few new players on the table. Not to worry, we are not moving beyond the boundaries of naturally occurring ingredients. On top of those regulars on the VIP list such as L-Theanine, Melatonin, Magnesium, GABA, and Phellodendron Root, two others join the party.

Mucuna Pruriens in Sleep Supplements

Mucuna pruriens – Hailed no less than as a superfood, the powerful tropical herb releases great amounts of L-Dopa, a precursor to one of our most reputed neurotransmitters, dopamine. Studies show that when our brain is running scarce on dopamine levels, our beauty sleep is the first to suffer from it. Usually, the mucuna pruriens, or velvet bean as it is also known, can spark such a response from dopamine that doctors usually advise only a small dose intake.

5-HTP, or to solve the acronym, 5-hydroxytryptophan is a naturally occurring ingredient of a West African medicinal plant. You might recognize it though as the nutrient precursor to serotonin. This hormone runs deeper than just its popularity role as ‘the happiness hormone’. It also regulates sleep, appetite, learning, memory, mood, muscle contraction, sexual behavior, and endocrine functions.

In time, our brain produces less of the vital hormone. Not to mention that stress is an inhibitor as well. You are starting to see the connection then. Age and an anxiety-ridden lifestyle are partners in crime, and the victim is the quality of our sleep.

Serotonin also converts to melatonin, our body’s biological master clock. We need the programming of sleep, the brain ringing the alert to haul ourselves up from our beds in the morning and the drifting asleep at nighttime.

Pros:

  • Instant Sleep translates to an average of about 15-20 minutes before the effects kick in.
  • Upon waking you feel rejuvenated and not groggy at all.
  • It contains 5-HTP, a welcome addition to the rest of the over-the-counter supplements.

Cons:

  • It’s more expensive than other natural sleep supplements.
  • Some users have reported zero efficiency.
  • It only contains a drop of melatonin, so if you’ve already been on higher doses of melatonin, Instant Sleep might not be the appropriate sleep aid for you.

See how instant will your fall into slumber be by trying Instant Sleep.

Sleep Boosting Pills from Energy by Science

Sleep Supplements from Energy by Science

The natural ingredients in the Energy by Science sleep supplements are selected to induce sleep in stages.

  • Valerian and Melatonin are found in small amount and are designed to initiate the sleep cycle.
  • Magnesium and Glycine regulate blood sugar and muscle contraction.
  • Ashwagandha Root Extract and Phosphatidylserine are the main weapons to fight the last remnants of stress.
  • Then, L-Theanine, Calcium, and Taurine follow to cradle you into final soothing relaxation.

Valerian root is mostly used to combat sleep disorders. Sometimes, the herb is the best companion that will ease your path if you’re trying to lay off sleeping pills. Studies show that the root works by increasing the GABA neurotransmitter. On its own, you can add it to bath waters or brew up a cup of tea to help calm restlessness. Granted, the odor is so strong it can be off-putting, so valerian is mostly taken in capsule form. The calming effect makes valerian a popular choice for people also suffering from anxiety, hysterical states, excitability, hypochondria, migraine, or stomach upset.

Valerian is one of the ingredients in sleep suplements

Taurine is a supreme amino acid for when you’re suffering from insomnia. It’s a regular guest in many natural sleep supplements, but where it shines as the main ingredient on the label is on energizer drinks. This may seem utterly senseless. How can the same nutrient keep you highly excitable and awake at times while inducing irresistible sleep at others? The answer lies in its combination with caffeine in drinks such as Red Bull. Whereas sleep supplements use taurine to increase GABA levels and hinder stress hormones.

To find out if Science truly delivers energy by day and a healthy REM sleep by night, try it for yourself.

The Sweetest Dreams Come Naturally

Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds.’ JoJo Jensen is right, and we could add that there is no better therapy for our mental and physical wellbeing than sleep. However, before you rush to the over-the-counter medicine, try some of our elite sleep supplements for sweet dreams and fresh mornings.

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