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📂 Category: Gear,Gear / Buying Guides,Gear / Products / Sleep,Sweet Dreams
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Others have been tested
These were effective, but not with the same consistency as the above selections. I still encourage others to try because their bodies react differently to the active ingredients found in over-the-counter sleep aids.
Rebalance Dream Sleep Mints (Melatonin-Free; 31 Pack) for $46: These melatonin-free mints are designed to dissolve slowly, with natural sleep-inducing ingredients like L-Theanine, L-Tryptophan, GABA, and slow-release Reishi Mushroom. You can take up to three lozenges each night, and it took three for me to feel any kind of calming effects. I like the idea of a slow-dissolving mint alternative, but I’m currently testing the version with melatonin to see how it competes with the melatonin-free version.
Photo: Molly Higgins
Olly Sleep Gummy for $17: Olly is a very trendy brand, with its gummy supplements constantly going viral on social media like TikTok and selling out quickly. It’s delicious: blackberry flavor with a hint of mint, and contains 3 milligrams of melatonin; L-Theanine, which relieves anxiety and promotes a healthy sleep cycle; And plants such as chamomile extract, passion flower and lemon balm. (Melatonin is generally considered safe for pregnant women, but a doctor should be consulted.) The first time I took these gummies, I felt the effects and fell asleep easily. I woke up around 2am and took two more and eventually went back to bed. The next night, after taking two pills, I didn’t feel the drowsiness effects as strongly and I doubled the dose to four gummies (6 milligrams) and fell asleep after an hour or so but woke up again in the middle of the night and took more. With so many people (both online and in real life) swearing by Olly sleep gummies, I was expecting more.
Kona Sea Salt Deep Sea Magnesium Water Drops for $12: Kona Sleep & Relaxation products use magnesium from Hawaii’s deep ocean waters to support improved sleep and muscle relaxation. I’ve tried a whole host of Kona Sea Salt’s Hawaiian water products, including Calm Mineral Spa Bath ($8) and Deep Ocean Magnesium Mist ($18), but I’ve found the drops to be more effective, though I still spritz the magnesium mist regularly before bed. All you have to do is apply one drop per ounce of drinking water, and it will be quickly absorbed by the body, with a host of supposed benefits such as regulating the sleep-wake cycle and promoting deep, hangover-free sleep. It doesn’t really taste like anything except a slight salt taste, but it didn’t provide strong, consistent results like the other picks above.
Ossia Vagus nerve pillow mist for $38: This spray aims to create a soothing atmosphere to help organize and prepare the mind and body before sleep. The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body, and it activates the body’s relaxation response to help regulate stress. Each spray of this mist delivers a delicious mist of a soothing essential oil blend of Juniper Berry, Lavender, Tea Tree, Lemon, Chamomile and Moroccan Rosemary to help relax the mind and body. The scent is almost hard to describe, it’s light, with a hint of herbs and citrus that made me want to drench all my pillows and bed linens. Maybe it was a placebo effect, but it sparked something in me that made me feel like I was in a spa, and I always felt more relaxed, at ease, and ready for sleep.
Ineffective (for me)
Photo: Molly Higgins
Grounding pad cover for $140: I am confused about this product. The pillowcase is supposed to act as a conduit for the Earth’s natural electrons, which give you a boost of negative charges to keep you “grounded” while sleeping and thus lead to a more restful sleep. According to the Earthing website, electronic grounding is supposed to “rejuvenate, reduce inflammation” and help you “reconnect with the Earth.” In fact, it is a synthetic leather pillowcase made of plastic and filled with carbon dye and must be plugged in while you sleep. There is a big safety warning and it also comes with an outlet safety tested to ensure it doesn’t cause an electrical fire while you sleep. So, that’s reassuring. I found the leather material to be very hot, sticky, and uncomfortable, and I woke up feeling ungrounded.
Canary Night Feeder (60 Pack) for $18: I hate to do this, because all of Canary’s products are so delicious, but I didn’t feel the effects of this sleep gummy. These vegan cherry gummies use natural ingredients like ashwagandha, chamomile, and lemon balm for a more natural relaxation experience. Although they are very tasty (like all the gummy supplements I’ve taken from Canary), I didn’t experience any noticeable drowsiness effects while taking them.
BodyHealth Sleep for $42: Before bed, you take three capsules (which is a lot of pills to swallow) fortified with “Perfect Amino” (which has no information about what it actually is), taurine, vitamin C, L-theanine, L-glycine, 5-HTP (I-5-hydroxytryptophan, which is often used to treat depression, with less evidence of helping insomnia); L-Glutamine, GABA (amino acids), and 3 milligrams of melatonin. These were horse pills So It was difficult for me to take and I get acid reflux symptoms every time I take it. It may have helped with the sleepiness, but I was so focused on my heartburn I didn’t realize it.
What else can I try besides sleep aids?
Before you hit the store for a quick fix, Monica Baena, MD, an adult geriatrics nurse practitioner at the George Washington Sleep Disorders Center, recommends following good sleep hygiene. This includes maintaining a set sleep schedule, creating a bedtime routine, avoiding screen time, alcohol, and bright lights before bed, as well as making sure you’re physically active during the day and taking care of any other health issues that may be contributing to insomnia.
Part of the importance of creating a bedtime routine is making sure your bedroom is ideal for your personal sleep preferences, whether that’s the temperature, the use of a sleep mask or a sound device — whatever will make your environment more conducive to restful sleep.
What are the risks of sleep aids?
“There is potential for dependence and tolerance with sleep medications, as these medications are intended for short-term use,” says Hanna Sajdi, MD, a physician assistant at the George Washington Sleep Disorders Center. Although sleep aids can sometimes be helpful for initiating and maintaining sleep, Sajedi explains some of their more serious potential side effects, such as grogginess and memory problems. It may also increase the risk of abnormal sleep behaviors such as sleepwalking or sleep eating.
As a general rule, people should not drive or operate machinery while taking sleep medications or mixing them with alcohol, and everyone — especially pregnant women or those with pre-existing medical conditions — should consult a physician before use. The FDA only approves prescription medications for insomnia like Ambien, as well as over-the-counter medications, which are often just variations of the same two active ingredients: doxylamine and diphenhydramine. However, over-the-counter medications are not regulated in the same way as prescription medications. Some active ingredients, such as doxylamine, have already been shown to increase the risk of dementia.
What are some common ingredients in over-the-counter sleep aids?
While they should be used in moderation, there are certain ingredients believed to help promote healthy sleep that are featured in most of the sleep aids on this list. Let’s do a crash course.
- Doxylaminefound in over-the-counter medications such as Unisom, is one of the most common medications used to treat insomnia and is also used for nausea during pregnancy and allergic rhinitis. It stays in your system longer than other sleep medications, so it is more likely to cause persistent sleepiness the next morning.
- Diphenhydramineused in over-the-counter medications like Benadryl and ZzzQuil, is also one of the most popular over-the-counter sleep medications and can be used for allergies as well. Diphenhydramine and doxylamine work similarly and have similar side effects.
- Melatonin It is a hormone secreted naturally by the brain that helps regulate your internal clock. Increased melatonin levels help signal to your body that it is time to sleep. “Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain. It is related to the time of day and increases when it is dark and decreases when it is light. This helps with the timing of your circadian rhythms,” Baena explains. Sajdi warns that melatonin can cause side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, and strange dreams. Melatonin has been shown to regulate the sleep-wake cycle, but because it is considered a dietary supplement in the United States, it is regulated less strictly by the FDA than prescription or over-the-counter medications. Melatonin is generally considered safe for pregnant women and children in low doses, but a doctor should be consulted before use.
- Other common ingredients include: Vitamin B6It is thought to help produce melatonin; magnesiumWhich helps regulate the nervous system and produce melatonin; L-theanineIt is an amino acid that promotes relaxation. and GABAAn amino acid that helps calm the brain.
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