The best natural sleep supplements – we’ve found the ones that really work

So you’re struggling to sleep (join the not-so-happy club) but you don’t want to take prescription sleeping pills. Nor do you like the idea of over-the-counter sleeping tablets such as Nytol, which are most often based on antihistamines. What alternative options do you have when it comes to natural sleep supplements? Well, take a deep breath…

There’s magnesium, melatonin, ashwagandha, chamomile, lavender, passionflower, valerian, lemon balm, hops, Californian poppy, skullcap, tart cherry, medicinal mushrooms, l-tryptophan, CBD, 5-HTP, glycine, l-theanine, saffron, collagen, B vitamins… we could go on. You’ll find them in the many dozens of sleep capsules, tinctures, drinks and gummies that have flooded the market. Inevitably, the Kardashians are among the latest to join the fray with Kourtney Kardashian’s Lemme Sleep Gummies, £25, which are melatonin-based and have to be ordered from the US as the hormone is not authorised for sale in the UK.

While natural sleep remedies may offer welcome alternatives to hardcore and potentially addictive meds for the millions of us suffering from insomnia, nutritionist Charlotte Faure Green is keen to remind us that “sleep is as incredibly complex as it is lucrative for supplement companies.”

In other words, there is serious money to be made – opening the door to plenty of supplements that promise far more than they can deliver. And this is why with the help of our Get The Gloss experts, we’re here to cut through the noise.

Do natural sleep supplements work?

The nutritionists we spoke to agree that natural supplements absolutely can and do work for sleep, with some caveats. There’s no one-size-fits-all pill “because the underlying causes of sleep issues vary so much from person to person,” says Faure Green. “Some can serve as a short-term sticking plaster while others offer longer-term benefits.” The most important thing is to find and tackle the root cause to successfully combat insomnia.

Do natural sleep supplements make you drowsy?

Contrary to what you might think, they’re not all meant to make you drowsy. Many pathways are involved in falling and staying asleep, so they could help you regulate stress hormones, improve the production of sleep neurotransmitters or “even help calm inflammation to improve sleep,” according to Faure Green.

For many people, stress is an issue that affects their sleep, and so many sleep supplements are also natural remedies for stress and anxiety. The only one that will make you truly drowsy, to the extent that you would not be safe to drive, is melatonin, says functional medicine and nutrition specialist Sarah Carolides.

What to look for in a good sleep aid?

Some natural sleep aids certainly are more evidence-based than others. Nutritionists’ favourites are:

• Magnesium glycinate

“Magnesium is by far the most well-researched nutrient for improving sleep and relaxation”, says Carolides. Used throughout the body to help relax you both physically and mentally, it is, she says, much less present in our food than it used to be, which is thought to be a reason for the epidemic of poor sleep.

Magnesium glycinate (or bisglycinate) is the best type of magnesium for sleep, says Faure Green. “It regulates several neurotransmitters involved in sleep, and it’s a natural anxiolytic [anxiety reliever], thanks to the presence of the amino acid glycine. Taken at night, it can hit you like a snoozy train.”

The next-best type of magnesium for sleep is magnesium threonate. 200 to 400mg elemental magnesium [the actual amount of magnesium that’s in the compound (type) that you’re taking] is effective for improving sleep onset and quality.

• Melatonin

Melatonin can also be really useful, says Carolides. “It’s the sleep hormone the body naturally makes to regulate sleep and circadian rhythms but we often lack enough natural production.” It’s only available in the UK on prescription; the upside is that you will get it in clinically-supported doses for inducing sleep.

• Tart Cherry Juice

Faure Green likes non-prescription tart cherry juice for sleep (or capsules) “for providing natural melatonin, found in the tart Montmorency or morello cherry.”

• Amino acids glycine and L-theanine 

The amino acid glycine, taken up to an hour before bed, “calms the nervous system and improves sleep onset and quality,” says Faure Green. Regular use (3g is the clinically-backed dose for aiding sleep) may enhance these benefits over time as glycine helps support your balance of neurotransmitters. This can make you feel more chilled overall. It’s found in collagen powders, and some people report that taking collagen powder at night has helped with sleep. She also rates another amino acid, l-theanine, for calming the mind.

• Valerian

“This well-researched herb works as a natural sedative on some people,” says Faure Green. 300 to 600mg has been shown to have mild sedative effects.

• Saffron

“The right saffron extract [see below; 28-30mg daily is the studied dose for optimal benefits] modulates serotonin [a feelgood neurotransmitter]and has promising research for reducing stress-related insomnia,” says Faure Green.

• Lemon balm

Like valerian, this herb from the mint family is well-researched and known for reducing stress, says Faure Green.

How long does it take for a natural sleep aid to work?

‘They can work from the moment you start using them,” says Carolides. Magnesium glycinate and glycine can improve sleep onset and quality on the first night.

But some ingredients take time to work. Adaptogens such as ashwagandha, lemon balm and reishi mushroom, says Faure Green, have a cumulative effect, meaning they work better over weeks not days. “They can help you deal with stress better,” explains Carolides. “Often you’ll notice you just generally feel calmer all day, which then makes you better able to sleep.”

If you’re having a really stressful time, she adds, you may find something works for a while and then stops, so you should then try something else. “A potential explanation is that your body can get used to a certain ingredient.”  She advises cycling through single ingredients such as valerian, hops etc every couple of weeks, but she recommends taking magnesium consistently. “Even if its effects are less pronounced after a while, continue its use because it has so many other important functions.”

As for chronically poor sleepers, “a remedy may not work for long,” she says. Determining and treating the root cause of the insomnia is usually required.

Are B vitamins a sleep aid?

A very high proportion of sleep supplements features B vitamins, but while a good B complex can support the nervous system and neurotransmitter function, but not all B vitamins should be taken at night. Vitamin B6 and folate (B9) are particularly relevant for sleep support while B12 is essential for nervous system health. But B12 can be energising in certain forms, while B6 in too high a dose (over 10mg) can over-stimulate, warns Faure Green. She advises taking a B complex in the morning instead of taking isolated sleep-supporting B vitamins for sleep at night.

Mushrooms for sleep: which is best?

“Reishi is the one with the most research for calming the nervous system and improving sleep onset,” says Faure Green.

Other medicinal mushrooms help indirectly. ‘Functioning as adaptogens, mushrooms such as lion’s mane [which supports nerve regeneration], maitake and shiitake can all make you feel more ‘zen’ over time, promoting better sleep,” says Carolides. Energy-boosting cordyceps is the one you want to avoid at night.

How do I choose a natural sleep supplement that works?

“Focus on single ‘sleepy’ ingredients rather than blends; they make it easier to control dosing and knowing what’s making a difference,” says Faure Green. For those who are really not sure why they can’t sleep, there are good blends. The best ones are designed with ingredient synergy in mind; herbs such as valerian, lemon balm and hops often work best in combination rather than at a single high dose.

But that doesn’t mean you want to see as many popular remedies as possible packed in: “a long list of ingredients (however ‘science-backed’) in trace amounts is “a common way to make a product look impressive without delivering real effects,” she says.

Which herbal sleep remedies aren’t worth the trouble?

Faure Green is underwhelmed by passionflower: “It has weaker evidence than lemon balm or valerian.” While she loves chamomile tea, she thinks the effect of the plant is more about tradition than science. As for CBD oils, “the doses needed for significant sleep support tend to be much higher than what is found in most products”.

Are natural sleep supplements safe in pregnancy?

Most will be safe while pregnant or breastfeeding, says Carolides, with the caveat that “there are never any clinical trials done on pregnant ladies for ethical reasons”. You need to be careful with ashwagandha during pregnancy, she cautions, “although the amount contained in most supplements will be fine for use at any stage”.

9 best sleep supplements