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I’ve never been a good sleeper. I kept my parents up at all hours of the night in the early years and tossed and turned my way through my youth and adolescence. As an adult, I often lie awake for an hour or more after bedding down. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I often see the clock tick from two past three and on toward four. But on some glorious nights, I remember to take my melatonin supplements, and I finally get peaceful rest through the night.
While adding melatonin to my nightly ritual hasn’t magically made my sleeping woes disappear entirely, they have helped me fall asleep faster just about every evening and stay asleep through the night better than I have since… well, ever.
I know there is a lot of debate over the efficacy of melatonin—I’m no doctor or sleep expert by any means—but based on my research, it seems melatonin doesn’t induce sleep, but it can help improve your body’s natural wake and sleep regulation processes. Melatonin is not only a supplement you can ingest but is also a hormone naturally created by the brain’s pineal gland, per NIH.
If you ask Google whether or not melatonin “works,” you’ll see medical professionals singing its praises, experts claiming there’s too little clinical evidence to make any claims for or against it, and a bevy of non-expert opinions on both sides of the issue.
After a deep dive into the papers and articles written on melatonin, one thing I can say with confidence is that plenty of people swear that it’s been a game-changer, and I happen to be one of them. I have tried many different brands and formulas, including gummies, tinctures, and pills, but the products below are the only melatonin products that help me fall and stay asleep every time I take them.
Goli Nutrition Dreamy Sleep Gummies
There are two things I love about the gummies from this company: first, they help me fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Second, they cost less than $20 per bottle, making Golí’s melatonin gummies the most affordable per-serving option featured here by far. That two-gummy dose contains five milligrams of melatonin along with several other ingredients, including 50 milligrams of magnesium, which can help with circadian rhythm regulation, per the Sleep Foundation, and 90 milligrams of lemon balm, which can help reduce anxiety and make it easier to fall asleep, per Mount Sinai. When I pop two of these gummies about 30 minutes before the end of whatever show we’re binging (I know… I know… blue light), I find myself nodding off about 15 minutes into my book once in bed—bad for finishing novels, but good for being well-rested.
Peels CBD & Melatonin Night Oil
Much like melatonin, CBD is a substance about which there is no shortage of debate. Leaving aside all the other potential benefits of cannabidiol, which may include reduction of pain and inflammation, stress relief, and memory and focus enhancement CBD can also help with sleep—especially when combined with melatonin. The 33 milligrams of CBD and five milligrams of melatonin in each serving of Peels’ CBD Night Oil gets me drowsy so quickly that I take the stuff right before getting in bed—not a half hour before. And for anyone concerned about CBD being a cannabis derivative, no worries here: while CBD can be sourced from the hemp/marijuana plant, Peels gets their CBD from orange peels, thus the brand name.
The melatonin in these gummies helps tell your brain that it’s time to wind down. The L-theanine helps relieve some of the stress or anxiety that might keep that brain wound up, while the magnesium can help your body physically relax. The gummies also contain other soothing ingredients like lavender, chamomile, and elderberry to help promote relaxation. The best part? These gummies taste delicious, so you’ll look forward not only to the enhanced sleep to come but also to a little 20-calorie sweet treat before bed. And before brushing, too, of course.
Fleur Marche Night Party Gummy
These gummies from Fleur Marché contain melatonin and magnesium, along with ashwagandha and valerian root, which can help you fall asleep faster and promote an overall sense of calm. These gummies don’t explicitly say you need to take them near bedtime, simply stating you should take two per day as needed, but I can say from personal experience that when I have taken them near bedtime, I have definitely fallen asleep faster. One note, though: keep the jar in the fridge, as they become something of a solid mass if they warm up at all.
Blue Bear Functional Sleep Tea
Blue Bear refers to its White Peach Tea beverage as a “Functional Sleep Drink,” and in my experience, that’s an accurate description. An eight-ounce serving contains five milligrams of melatonin along with L-theanine, which can reduce stress and anxiety, GABA, which promotes relaxation, and chamomile and lavender. Drinking a can of this sleep tea about a half hour before bedtime helps me ease right into sleep.
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