Best Sleep Supplements

Quality sleep is arguably the greatest contributor to overall health and well-being, and a necessary component of any real muscle gain or fat loss regime, and yet it’s also the first thing people are willing to sacrifice, whether for work or a social life. Don’t believe us? In study after study after study, poor sleep quality and/or inadequate sleep time was associated with increases in stress, decreases in energy levels, reduced fat oxidation, decreases in cognitive performance, impaired muscle protein synthesis, and a daytime decrease in testosterone levels of between 10% and 15%. All these negative effects because you failed to prioritize a good night’s sleep and stayed up binging Netflix or gaming? Doesn’t seem worth it to us. RELATED: Experts Share Their Hacks for a Good Night’s Sleep But what if you constantly try to go to bed early but can’t manage to fall asleep quickly, or seem to spend more time tossing and turning than actually snoozing? Sleep difficulties are a common problem, especially in our era of constant communication and ubiquitous screens, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t solutions to help you turn things around. The following sleep supplements have been specifically designed to help correct your sleep cycle, improve sleep quality, and help you spend more time in the deeper sleep stages, promoting greater restfulness and recovery. GHOST® SLEEP The latest product from GHOST® is a sugar-free, gluten-free sleep aid designed to promote better rest and recovery. It’s currently available in two delicious flavors, Apple Pie and Blue Dream, but it’s the ingredient list that caught our eye, a comprehensive compendium of the most effective, scientifically-proven compounds linked to improve sleep quality. Some of these are basic, and commonly found in most sleep aids, including tryptophan (an amino acid used in the production of serotonin, an essential neurotransmitter in the sleep cycle), melatonin, and GABA, but some of them are much less commonly used or have only recently been proven to improve sleep quality. These ingredients include the adaptogen ashwagandha, the amino acid glycine, and colostrum, derived from mammalian breast milk. And needless to say, in classic GHOST® fashion, all of these ingredients are included in their clinically-proven, effective doses, so you can rest assured you’re getting both the right quality and the right quantity of each sleep promoter. $49.99 at GhostLifestyle.com  Apothékary Do Not Disturb Want to not only improve your sleep but also make falling asleep easier and faster? Pick up Apothékary’s aptly named Do Not Disturb, concocted from a potent blend of herbs and plants like mucuna, holy basil, ceylon cinnamon, rosa damascena, as well as coconut milk powder. If you’re a tosser and turner, someone who dreads going to bed because it usually takes you ages to fall asleep, this is the perfect solution, an all-natural, non-addictive sleep supplement that’s also fast-acting, taking you to sleepy town from within 30 minutes to an hour after ingestion. $39 at Apothekary.com  Dr. Barbara Sturm Good Night Sleep Food Another herbal compound, Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Good Night Sleep Food employs lavender flower extract, valerian, passion flower, and hops, together with niacin, 5-HTP, and vitamins B12 and B6, to calm your nervous system and prime your body for a full night’s sleep. One of their more exotic ingredients is purslane, also known as little hogweed, a succulent loaded with nutrients and antioxidants and a naturally occurring source of melatonin. $75 at DrSturm.com  OLLY Sleep Gummy If you don’t like the idea of drinking a concoction before bed and instead prefer popping a delicious gummy, check out the best-selling OLLY Sleep Gummy. They’re available in packs of 50, 60, 70, 90 and 120, in a delicious Blackberry Zen flavor that will make it hard for you to eat just two at a time, but it’s their potent blend of melatonin, L-Theanine, and botanical ingredients like lemon balm and chamomile that makes this an especially soothing sleep aid. $14.99 at Amazon.com  Herb Pharm Organic Valerian Root Extract One downside to sleep compounds is that it can be difficult to determine which of the active ingredients your body is best responding to. If you’d rather keep things simple, this organic Valerian root extract from Herb Pharm is an excellent place to start. They source from only certified organic and fresh sources, delivering one of the highest-quality tinctures on the market, and their liquid form is super fast-absorbing, making it easy to take right before bed to still ensure a restful snooze. $14.38 at Amazon.com  Nature Made Wellblends Back To Sleep Want a gentle sleep complex that won’t knock you unconscious for nine-plus hours? Nature Made’s Wellblends Back to Sleep uses just three ingredients (melatonin, L-theanine, and GABA), with a lower dose of melatonin, for a gentle sleep aid that still acts quickly thanks to the fast-dissolving tablets, effective within 30 minutes of ingestion. Finally, the Mixed Berry flavor is on point, making this sleep aid something you’ll actually look forward to taking. $20.24 at Amazon.com  Relaxium Sleep Professional Strength Relaxium’s Sleep Professional Strength is the heavy-duty sleep aid you reach for when your sleep schedule is really bad. Do you do shift work? Are you a student in exam mode, burning the midnight hours? Whatever the reason for your sleep schedule, sometimes you just need to ensure yourself a good nine hours of rest, and this extra-strength formula, developed by a neurologist, could be just the solution you need. It features melatonin, ashwagandha, valerian root extract, GABA, chamomile, L-tryptophan and magnesium, all in very high doses, so consider this your fail-safe option when nothing else seems to help. $29.99 at Amazon.com  You Might Also Dig: Best Sleep Products for Hot SleepersHow to Get Better SleepDo You Need 8 Hours of Sleep?