Natural sleep aids are a type of dietary supplement that are designed to help people who are suffering from sleep problems. They can improve sleep quality, help you to fall asleep faster, enter REM sleep quicker, or stay asleep longer, or make sure you wake up feeling refreshed.
Some sleep supplements focus on one of these areas, while other sleep aids will try to do them all at once. The problem is, most natural sleep supplements will contain a variety of unusual ingredients, which can make choosing the right sleep aid difficult for the average person.
That is why we have decided to create our own list of the very best natural sleep aids. We will explain to you what each sleep aid does and how, to ensure that everyone can find one to help them doze off quickly and enjoy restful sleep of a high quality each and every night.
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RestAgain - Best Overall Sleep Aid
RestAgain is a natural sleep aid from FA Nutra Ltd that has been popular in the UK for a while and has exploded since recently launching in the US. It has been carefully designed to help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and enjoy better quality sleep every night.
Its formula consists of 11 ingredients, which are ashwagandha, GABA, l-theanine, magnesium, valerian root, 5-htp, calcium, melatonin, vitamin b6, vitamin b12, and vitamin d. They have all been extensively researched, proven to enhance sleep quality, and are present in optimal doses.
Melatonin is a hormone that effects REM sleep and your sleep wake cycle (1). Ashwagandha is a herbal extract and 5-htp is an amino acid. Both promote relaxation, calmness, and improved mood, while helping to reduce stress and anxiety, leading to better sleep quality (2)(3).
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L-theanine is another amino acid that does a similar job and also improves brain and immune health, both of which prevent sleep problems (4). GABA is a neurotransmitter that will further boost relaxation and stress levels, while valerian root is a herbal extract that improves its efficacy (5)(6).
The minerals calcium and magnesium will help you to fall asleep faster, enter REM sleep much quicker, make you feel calmer, improve your health, and prevent things like cramps, which can cause sleep problems (7)(8).
Finally, the vitamins encourage effective recovery, to ensure you wake up feeling refreshed each and every morning (9)(10)(11).
With so many different beneficial effects, ingredients of the highest quality, and no reports of any side effects, all while being very reasonably priced, it is easy to recommend RestAgain as the best sleep aid to help you achieve a better night's rest that is currently on the market. Voted best sleep aid by ourselves, Center TRT and SFGate.
Pros
● All of its ingredients are proven natural sleep aids
● Will not cause any side effects
● All of the ingredient dosages are within the optimal range
● Reasonably priced
● Benefits sleep latency, sleep quality, and sleep duration
Cons
● Still quite new, so reviews are limited
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NooCube Sleep Upgrade - Best Sleep Supplement Without Melatonin
Melatonin supplements are the most common type of sleep aid but, in rare cases, people may experience side effects that can lead to poor sleep when taking melatonin, like nightmares or a need to urinate much more often, and they are also prescription sleep aids in some countries.
NooCube Sleep Upgrade has been specifically designed without the inclusion of this hormone, to ensure that people who can't or don't want to use melatonin supplements have a safe and effective natural sleep aid alternative to turn to.
The NooCube Sleep Upgrade formula includes magnesium, calcium, vitamin d, lemon balm leaf powder, and lavender extract.
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Magnesium reduces brain signals to increase relaxation, reduce the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep, and improve sleep quality and duration. Calcium can not only help you to fall asleep quicker, but a calcium deficiency can also lead to chronic insomnia.
A vitamin d deficiency can also lead to you getting insufficient sleep, while using vitamin d in supplement form can also enhance both your natural melatonin production and circadian rhythm.
Lemon balm leaf powder is from a plant in the mint family that has long been used in herbal tea, due to the deep feeling of calm it can induce. Studies have also shown that it can treat insomnia, anxiety, and other chronic sleep issues, and reduce the symptoms by up to 42% (12).
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Then you have the lavender extract, a relative of lemon balm, which can produce similar results, while also having a sedative effect, which enhances restfulness and combats any mild sleep disturbances, without causing any side effects (13).
This all makes NooCube Sleep Upgrade the ideal natural sleep aid for people who are worried about pushing their melatonin levels higher than what their body produces naturally.
Pros
● Can combat a variety of sleep disorders and improve circadian rhythm
● Made using nothing but natural sleep remedies, without needing to use melatonin
● No side effects or adverse reactions have ever been reported
● Very reasonably priced
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Cons
● Some people will find it slightly less effective than melatonin supplements
● Very new, so has limited reviews and is hard to get hold of
Spruce Rest - Best Oil To Support Sleep
Spruce Rest is an essential oil supplement that is designed to promote sleep improvements in those who have trouble sleeping and improve overall sleep quality even in those who don't. It is also an ideal sleep aid for those who don't like taking pills or capsules.
It is created from a blend of natural oils which includes coconut. A substance rich in MCTs (medium chain triglycerides), it is useful for lowering body temperature, which the National Sleep Foundation suggest is ideal to improve the quality, latency, and duration of sleep (14).
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It can also offer additional health benefits, such as protecting you from cardiovascular disease, curbing your appetite, promoting fat metabolism, boosting energy levels, fighting bacteria, and improving the health of your gut, brain, and nervous system.
Vegan friendly and gluten free, it uses nothing but 100% natural, lab grade ingredients. Family made in the USA, without the use of pesticides or artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives, each bottle is third party tested, to ensure maximum quality and efficacy in every dose.
Complete with a delightful natural vanilla flavour, Spruce Rest is the perfect sleep aid for people who are seeking an oil based supplement that is as close to nature as possible.
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Pros
● Its essential oil blend is 100% vegan and organic and ideal for people who like their sleep supplements to be as natural as possible
● Features a wonderful vanilla flavour
● Offers a range of health benefits beyond combatting sleep problems
● Every bottle is third party tested, to ensure maximum quality and efficacy
Cons
● Contains fewer ingredients than most natural sleep aids
● Some people may have an issue with the taste or texture of the oil
Relaxium Natural Sleep Aid- Most Popular Sleep Aid
Relaxium Natural Sleep Aid is one of the most popular sleep aid supplements currently on the market. Designed to be drug free and non-habit forming, it is created to help you fall asleep faster, sleep longer without interruption, and wake feeling refreshed, alert, and more focused.
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Its formula includes magnesium, ashwagandha, GABA, melatonin, valerian root, hops extract, chamomile, and passionflower. Most of these are common in the best natural sleep aids, including those we have looked at, but there are a few that make this formula unique.
Hops extract is an antioxidant and mild sedative that can combat anxiety, depression, stress, tension, and sleep issues like insomnia, to produce a healthy sleep cycle (15).
Chamomile is well known for its ability to help you feel calm. This occurs as it has apigenin, a chemical which relieves stress and anxiety, aids relaxation, and fights things that reduce sleep quality, like inflammation and indigestion, to ensure you can enjoy deep, restful sleep (16).
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Passionflower has long been used as a traditional behavioral sleep medicine to treat insomnia, anxiety, hysteria, and even seizures. It is said to improve GABA production, which would make relaxing and dozing off much easier, although far more research is needed to confirm this (17).
This does bring us to the issues with Relaxium Natural Sleep Aid that we have to mention. More research is needed to confirm the efficacy and effects of passionflower extract, and our research suggests many of the other ingredients in the formula are also under dosed.
The proprietary blend also masks the exact dosages of both valerian root and hops extract that are present, which is always a red flag.
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Relaxium has a number of supporters and good ingredients, so it will definitely provide some benefit to your sleep issues. It is just important to know that there is an increased risk that it won't affect sleep as positively as some of the other naturals sleep aids that we have looked at.
Pros
● One of the most widely used natural sleep aids on the market
● Contains a number of ingredients proven to enhance your sleep
● Affordable and easy to get hold of
Cons
● A proprietary blend hides the exact dosages of valerian root and hops extract that are present
● Research suggests that passionflower extract may not notably improve sleep
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Final Thoughts On The Best Natural Sleep Aids To Improve Sleep Quality
Natural sleep aids are a great way to raise the quantity and quality of sleep that you get each night. While certain natural sleep aids have begun to separate from the other medications and dietary supplements on sale, one sleep supplement really stands out, and that is RestAgain.
The best sleep aid currently on the market, whether it be older adults trying to stay active or jet setters battling jet lag, it can help you to feel calm and doze off easily, then ensure you get a long night of quality sleep, before you wake up feeling totally refreshed and invigorated.
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Some people, for one reason or another, may not feel it is right for them, in which case one of the other natural sleep aids on our list almost assuredly will be. However, for everyone else, RestAgain is the dietary supplement we highly suggest you give a try to enhance your sleep.
Disclaimer: The above is a sponsored post, the views expressed are those of the sponsor/author and do not represent the stand and views of Outlook Editorial.
