According to a study done by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s) 1 in 3 American adults does not get a good night’s sleep. Which is putting them at a higher risk of developing various chronic conditions!
There are various natural supplements that can help a person achieve healthier sleep patterns. This article lists some of the Best Melatonin Brands that can be bought online for your convenience.
Getting into a good sleep pattern
Getting into a good sleeping pattern can be difficult especially when a person has gone for a long time not following regular sleeping routines.
There are many reasons why a person has trouble sleeping or a bad sleeping pattern including that of shift work, trying to balance family life with daily chores and work, stress – all the day’s problems somehow seem a lot bigger and more troublesome at night.
A lot of people need a bit of help to get them into a decent sleep routine. Some will turn to sleep medication which has its own list of side effects, health issues, etc. But there are natural ways that a person can try like sleep aid supplements that contain melatonin!
What is Melatonin?
If you do a Wiki search or even check with a doctor or reputed medical/sleep clinic and sites, they will tell you that that Melatonin is a hormone that is produced by the body’s pineal gland. This is the gland that controls or rather regulates wakefulness!
Studies done on animals found that melatonin plays a part in the synchronization of circadian rhythms which are basically the rhythms of the animal’s biological clock.
These rhythms included those of the sleeping and wakefulness timing, reproduction seasons and regulating the animal’s blood pressure.
Melatonin supplements are taken by mouth. Some of the best melatonin for sleep products come as a powder, tablet, and even juicy gummy sweets or chocolates.
Melatonin has been used as a safer alternative to using prescription sleeping drugs. It has been used to treat various sleep conditions such as Jet Lag, mild insomnia, etc.
Side effects of Melatonin
There are not many documented side effects to taking melatonin other than maybe:
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Drowsiness
• Headaches
• Grogginess
• Irritability
Always read the side effects documented on the package insert.
It is not recommended for pregnant women or a woman who is breastfeeding.
The product should not be used as a long-term solution, always check the information leaflet to see what the recommended safe term for use of the product is.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO NOTE:
It is also important to read the products leaflets and follow the instructions. If you have any pre-existing conditions or are on any other medication you should always check with a medical advisor before taking any supplements. Even those not on any medication or are quite healthy should seek medical advice before taking a supplement that can affect your sleep patterns.
Where to find Melatonin Sleep Aid Supplements?
Most pharmacies, selected drug stores, and health shops will stock a selection of the Best Melatonin Supplement on the market. Most of these stores have an online presence for convenient shopping and browsing from the comfort of your own home.
There are also other online stores such as Amazon that stock some of the top brands. What’s nice about shopping online at sites like Amazon is that they have real product reviews.
They also encourage their buyers to leave their reviews of the products in order to help others like you to make an informed decision when purchasing a product.
13 Melatonin Supplements Brands for Sleep Aid
1. Natrol
Natrol’s Melatonin Calm Sleep, Fast Dissolve Tablets and the come in both a tablet or chewy gummy form in a delicious strawberry flavor.
Their products contain no artificial colorants, sugar or artificial flavors and are 100% drug-free. They are not habit forming and are vegetarian.
Their products get some good reviews and offer a wonderful relaxing drift off into sleep.
Some of their top Melatonin supplements are:
• Natrol Melatonin Gummy sweets with a strawberry flavor. There are few different choices that come in different strengths of 5 mg and 10 mg.
• Natrol Melatonin Fast Dissolve Tablets also come in different dosages and are strawberry flavored.
• Natrol Melatonin Advanced Sleep formula with 5HTP comes in a Bi-layer or Time release capsule selection.
2. Liveli
The product was designed with top ingredients that promoted a peaceful night’s rest leaving the body feeling well rested the next day.
Liveli’s melatonin enriched sleep aid:
• Sleep Peacefully
3. Cooper Complete
All their products are tested for purity and potency they are non-habit forming and natural.
The Cooper Complete brand has the following sleep aids to offer:
• Prolonged Melatonin Time Release Tablets
• Quick Release Melatonin Fast Dissolving Tablets
4. MidNite
Tablets are drug-free and contain only natural products. Their blend of sleep supplements can aid in falling asleep and do not leave a person feeling groggy the next morning.
They are also safe to take if a person wakes up during the night although they should only be taken again if a person has 3 hours or more left to sleep.
There top sleep aid supplement(s) is:
• Natural Sleep Dietary Supplement
5. Functional
They use the good quality ingredient to ensure a person gets a good night sleep in order to wake fresh and revitalized for the new day ahead.
The Melatonin is enhanced by other special herbal supplements that enhance the products ability to help the body to relax and fall into a peaceful night’s sleep
There top sleep aid supplement(s) is:
• Exit() Melatonin Supplement for Sleep
6. MyBite
MyBite brand is one that is not only a sleep aid but also helps that sweet chocolate craving as the product comes as a bit sized Dark Chocolate Caramel square with a nice gooey center that is only 20 calories per serving.
The product is also certified Kosher, has no artificial flavors, colors or added preservatives.
For a restful night sleep it may be worth a look at their product:
• Sweet Zzzz Melatonin Sleep Supplement
7. Vicks
Vicks has been a trusted household brand name for generations offering products that have soothed, relieved and aided in various cold and flu complaints.
Their Melatonin enriched sleep aid is a natural flavored, sleep aid that comes as a gummy sweet.
Helps to regulate sleep patterns and does not leave a person feeling all groggy and foggy the next day. The Melatonin is blended with added herbs to encourage the body to relax and sink into a deep peaceful sleep.
There top Melatonin Sleep aid product is:
• ZzzQuil Pure Zzzzs
8. Amazon Elements
They are also gluten-free and Vegan-friendly the product(s) is made in a “Good Manufacturing Practices Facility in the USA“. Being an Amazon product they tend to back their products.
Their top Melatonin Sleep Supplement Aid is:
• Melatonin 3 mg Sleep Aid Dietary Supplement.
9. Vitafusion
Their 3 mg Melatonin gummy sweets are a white tea and passion fruit flavor that are a tasty treat that will help you fall asleep.
Vitafusion offers the following Melatonin Sleep Support Supplement(s):
• Melatonin Extra Strength 5 mg Gummy Dietary Supplement Sleep Aid
10. REMfresh
The product is a slow release capsule that as it mimics your bodies own release and absorption process during sleep can potentially help you stay asleep. Only the best products are used in the making of the tablets.
REMfrsh offers the following Melatonin Sleep Aid Supplements:
• Extra Strength Advanced Ion-Powered Melatonin 5 mg
• 2 mg Advanced Sleep Formulation
• Lite 0.5 mg Advanced Melatonin
11. Mauricettes
They promote a better quality of sleep and are suitable for both adults and kids to take. Their products are non-habit forming and only the highest quality of ingredients is used to formulate them.
Mauricettes offers the following Melatonin Sleep Aid Supplements:
• Melatonin Gummies for Kids and Adults Sleep Support
• Melatonin Chewable 3 mg Natural Sleep Aid for Adults and Kids
12. Biobot Nutrition
Biobot Nutrition’s products are all made in the USA, sourced from a GMP certified facilities and made in an FDA inspected the facility.
They are vegetarian-friendly, completely natural, non-habit forming that are formulated to help maintain the correct balance of Melatonin in your body to encourage a good night sleep.
They come in a great tasting chewy gummy sweet that is fast acting and lasts the entire length to help you feel fully rested the next morning.
Biobot Nutrition offers the following Melatonin Sleep Aid(s):
• Extra Strength Melatonin Gummies in a cherry flavor
13. Adrien Gagnon Melatonin 10 Dual Action Extra Strength
Adrien Gagnon products are made from the highest quality products that help to regulate the bodies sleep cycle.
They are natural sleep aids that are free of artificial flavors, colors and sugar-free. They are natural and non-habit forming, non-GMO and vegan-friendly.
Their factory does not use any harsh chemicals in any of their products.
Adrien Gagnon’s Melatonin Sleep Aids are:
• Melatonin 10 Dual Action Extra Strength Dietary Supplement Sleep Aid
• Melatonin 3 – 3 mg Liquid Melatonin
Why it is important to get a good night’s sleep?
Both the Sleep Research Society and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommend that adults from the ages of 18 to 60 years get at least 7 hours of sleep a night.
As sleeping is just as important to a bodies health and optimal functioning as is exercise, eating and having enough water a day.
1. A good night’s sleep promotes healthy brain function
Your body needs to have a good sleep pattern in order to get enough sleep during the right time of the day.
While you sleep each day your brain is sorting through the days information and getting ready for the next day.
As you snooze away new brain pathways are being formed in order to help a person retain, take in and learn new information.
Studies at centers such as that of the Sleep Research centers have shown that learners who get a good night sleep are better at problem-solving, learn a lot faster and can think on their feet making better decisions.
People who are sleep deficient can be indecisive, do not do too well with learning new things and could possibly make poor decisions and judgment calls due to the brain not having had a shutdown time to properly prepare for the day ahead.
They have a lack of concentration and as such have trouble paying attention.
2. Sleep plays an important part in a person’s emotional well being
People who get a good night sleep can also better control their emotions, cope a lot better with change and are able to moderate their behavior.
Sleep deficiency has been linked to poor emotional behavior, lack of control and have been linked to impulsive behavior, depression, mood swings, risk-taking, and even suicide.
There are reports on the effects of lack of sleep on a person well being documented at the CDC, Sleep Research Centers and The American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
3. A body needs sleep in order to maintain physical health
Any sleep institute or medical institute will outlay the important role sleep plays on the body’s physical health. For instance, when you are ill or injured and in recovery, your body will shut down in order to give all it has got to help heal itself.
It is also vital for maintaining the health of your blood vessels, heart, kidneys, and all your body functions really.
A good night sleep helps to trigger various hormones that play an import role in growth development, insulin reactions, maintaining stable blood pressure, preventing a stroke, diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease.
Disruptive and bad sleep patterns can also change the way your body’s immune system operates. This may cause your body not to be able to fight off an infection as effectively as should.
As this system relies on a good night sleep to keep it healthy and functioning properly.
A lack of sleep is also a leading factor in obesity. Your body produces a hormone called ghrelin, this is what controls that feeling of hunger and Leptin which gives the full feeling.
A lack of sleep drops the levels of leptin and increases the levels of ghrelin making a person feel a lot hungrier.
4. In order to function properly throughout the day
People who get enough sleep at night generally perform better during the day. They wake up feeling well rested and get to start off their day the right way.
They get things done quicker, as they are not sluggish or foggy from lack of sleep and tend to make fewer mistakes.
A lack of sleep will slow a person down, making them irritable and feeling tired and sluggish. They may cut corners and their quality of work will not be as good nor will their productivity.
5. A person needs sleep for their own personal safety
A person that has had a good night sleep generally has quick reflexes and reaction times. They are able to think faster and as they are more alert will avoid those silly accidents like walking into things, forgetting things, etc.
Tired people are more sluggish, tend to not see the big picture around them and can have some bad accidents. Their reflexes and reaction times are a lot slower with a result they may not move out of the way in time to avoid an avoidable accident.
Lack of sleep may even lead to what is called “microsleep” which a person cannot actually control.
Microsleep is that period of sleeping when you are awake. Like sitting in class and losing time or driving and suddenly finding yourself at your destination without remembering how you got there.
If you look up various road accident statistics, you will find that there are approximately 100 000 car accidents that are caused by a sleepy/drowsy driver and a lot of those accidents have resulted in deaths.
Sleep deficiency can potentially cause damage to others around you as well!
Some helpful sleep tips and advice:
Taking sleeping supplements is a good way to help you get to sleep and stay asleep but there are certain things a person can do that can help to optimize the effects of the supplements.
They are also just really good tips to follow even if you are not taking any supplements.
• Exercise
Normal exercise anytime of the day promotes better sleep health as one study at the University of Washington established. A good time for exercises is just after dinner to take a light stroll, brisk walk or even a light jog.
• Have a nice relaxing herbal bath before bedtime
Sinking into a tub of essential herb and oils helps to relax your body which will make you feel all drowsy.
• Make a regular time to go to or be in bed by
Get your body into a routine by establishing a regular bedtime and trying to stick to it.
Eventually, your body will get used to the pattern and around that time every night you may start to experience yourself getting sleepy.
• Have a light snack before bed or a nice warm drink
Having a light snack before bed will stop any hunger pangs or a nice warm glass of milk will help warm and relax you from the inside.
A glass of water next to your bed will ensure that if you get thirsty during the night you do not have to get up and walk yourself awake to get a drink.
• Make sure your room is at a good temperature
Try to regulate the temperature of your room to ensure that it is not too hot or too cold. But more on the cooler side to keep your body comfortable during the night ensuring a night of peaceful sleep.
• Ban all mobile devices from the room or quiet them
Mobile devices are a distraction that you do not need during the night. Turn the sound down and cover the screen so the light does not flash during the night.
If you are able to it is best to leave them outside of the room or at least switch them off completely and stick the phone in your bedside drawer.
• Remove any TV or computers from your room
The TV is another huge distraction that a person does not need in their rooms. They should be left in the TV Lounge or entertainment area.
Some people think they sleep better and fall asleep quicker with the TV on. But it is not good to do so and can lead to a night of very disturbed sleep.
• Pre-write out your worries before you go to sleep
If worries are getting you down then before you go to sleep jot them down. Jot down some solutions that you will look up and attend to the next day.
Then go put them outside of your room where you will not forget them the next day.
• Try reading a book
Reading can help you get sleepy and take your mind to another place where your worries seem to fade as you get into the character of the book.
But try and have a fixed reading time so you do not get too involved in the book and suddenly realize it is morning and you have not slept at all.
• Quiet your mind and think up a happy story or a dream holiday and go there in your mind
If you are waiting for your sleep aid to kick in or need something to quiet your mind, try going to a happy place or make up your own TV series plot in your mind with your eye closed. Before you know it, you will have drifted off.
Sleep problems
If you are suffering from sleep problems, get yourself checked as there may be some underlying health issues causing it.
If you start taking any Melatonin products and feel they are not working for you ask your Doctor of Medical advisor for advice.
If you experience any side effects you may think is caused by the Melatonin Sleep supplement stop taking the product right away and go, see a doctor.
If you find that you are sleeping too much that may also indicate an underlying problem as too much sleep can also affect a person health.
Diana Paul is a certified nutritionist who writes for leading health blogs. She is a master herbalist, yoga teacher, forager, and wild-crafting writer She is focused on helping people transform life blocks to opportunities. Based in NYC, she often holds health seminars and lectures.