Buyer's Guide To
Sleep Supplements
What Everyone Needs to Know About Sleep Health

Sleep

Rating: C
Company: Nature Made

Specs: Lab Report
Site: www.naturemade.com

What is it?

Sleep is an all-natural dietary supplement that claims to relax the sensors in the body that become agitated as bedtime approaches--a key benefit that can help people fall asleep faster, according to their retailer Nature Made. It also considers itself an important part of sleep regulation because it contains a key ingredient that may help normalize the sleeping process, called melatonin.

"Nature Made Sleep [also] contains melatonin, a naturally occurring hormone in the brain that helps maintain a regular sleep cycle--to allow your body to fall asleep naturally, and wake up feeling rested and alert without morning grogginess," reports Nature Made. "And when you sleep well, you wake up refreshed and feeling great and ready to start your day."

While it may seem like the solution for all insomniacs, its effectiveness has been questioned repeatedly by holistic and herbal doctors, who believe this product won't help promote better sleeping patterns.

What ingredients does Sleep contain?

Sleep contians L-theanine, melatonin, chamomile flower extract, passion flower extract, lemon balm leaf extract and medium chain triglycerides.

Do the ingredients in Sleep help promote sleep?

Melatonin may help accelerate sleep onset, but it doesn't necessarily improve the quality of sleep. According to a 2001 study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, participants who took at least 0.3 milligrams of melatonin orally 30 minutes before bedtime were shown to have more ease falling asleep, but there were few changes in the efficiency and quality of sleep. The participants for the study, described as being of an "older" generation, also suffered from a melatonin deficiency during the study--they didn't necessarily suffer from insomnia. It's unclear if it can improve sleep onset in people with insomnia or with normal melatonin levels.

Is Sleep safe?

Aside from slight stomach upset, all of the ingredients in Sleep have been observed to be clinically safe. There have also been few medical interactions associated with the ingredients.

Verdict:

Although melatonin may help people fall asleep, it won't necessarily improve the quality of sleep. This may not be an effective supplement for insomniacs.