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

Slumber Helper

Rating: C
Company: Superior Source Name

Specs: Lab Report
Site: www.superiorsource1.com

What is it?

Slumber Helper is a herbal supplement used to promote healthy sleeping patterns, an issue that commonly affects people suffering from insomnia. Unlike prescription sleeping pills, Slumber Helper claims to naturally work with the body to restore sleep via passion flower, which they claim contains natural sedative properties. According to CVC4Health, their manufacturer, this key ingredient has been proven by numerous studies to induce quality, sustainable sleep.

But that's not all, says Slumber Helper: valerian root and wild yam are also used to enhance the effects of passion flower, quickening the induction of sleep.

What ingredients does Slumber Helper contain?

Slumber Helper contains a proprietary blend of passion flower extract, wild yam root, valerian root extract and chamomile extract.

Do the ingredients in Slumber Helper help promote sleep?

It's not very effective for insomniacs--but people suffering from anxiety may benefit. According to a 2001 study published by the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, people who took passion flower daily decreased their anxiety symptoms significantly, with effects comparable to Serax, an FDA-approved anxiety drug. Their findings have led supplement companies to claim passion flower can also promote sleep by reducing anxiety, a risk factor that can lead to insomnia. It has never been proven that passionflower can directly affect a person's sleeping patterns, however.

Valerian root has been shown to induce drowsiness, however, which can increase feelings of fatigue--but recent studies show this doesn't help promote sleep quality, and may actually lead to increased fatigue.

Is Slumber Helper safe?

There have been few medical interactions or side effects associated with any of its ingredients. It may induce drowsiness and increase feelings of fatigue, however.

Verdict:

As a sleep aid, Slumber Helper may only reduce the anxiety that can aggravate insomnia symptoms. It's not an effective sleep aid, however.