What Natural Supplements Are Good for Sleep?

During the night our bodies carry out maintenance checks on all our organs; the priority being to repair, restore and rejuvenate. The importance placed on good sleep behaviour to protect long-term health is why many people turn to sleep supplements in order to optimise or improve their sleep habits.

Stress management, adaptogens, mood improvers, sleep supplements: they're all huge business right now. According to a report published earlier this month by Nutra Ingredients USA, sales of stress and sleep supplements are up 35% year on year, and smart drugs, nootropics and adaptogens such as ashwagandha are leading the way.

Sales of sleep and stress supplements soared to a record $400 million between January and July 2020, which is a huge increase on the $294 million during the same period in 2019. According to the report, sleep supplements make up the vast bulk of this increase.

For people wanting to improve their sleep, reduce stress and feel more in control of their wellbeing, supplements can be a great place to start. But there are so many spurious supplement brands out there, whose only aim is to make a quick buck and who don’t have your health as their number one priority. Shaheen Majeed, President Worldwide of Sabinsa, has cautioned that the high sales growth in ashwaganda could attract some “unsavoury actors to the category.”

Also, intentionally augmenting the body’s sleep pattern using sleep aids or over the counter sleep medication has varying results and can prove problematic.

Are melatonin supplements good for you?

Melatonin is a long-established sleep aid but there are many complications with taking melatonin for sleep. Firstly, much confusion arises from melatonin being the name for our naturally-produced sleep hormone but also the popular sleep supplement. Melatonin supplements for sleep are commonly taken for jet lag and those suffering from insomnia or late night anxiety.

High levels of our naturally synthesised melatonin signal to the body that it’s time for sleep but high levels of the synthetic sleep aid by the same name, can induce headaches, nausea and vomiting if taken long-term. The health risks of long-term melatonin use are still unknown due to a lack of high quality studies. Although, so far, melatonin doesn't seem to cause any serious problems, it does cause side effects including headache, sleepiness, dizziness, and nausea and it is recommended to not drive or use machinery for 4-5 hours after taking melatonin. With questions unanswered, individuals are increasingly turning to alternative sleep aids for insomnia.

Sleep deprivation touches all aspects of life and if left unresolved, can be highly detrimental to long-term health and life expectancy. As top sleep expert, Dr Michael Grandner explains, the entire human body works on a system of clocks linked to circadian rhythms, so when you get too little sleep, the body becomes increasingly out of sync and vital internal systems like the immune and metabolic systems start to fail. The result of lack of sleep is linked to many health complications, beginning with compromised cognitive function and memory loss, then affecting circulatory system, health and if prolonged, increasing the risk of obesity, diabetes and cancers.

Whilst some foods actively support sleep better than others (warm milk drinks before bed support sleep because milk contains tryptophan - a precursor of melatonin, as do good fats in salmon, chicken and nuts so these are smart elements to include in dinners), a healthy diet alone is generally not sufficient enough to return to a more balanced body and mind supported by a restful sleep. Supplements, provided they're taken at the right time in the right dosage and in the right form, can really help. It is important to only use natural ingredients that have repeatedly been proven in peer-reviewed studies.

An example of a great herbal remedy for insomnia, especially for menopausal women, is ashwagandha, an amazing plant that LYMA has included in its ultimate formula.

Listen to Julian on how LYMA supports his sleep:

Natural sleep aids and supplements to help sleep are plentiful but scientific evidence is often outdated, unfounded or requires further exploration. Herbs and natural ingredients have been used to help bring on sleep for thousands of years but it’s now that we are searching for hard evidence that they can be relied upon to work predictably and without risk to health.

Individuals experience varying success with natural ingredients for sleep and it’s often hard to deduce what has worked and what has not. However, being knowledgeable in the advantages of natural sleep supplements could well contribute to relaxation and a good night’s sleep.

Here’s our view of the most common herbal and natural supplements known to support a restful sleep:

Saffron? affron® is Even Better.

Saffron has been traditionally used in wellness practices and is often associated with relaxation and rest. LYMA includes affron®, a standardized saffron extract incorporated at a specific dosage. Various studies have explored saffron’s role in mood and sleep-related research.

Ashwagandha, Withania somnifera or Indian Ginseng

Ashwagandha, an Ayurvedic adaptogen, has been used for centuries and remains a popular herbal option today. Sensoril® ashwagandha is recognized for its potential benefits related to sleep quality among individuals.

A randomized placebo-controlled study investigated the safety and use of ashwagandha concerning sleep disturbances. The study observed that a daily dose of 250mg, which is found in the LYMA formula, was well-tolerated. It highlighted the potential of ashwagandha as a supplement for those seeking improvements in their sleep experience.

It is important to note that the source and preparation of ashwagandha can significantly affect its properties, and the leaves of the ashwagandha plant can be toxic. Only the root extract, when prepared properly, should be utilized. Sensoril® ashwagandha, included in the LYMA formulation, is designed as a sleep supplement. The 250mg daily dose is backed by peer-reviewed studies that support its use in promoting an optimal sleep experience.

Curcumin? No, But HydroCurc® Yes.

Turmeric extract is commonly recognized for its active ingredient, curcumin, which is often found in dietary supplements. Curcumin is sought after for its properties and is frequently included in formulations aimed at supporting overall wellness.

One challenge with curcumin is its absorption in the body; in its natural form, it is not easily absorbed. Many water-soluble turmeric extracts can also be less effective, as they often consist largely of the carrier system used to make them soluble, which can limit the amount of curcuminoids present. HydroCurc® is a patented form of turmeric designed to be fully water-soluble, with its carrier system comprising only 15% of the total ingredient, allowing for a higher concentration of curcuminoids. LYMA features a daily dose of 600mg of HydroCurc® in its formulation.

CBD Oil? We’d Rather Take Levagen.

CBD oil (cannabidiol) has gained popularity in mainstream culture. While it is derived from the cannabis plant and is legal in many countries, strict regulations apply. Further research is required to fully understand its effects and potential benefits. 

On the other hand, Levagen®+ is a patented form of palmitic acid monoethanolamide (also known as palmitoylethanolamide or PEA), a fatty acid that the body naturally produces and is found in foods like egg yolks and peanuts.

Vitamin D and Your Supplement Choice.

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient involved in various bodily functions. A deficiency in Vitamin D may be associated with different health concerns. Some studies have explored the relationship between Vitamin D levels and factors such as energy and mood.

Vita-Algae D3™ is a patented form of Vitamin D included in the LYMA Supplement, formulated at a dose of 2,000 i.u.

When selecting a supplement, it is important to know the ingredients. Patented ingredients often come with assurances regarding their quality, including unique technology, material purity, bioavailability, and stability. In contrast, generic ingredients may not have the same level of evidence supporting their use. LYMA prioritizes patented ingredients in its formulations.

Pharmacy prescribed sleep aids are not always safe or advisable for long-term use. Sleep medication and sedatives force the body into deep sleep for long periods of time which does not include the body’s other natural sleep phases such as REM when the body carries out vital reparative functions. This deep sleep state often also results in daytime drowsiness and poor waking habits. Over the counter sleep aids can be relied upon to induce sleep but treat only the symptom of poor sleep, not the cause. Anxiety, depression or health issues that create poor sleep still need to be addressed. An all-round health supplement is likely to carry more profound sleep benefits than over the counter medication alone.

So how can you know for sure that the sleep or stress supplement you’re buying will actually help to tackle the problem and restore your health? And that it will do so efficiently and without any unwanted side effects?

The supplement industry is plagued with low quality, unproven, synthetic ingredients that are often unregulated and fall short of any recognised industry standards. You might think that if you spend a relatively large sum of money on a supplement, you’ll be guaranteeing yourself a superior product. This, however, is not always the case.

An all-in-one health supplement containing proven and powerful natural ingredients to improve all aspects of health, could well be a better sleep solution than targeted sedative ingredients. This is because good sleep is an indicator of our general health, so a body that is well-nourished, has balanced hormones and low cortisol levels, will naturally help sleep.

LYMA is the gold-standard of evidence-based nutraceuticals. The ingredients in LYMA have all been clinically trialled and peer reviewed, with scientifically proven efficacy at the levels that are formulated in our award-winning Supplement. The LYMA formula is revolutionary, bringing together a blend of fully-backed, patented ingredients to support your holistic health and wellbeing. Anti-inflammatory, immune supporting, performance enhancing, cognitive boosting are all proven to be strongly linked to a restful sleep. By delivering nutrient concentrations that the human body is unable to self-synthesise, nor obtain through diet, we can make the body resilient to attack and reduce inflammation in every organ of the body.

As each of our ingredients has been carefully and specifically selected based on our guiding principles of outstanding technology, bioavailability, stability and clinical research, LYMA supports a body in optimal health and therefore, a premium state for relaxation and vital recovery. A body that operates at its best can repair and rejuvenate at maximum capacity.