Best Sleep Supplements – UK Buyers Guide
Not getting enough sleep can really change your mood and affect you the following day, but if you do suffer from sleep issues, these are a few tips that can really assist you with your sleep issues, and a good sleep then becomes easy if you just know how, and soon you will be drifting off easily and having a good sound rest.
- Monitor your eating habits
Most sleep therapists warn against eating a heavy meal within a few hours of going to bed. Eating heavy meals makes your digestive system work too hard during sleep. Also, to work correctly and for optimum digestion, the body should be upright, not lying flat.
- Drink some liquids before bedtime
It may be an old wives’ tale, but drinking milk before bedtime actually does work. You should however add some nutmeg and some honey as well. The reason for drinking milk before bedtime is simple – dairy foods are a good source of tryptophan, which is basically an amino acid your body converts to melatonin and serotonin. These amino acids are thought to induce sleep. If you are intolerant to dairy, a nice chamomile tea is also known to assist with sleep.
- Don’t consume anything with caffeine
Everyone knows that caffeine is a mild stimulant, and it is the caffeine in the body that will increase any activity of the nervous system. Any increased nervous system activity makes it more difficult to fall asleep. And always remember, it’s not just coffee that contains caffeine. Plenty of other drinks including tea and soft drinks contain just as much, or even more caffeine, then coffee does. Even green tea has quite some caffeine contained within it.
- Try avoid night time workouts
Some sleep therapists suggest that you should try and avoid working out at night time, and should rather strive to do your workoputs early on in the morning or afternoon. By working out in the late evening, your body’s adrenaline levels are increased for a few hours post the workout, and for some people it can be difficult for the body to return to a resting state. However, do not forgo your exercise during the day, as doing regular exercise is important for improved sleep. This is because raised endorphin levels, brought about by exercise, help to reduce pain, relax muscles and suppress appetite.
- Check your blood sugar levels
Uneven blood sugar levels can also cause restless sleep, so try and ensure that you do not eat foodstuffs that can cause your blood sugar levels to fluctuate.
- Avoid smoking
So you are aware that caffeine should be avoided, well nicotine is way more potent as a stimulant than caffeine is. And when you combine the stimulatory effects with nicotine-withdrawal symptoms, any type of smoking should be avoided. These factors combined can make it extremely difficult to fall, and stay, asleep.
- Get rid of the stimulants
Don’t watch TV, study or work in bed because this stimulates the body rather than relaxes it.
- Try some essential oils
You can make the bedroom peaceful and conducive to sleep with a comfortable bed and essential oils like jasmine or lavender. Keep the bedroom dark, quiet and at a comfortable temperature because this tells the brain that it is time to sleep.
If you’re finding that the above hints and tips are not working as effectively as they should to get you off to sleep naturally, you may consider taking a sleep supplement that can aid you in falling asleep quickly. But since there are so many sleep aids and sleep supplements on the UK market today, we thought it best for our team to review some of the best sleep supplements available right now for a variety of sleep disorders. So let’s take a look at some of those sleep supplements that made our list!
New Nordic Melissa Dream restful sleep supplements
Best tablets to wake up refreshed and not drowsy
If you’re looking to wake up feeling refreshed in the morning, and are looking for a sleep supplement that can assist with both focussing your mind during the day and providing a restful sleep at night, then consider the New Nordic Melissa Dream restful sleep supplements. The product is based on studies of how plant extracts can be used to calm your mind and body.
The ingredient list (per tablet) is as follows:
[list icon=check]
[item]Chamomile – (100mg)[/item]
[item]Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) – (300mg)[/item]
[item]L-theanine – (66mg)[/item]
[item]Vitamin B1- thiamine (Thiamine mononitrate) – (0.48 mg)[/item]
[item]Vitamin B2 – riboflavin – (0.55 mg)[/item]
[item]Vitamin B3 – niacin (nicotinamide) – (6 mg)[/item]
[item]Vitamin B6 – pyridoxine (HCl) – (0.68 mg)[/item]
[item]Vitamin B12 – cyanocobalamin – (0.30 ug)[/item]
[item]Magnesium (magnesium oxide) – (100 mg)[/item]
[/list]
The 3 key ingredients (Chamomile, Lemon Balm and L-Theanine) are all known for being beneficial in calming the mind and body. Lemon Balm is known to relieve stress and reduce sleep disturbance. L-theanine stimulates the production of neurotransmitters that play an important role for relaxation, whereas chamomile is one of the oldest and best trusted plant extracts used for calming your body and mind. All the ingredients are known to help reduce restlessness and mental stress, which in turn help improve sleep.
What is great about the Melissa Dream supplements are that they are suitable for vegetarians and vegans as they are preservative free as well. The product is also gluten, soy and sugar free.
It is recommended to take 2 to 3 tablets about half an hour to an hour before going to bed.
[/warning]
- Tablets don’t make you feel drowsy in the morning
- Not only beneficial for a restful sleep, but great for calming nerves during the daytime
- Do not use if you are allergic to plants of the Asteraceae (daisy) family
- Tablets are just slightly too large to swallow whole
Source Naturals L-Tryptophan 500mg
Best supplement for aiding in a good restful night’s sleep
Source Naturals’ nutritional supplements are at the leading edge of today’s Wellness Revolution, and their L-Tryptophan 500mg supplements have been rated as one of the best supplements for aiding consumers in getting that deep restful sleep at night. Its long been known that the essential amino acid L-tryptophan can help with aiding in getting that restful sleep, and Source Naturals’ L-TRYPTOPHAN is extremely pure (500mg per capsule) and is regularly tested to ensure the highest standards of quality. The reason that this product is so good is really due to the main essential amino acid (L-tryptophan), which is the precursor for the synthesis of both melatonin and serotonin. Both of these are hormones and a neurotransmitter involved with sleep cycles, and play a part in elevating moods.
Taking just 3 capsules before bedtime really works as a sleep aid, and most people will quickly dose off. In fact, when using the supplement, you will notice that you fall asleep much quicker and will not wake up through the night. Also, as the serotonin levels are enhanced, you will also wake up in a better mood and feel refreshed in the morning.
If you are looking for the one of the best sleep supplements, this one should be considered an essential purchase!
[/warning]
- Tablets don’t make you feel drowsy in the morning
- Not only beneficial for a restful sleep, but great for calming nerves during the daytime
- Do not use if you are allergic to plants of the Asteraceae (daisy) family
- Tablets are just slightly too large to swallow whole
Neuro Rest Sleep Tablets
Best sleep supplement for insomnia
There is no doubt that pure melatonin pills are effective sleep supplements but unfortunately in the UK any such melatonin sleeping pills are considered high strength sleeping tablets and along with that classification any high strength sleep aid, supplement or tablet now requires a prescription. However, even though these NeuroRest sleep supplements don’t contain pure melatonin and can thus be bought over the counter without prescription, they do contain a registered Melo-FruitⓇ blend which contains Montmorency Cherry, Grape Skin and Watermelon. All these ingredients contain natural melatonin sources, and as such this sleep supplement is a highly effective natural alternative that does not require constant doctor visits and countless prescriptions.
With a combination of active ingredients including its MagneRest blend of magnesium (Magnesium Oxide, Magnesium Citrate and Magnesium Bis-Glycinate) which contributes to reductions in tiredness and fatigue and helps with issues when trying to fall back to sleep. NeuroRest supplements also include L-Tryptophan which is effective at maintaining a normal sleep pattern , so if you constantly wake in the early morning and struggle to fall back to sleep then this supplement is for you.
The product also contains 5 HTP which is a precursor to serotonin which works brilliantly for assisting you to drift off but more importantly helps to keep you asleep. For insomnia sufferers this product is hard to beat!
- For use by mild to chronic insomnia sufferers.
- Contains L-Tryptophan which helps maintain normal sleep patterns
- None that we know of
Natrol 10mg Melatonin Fast Dissolve Tablets
Best melatonin 10mg sleep supplement
If your melatonin levels are unbalanced, this can lead to some serious issues with sleep patterns, so if you’re looking for a high potency 10mg melatonin sleep tablet, then the Natrol Fast Dissolve sleep tablets should be your top choice. Natrol is the premier sleep supplement brand in the United States, and has now become one of the top selling sleep tablets in the UK as well. Suitable for vegetarians, the strawberry tasting tablets can be taken at any time of the day and are fast dissolving, so for a good nights sleep you can take them just before going to bed as well.
Obviously these are the most potent 10mg melatonin tablets that Natrol produce, and it is recommended that you don’t exceed 10mg which is the maximum recommended dosage. Natrol do make lesser strength melatonin tablets, so if it’s your first time using these sleep tablets, then we suggest starting off with a smaller dosage (the 1mg or 5mg tablets).
Suitable for vegetarians, the tablets do not contain any fish, egg, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, yeast or any other preservatives for that matter.
Since this supplement is 100% drug free (all natural melatonin), it is not habit forming, and really helps with aiding the natural sleep cycle. Due to its fast absorption rate, and no need for water, it can be consumed anywhere and anytime during the day.
The one thing about the 10mg tablets is that they may taste a bit bitter, certainly more bitter than the 3mg and 5mg variants. This is due to the higher levels of concentration of melatonin. This is mainly as a result of the difference in sweeteners used for the 10mg product, being Dextrose and Sucralose. The 5mg variants use Xylitol as the sweetener, and definitely taste more palatable. But if its the high potency you want, the 10mg melatonin tablets pack a massive punch and they will get you sleeping through the night in no time at all.
- Maximum strength 10mg melatonin tablets really provide the maximum recommended dosage of melatonin.
- Extremely effective for getting you to sleep and can be used by those suffering jet-lag
- Not intended for use by pregnant or nursing women.
- Not for use if under medical supervision or using any tranquilizers or sedatives
