If you have ever been sleep-deprived, whether from cramming for a test, working long hours, or having insomnia, then you know the misery it can cause. In addition to feeling tired, you might also feel like you can’t think straight. You may even feel a little irritable during the day. And according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than a third of American adults are sleeping less than the minimum seven hours that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommends per night.
While you may be able to get through the day without following those guidelines, a regular sleep deficit can increase your risk of having obesity, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and increase your risk of metabolic syndrome. And, in plain English, being tired all the time really, really sucks. However, there are things that we can do to improve our sleep habits, such as going to bed at the same time every night, turning off blue light-emitting devices such as televisions, smart devices, and computers, and taking melatonin supplements before bed.
We can’t guarantee that melatonin will solve your sleeplessness, and we always recommend talking to your doctor before taking new supplements. However, the best melatonin supplements are often recommended to people of all ages by doctors, and it’s probably the single most common treatment for insomnia in the world. In addition to trying one of the meltanonin supplements for insomnia below, we also strongly recommend understanding the effect blue light has on your sleep — or lack thereof.
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The CDC finds that while different color lights can have different effects on our bodies, blue light has the most significant impact. Being exposed to it during specific periods can make it hard to fall and stay asleep. In fact, an analysis of 15 studies reports that a two-hour exposure to blue light in the evening suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin. While our bodies are capable of producing melatonin naturally, supplements are also available to boost our melatonin levels before bedtime. Per the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, it may help with conditions such as jet lag, delayed sleep-wake phase disorder, and anxiety before and after surgery.
Just keep in mind that while manufacturer’s make claims about supplements they aren’t regulated the same way as medicines, so, again, speak with your doctor before taking them for best practices and read the label for active and inactive ingredients.
Here are some of our top picks for the 12 best melatonin supplements. We’ve even included an option for kids.
1. Nature Made Melatonin
BEST OVERALL
Nature Made’s melatonin supplement contains 3mg of the sleep hormone and this one bottle contains 240 tablets. The supplement also has no added color, artificial flavors, preservatives, and are gluten free. It is United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Verified a label awarded to dietary supplements that undergo and meet the requirements of USP Dietary Supplements Verification Process.
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2. Bulletproof Melatonin Supplements
BEST SPLURGE
We love Bulletproof here at SPY. This innovative health food brand is best known for making coffee with natural MCT oils, which give you an energy lift in the morning without the afternoon crash. Now, Bulletproof makes melatonin supplements to help you fall asleep at night. These supplements contain 3mg of melatonin blended with natural herbs such as Passion Flower for more restful sleep at night.
3. Zarbee’s Children’s Liquid Melatonin (Berry Flavor)
BEST FOR KIDS
Parents all around the country have discovered the magic of Zarbee’s. We’re not saying you should tell your kids these children’s melatonin supplements are bedtime candy, but we’re also not not saying that. Seriously though, this liquid melatonin is completely safe for kids, and it’s a great addition to your nightly bedtime routine.
4. Nurish by Nature Made
MOST HOLISTIC SOLUTION
Nurish, also by Nature Made, is a new sleep support pack that includes both a soft gel containing 3 mg of melatonin and 200 of mg L-theanine, an amino acid that can be found in green and black tea. L-theanine has been found to be able to help reduce stress and anxiety in people exposed to stressful conditions. Nurish by Nature Made allows customers to purchase the product by itself or include melatonin in a pack with other supplements. It is also available as a single purchase or you can use their subscription plan.
5. ZzzQuil PURE Zzzs
ZzzQuil PURE Zzzs are blackberry vanilla-flavored gummies that the brand states are blended to promote a calm mind and body and sleep. It contains chamomile, which a 2012 study of individuals who live with anxiety and depression compared with those who didn’t found that participants who consumed oral chamomile extract versus the placebo had lowered depression scores. It also contains valerian root, which has long been used medicinally for various conditions, including sleep. Even though some studies find that it can be beneficial, others do not. Plus, melatonin, ashwagandha, lemon balm, valerian root, and lavender.
6. Vitafusion Sleep Well
Another gummy version of melatonin supplements is from Vitafusion. It is made with 3 mg of melatonin per serving and flavored with white tea and peach flavor. Additionally it isn’t made with high fructose corn syrup, synthetic (FD&C) dyes, gluten, dairy and is sugar free.
7. Nature’s Bounty Quick Dissolve Melatonin
Other than typical tablet or gummy melatonin supplements there are also pills that are quick to dissolve like Nature’s Bounty’s melatonin supplement. It is non-GMO, has no artificial colors, sweetener, sugar, starch, milk, lactose, gluten, wheat, soy, yeast and fish and is suitable for vegetarians.
8. Mega Food, Melatonin Berry Good Sleep Gummies
Made with organic wild berries and tart cherries MegaFood, Melatonin Berry Good Sleep gummies is a vegan formula that contains no high-fructose corn syrup, gelatin, artificial colors or sugary coatings. It is also non-GMO Project Verified, tested for 125+ herbicides and pesticides, free of gluten, dairy, soy.
9. Natrol Melatonin Sleep Fast Dissolve Tablets
Natrol melatonin vegetarian formula is made without the use of fish, crustacean shellfish, milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, yeast, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. In addition to 3mg of melatonin, its label lists that it is strawberry flavored and contains wheat and soybeans.
10. Solgar Melatonin
Since 1947 Solgar has been creating supplements and they make them in small batches. The brand’s vegan melatonin iteration is kosher, free of gluten, dairy, soy, yeast, sugar, sodium, artificial flavor, sweetener, preservatives, and color.
11. Now Foods Melatonin
In addition to melatonin Now Foods contains rice flour and gelatin. These capsules are also non-GMO. Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) is the term used to describe a plant or microorganism that has its genetic material altered through genetic engineering. According to the FDA, many GMO crops are used to make ingredients that Americans eat, such as granulated sugar, cornstarch, soybean oil, canola oil, or soybeans—up 94% of all soybeans planted.
12. SmartyPants Healthy Immunity Nighttime
SmartyPants Healthy Immunity Nighttime elderberry flavored gummies is made with 2 mg of melatonin, L-Theanine, zinc, vitamins D3, vitamins B6 and B12 and vitamins C, which may help to support immunity. It also contains Beta-Glucan, a prebiotic and probiotic LactoSpore RT, which may promote gut health. It is vegetarian, non-GMO, gelatin, and gluten-free. It is also free of milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat, peanuts and tree nuts. Plus, it contains no synthetic colors, artificial flavors or artificial sweeteners.