Maybe it’s just me, but I find it pretty mind blowing that we’re clever enough to optimize our environment for our own convenience, comfort and entertainment. Yet our brains, the things responsible for creating that environment, can’t cope with it.
We're all still cavemen at heart brain.
We’re slowly catching on to this though. Which explains why a lot of the latest health trends seem almost regressive. It feels intuitive to go back to basics. Back to nature.
Intermittent fasting: imitates the structure of our dietary needs from back when we lived in a food scarce environment. 1
Ice baths and cold showers: allows us to tap into our body’s inherent ability to adapt and strengthen in response to environmental changes. 2
Segmented sleeping: mimics our ancestors’ natural sleep habits. Where sleep was divided into two periods rather than one continuous cycle. 3
Whilst the latter seems an extreme and quite disruptive length to go to in order to get more sleep. It’s not surprising that people are willing to try anything.
Sleep is crucial for absolutely everything. Which is bad news for anyone who has trouble sleeping or those who suffer from sleep disorders. And whilst we can do what we can in terms of practicing good sleep hygiene, if you’re not getting enough of it, it can really take its toll.
In these circumstances, some may resort to prescription sleep aids. And while the more powerful, synthetic over the counter sedatives may work as a temporary option for getting better sleep. Their high risk of abuse and groggy side effects make them a bad long-term strategy.
Fortunately, in the same way we’re all checking in with our Paleolithic selves to gain insight on how to eat. We can learn a lot about natural sleep remedies too. And this is being reflected in the natural dietary supplements available to us. Eating foods rich in glycine, an amino acid that plays an important role in the nervous system, can help improve sleep quality.
If we’re able to combine potent natural ingredients with innovative techniques, there’s nothing to stop us achieving an effective, natural, non-groggy sleep aid. And one that can rival any of those OTC sleep aids that we’re all trying to avoid. Natural sleep supplements are particularly appealing for those who prefer natural products and are concerned about the side effects and addictive potential of prescription sleep aids.
Beginner's Guide on Natural Sleep Aids
In this guide, we’re covering three of the most effective natural sleep aids on the market. Designed to combat sleep disturbances and contribute to a better quality sleep, these three prove that getting a good night’s sleep doesn’t mean you need to rely on synthetic, over the counter medications. Before turning to sleep medicine, it's important to consider natural methods to improve sleep quality. When taken together, even natural sleep aids can help you fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up refreshed and ready for the day. Valerian root and acupuncture are also alternative methods for treating insomnia.
The Top Three Natural Sleep Aids
1. Montmorency Tart Cherry (CherryPURE®) - a superior, antioxidant-rich source of natural melatonin for sleep enhancement and joint support.
2. L-Tryptophan - a plant-based amino acid that converts to mood-boosting serotonin and sleep-supportive melatonin.
3. Magnesium (NutriGenesis®) - an essential trace mineral required for 300+ physiological processes, including those associated with relaxing the nervous system and muscle tissue.
Individually, these sleep aids are great. Together, they form the ultimate natural sleep solution.
What is the Best Natural Sleep Aid?
To get better sleep, you really only need one sleep aid: melatonin, the go-to sleep booster for many. However, the best natural sleep aid supplies more than just melatonin. Natural sleep supplements are often preferred over synthetic options due to their plant-based ingredients and lower risk of side effects and addiction.
Eating foods rich in glycine before bedtime can also help improve sleep quality by aiding in falling asleep faster and enhancing overall sleep.
With that in mind, here are the ingredients to look for in the most effective natural sleep aid:
Melatonin (Montmorency Tart Cherry)
Montmorency tart cherries supply natural melatonin for quicker, deeper sleep onset. It also provides fruit antioxidants for enhanced joint and muscle recovery. 4
Superior to the synthetic forms of melatonin typically found in over-the-counter sleep supplements, Montmorency tart cherry delivers all-natural melatonin (and more) at a reliable, standardized potency.
Ever felt like it's difficult to predict the results of your melatonin supplements? Sometimes you sleep with zero issues in the morning, other times you wake up feeling excessively groggy with a headache.
This is because synthetic melatonin tends to vary in its potency at unpredictable rates.
One serving might deliver just enough to help you get better sleep. The next serving might go way overboard, causing a mild melatonin overdose.
No doubt, melatonin is one of the most effective and safest sleep boosters for natural sleep enhancement.
But not all melatonin supplements are equal.
In fact, virtually all melatonin-powered sleep aids are inferior to melatonin-rich Montmorency tart cherry, which offers a safer, more predictable sleep enhancing experience.
How Montmorency Tart Cherry Aids Sleep
A few of the key sleep boosting benefits associated with Montmorency tart cherry juice include:
- Reducing fatigue throughout the morning and day.
- Decreasing incidents of sudden waking throughout the night.
- Promoting well-rested vitality first thing in the morning.
By regulating the "sleep" portion of the sleep-wake cycle, which governs our circadian rhythm (our body's internal physiological clock), our brain's secretion of melatonin not only helps us fall asleep faster, but it also promotes healthy, consistent, restful sleep and improves overall sleep quality in general.
Melatonin is the key to a good night's sleep.
Except there's a problem. Or, rather, several problems.
Modern life, and the environment we've built, keeps getting in the way, having a negative impact on melatonin activity.
- Our stressful, caffeine-fueled work environments - we consume caffeine and other stimulants to power through our stressful workdays, and, yet, caffeine consumption has been linked to a decrease in sleep-supportive melatonin production. 5
- Overexposure to electronic screens in the evening - an absence of solar "blue" light triggers the secretion of melatonin; however, our electronic screens also emit blue light rays, impairing adequate secretion of melatonin in the evening. 6
- Age-related cognitive decline - naturally, as we age, our cognitive performance declines, and with this comes a decline in our sleep performance—a decline that may be helped by supplementing melatonin. 7, 8
- Other medications - Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland. Some types of medications such as beta-blockers, benzodiazepines, antidepressants and stimulants can impact melatonin production or its effects.
Fortunately, despite the various internal and external factors that diminish natural melatonin secretion and activity, natural melatonin works.
And natural melatonin works at a much smaller dosage than what many synthetic OTC sleep aids supply. As some human research suggests, the optimal melatonin dosage for improving sleep quality is 0.3 mg, not the 3 mg dosage typically supplied. In fact, research suggests 0.3 mg seems to work even better than 3 mg dosages without causing any daytime drowsiness the following morning.
Even better, in addition to melatonin, Montmorency tart cherry also supplies a rich mix of flavonoid and anthocyanin antioxidants that indirectly support sleep quality by reducing oxidative stress and soothing achy joints. 9 This also has a calming effect on the whole body, making it easier to fall back asleep if we do wake in the night.
This is great news for the achy athletes and exhausted exercisers who especially need the overnight sleep recovery to facilitate their anabolic muscle and strength gains.
Most Effective Melatonin Pills for Sleep: CherryPURE®
- CherryPURE® is a premium Montmorency tart cherry powder supplied at potent 50:1 concentrated extract.
- 500 mg CherryPURE® supplies a minimally effective dose of natural melatonin and antioxidants comparable to 25 g of Montmorency tart cherries.
- Backed by clinical human research, CherryPURE® is the only Montmorency tart cherry brand clinically demonstrated to improve sleep quality.
For athletes, exercisers, and bodybuilders, CherryPURE®'s potent combination of melatonin and antioxidants is great for overnight muscle repair and recovery. 10
No one needs convincing that melatonin can improve sleep quality. Many of us have tried melatonin and can confidently state that, yes, melatonin works.
However, often times melatonin works too well, which is why many of the same people who have tried an OTC melatonin sleep aid still feel like they're searching for the best melatonin out there.
CherryPURE® is the most, effective natural sleep aid on the market.
And the data is on CherryPURE®'s side. As one clinical study observed, 480 mg of CherryPURE® administered before and after intense training found that Montmorency tart cherry supplementation appears to be "an effective dietary supplement to attenuate muscle soreness, strength decrement during recovery, and markers of muscle catabolism in resistance trained individuals."
L-Tryptophan
The best sleep boosting amino acid for disrupting the downward spiraling stress-insomnia cycle that has so many people anxiously tossing and turning at night.
Stress is a sleep killer.
Few things disrupt sleep quite like stress, which is why L-tryptophan, one of the best amino acids for combating stress, is such an effective sleep booster.
The relationship between stress and sleep is a two-way street: stress contributes to sleep deprivation by preventing the brain and body from reaching full, deep sleep, whereas sleep deprivation contributes to greater stress levels throughout the day.
The stress-insomnia cycle can be incredibly taxing on, not only natural sleep, but also; cognitive performance, hormonal and metabolic health, and virtually every other physiological pathway, if left unaddressed for too long.
By serving as a building block for mood- and sleep-related neurotransmitters, L-tryptophan may help disrupt the stress-insomnia cycle for better sleep and morning mood. 11
How L-Tryptophan Aids Sleep
L-tryptophan supports mood and, therefore, sleep by promoting the synthesis of:
Serotonin: Key to Emotional Stability and Sleep Enhancement
L-Tryptophan acts as a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a critical role in regulating mood, emotional stability, and impulse control. 12 This biochemical process not only aids in mood improvement but also boosts the quality of sleep by enhancing slow-wave (deep) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep phases.
5-HTP: Bridging L-Tryptophan and Serotonin
The conversion of L-tryptophan to 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan), and subsequently to serotonin, is a vital step in mood regulation and sleep promotion. 5-HTP serves as the direct metabolic intermediate, believed to support mood elevation, relaxation, and appetite control, further contributing to a conducive sleep environment. 13
Related Post: L-tryptophan vs. 5-HTP: Which is Better?
Melatonin: The Sleep Hormone Connection
As serotonin levels rise, the pathway for melatonin production is activated, which is particularly significant when natural melatonin synthesis is less effective. This process ensures an increase in melatonin levels, which is crucial for regulating the circadian rhythm and facilitating a restful sleep cycle.
In a way, L-tryptophan qualifies as a cognitive enhancer, although not an immediate cognitive enhancer. This isn't a nootropic you'd want to take for enhanced cognition today but rather tomorrow. As such, L-tryptophan works particularly well with Montmorency tart cherry by complementing melatonin's sleep-time benefits with a boost on next-morning performance.
In addition to disrupting the stress-insomnia cycle, L-tryptophan also has the potential to inhibit stress' negative effects on many other aspects of cognitive performance.
And the best part: because L-tryptophan is a natural dietary supplement, you can safely supplement this amino on a daily, long-term basis without fear of any side effects or of developing any unhealthy habits.
Magnesium
An essential mineral strongly believed to boost sleep quality by relaxing the central nervous system (CNS) and the neuromuscular junction, thereby reducing sleep-disruptive muscle twitches and spasms.
Involved in over 300 metabolic pathways, Magnesium is an essential mineral required for the synthesis of numerous neurochemicals and the proper functioning of muscle tissue.
And, yet, despite the life-essential importance of magnesium, magnesium deficiency is a widespread problem, especially among athletes and the elderly. 14
Similar to suboptimal sleep, suboptimal magnesium levels are so prevalent and associated with so many health disorders that magnesium deficiency is viewed by some as a legitimate public health crisis. 15
Given the relationship between magnesium and sleep quality, there's likely a significant amount of overlap here.
By directly counteracting overexcited neural activity, magnesium is an important mineral for both sleep- and non-sleep-related cognitive performance.
While the negative health consequences of magnesium deficiency are many, the body's inability to relax in the absence of magnesium is particularly harmful to sleep quality—and life quality in general:
- One public health study found that in areas of the Slovak Republic where access to magnesium-rich drinking water is high, "the health of the Slovak population is the most favorable and the life expectancy is the highest." 16
The importance of magnesium to sleep quality and general health can't be overstated.
By inhibiting excitatory activity in the central nervous system, magnesium not only helps promote sleep-supportive relaxation but also lowers blood pressure, improving long-term cardio health as well.
However, with regards to sleep specifically, researchers have found magnesium helps improve:
- Sleep duration;
- Sleep onset;
- Sleep efficiency;
- Staying asleep until wake-up time.
For both mineral-sweating athletes and magnesium-deficient elderly, and really everyone else at risk of magnesium deficiency, magnesium supplementation may go a long way in boosting sleep quality and overall life quality.
Most Effective Magnesium Supplements for Sleep
- NutriGenesis® Magnesium is cultured in probiotics and a clean, eco-friendly, nature-identical form of magnesium that's easier to absorb than synthetic forms.
- Magnesium Taurate is bound to taurine, an amino acid that has sedative properties and may support faster sleep onset.
- Magnesium Bisglycinate is a chelated magnesium form bound to glycine, an amino acid that may help settle overexcited neuronal activity. 17
Though there are plenty of inferior magnesium forms, there are only a few types of magnesium supplements that are bioavailable and effective for promoting sleep.
By promoting GABA, a neurotransmitter associated with relaxation, this triple Mg combo is a great addition to the melatonin and serotonin support provided by CherryPURE® and L-tryptophan.
Altogether, Montmorency tart cherries, L-tryptophan, and magnesium combine to form the most effective natural sleep aid: Performance Lab® Sleep.
Best Natural Sleep Supplement: Performance Lab® Sleep
Performance Lab® Sleep combines all of the best sleep aid ingredients in an all-natural, one-size-fits-all formula. Natural sleep supplements offer a safer alternative to synthetic options, reducing the risk of side effects and dependency.
- CherryPURE® (Whole Montmorency Tart Cherry) (Prunus cerasus) (fruit) (50:1 concentrated ratio) 500 mg
- L-Tryptophan, 200 mg
- Magnesium (as Magnesium Bisglycinate, Taurate and NutriGenesis®) 100 mg
- Lemon Balm Extract, 200mg
By combining these three ingredients at minimally effective dosages, Performance Lab® Sleep naturally promotes deep, tranquil, restorative sleep without overstaying its welcome throughout the following morning. Additionally, eating foods rich in glycine before bedtime can further improve sleep quality.
All in all, the combined synergistic benefits of these three, natural, yet advanced sleep aids include:
- Quicker sleep onset and longer, uninterrupted sleep duration.
- Deeper sleep for enhanced overnight repair and recovery.
- Reduced muscle twitches, spasms, and spontaneous movements during sleep.
- Improved blood pressure and all-around cardio health.
- Enhanced emotional stability, mood, and motivation.
- Healthy, consistent circadian rhythm for better metabolic performance.
- All-around improved cognitive performance and daytime productivity.
And more The benefits of better sleep are far-reaching and long-lasting, improving virtually all aspects of health and life quality.
Performance Lab® Sleep is specially designed for safe, long-term use for users of all dietary lifestyles.
In addition to supplying only all-natural, non-GMO, plant-based ingredients, Performance Lab® Sleep also encapsulates its formula in clean, green NutriCaps®, a vegan-friendly capsule constructed out of fermented tapioca, or pullulan.
This makes Performance Lab® Sleep not only the most effective natural sleep aid but also the cleanest and safest sleep supplement—one that’s devoid of all synthetic side effects.
By taking Performance Lab® Sleep every night, you can help get your circadian back in a rhythm, and, with that, everything else out-of-balance in your life will also fall into a healthier, more consistent daily structure.
Our Conclusion on Natural Sleep Aids
With sleep being at the heart of optimal health and performance, not getting enough, just isn’t an option. But before turning to synthetic, off-the-shelf supplements that leave you feeling groggy, there is a natural solution for those who have trouble sleeping. Considering natural methods before turning to sleep medicine is crucial for improving sleep quality.
Performance Lab® Sleep is the Most Effective Natural Sleep Aid
As well as the Montmorency tart cherry, magnesium and L-trypyophan, it also includes lemon balm. This fragrant herb has calming properties and acts as a mild, natural sedative to help you fall asleep faster. Not only can it improve sleep quality, it also supports a positive mood. Valerian root and acupuncture are also alternative methods for treating insomnia.
Another benefit of lemon balm is that it boosts GABA, the calming brain chemical. Which can help with feelings of anxiety. If you’re used to waking in the night and feeling like your brain ‘switches on’ immediately. GABA will help soothe that.
Lemon balm, along with Montmorency tart cherry to relieve and relax muscle and joint aches - makes it easier to slip back into sleep. The dream team. Literally.
For Even Better Results, Stack Performance Lab® Sleep with...
Performance Lab® Mind
A Nootropic brain booster for daily mental recovery and long-term brain health support.
As a daytime complement to Performance Lab® Sleep, Performance Lab® Mind is a daily nootropic stack that boosts both acute and long-term cognitive performance. Focus, speed, energy, mood, memory, motivation—the cognitive benefits of this stack are widespread and far-reaching and, most importantly, long-lasting, thanks to this formula's safe, effective design.
Take it on exam day, gameday, or every day to upgrade your cognitive performance and sustain a healthy, competitive mindset.
Supplement Facts: Cognizin® Citicoline, Green Phosphatidylserine, L-Tyrosine, Maritime Pine Bark Extract (95% proanthocyanidins)
Performance Lab® Caffeine 2™
The ultimate caffeine 2.0 pill supplying natural stim energy with nootropic aminos and vitamins.
One of the major detriments to sleep quality is the ever-increasing prevalence of caffeine, the world's favorite stimulant.
For this reason, many nootropic supplements are avoiding caffeine and other stimulants to take a more natural approach to boosting brain energy.
Yet, with the right ingredients, a little bit of caffeine can go a long way in promote cognitive performance, as demonstrated by Performance Lab® Caffeine 2™.
Stacking naturally sourced caffeine with relaxing L-theanine, an anxiolytic amino acid sourced from green tea, and L-tyrosine, a catecholaminergic amino that replenishes the brain-draining effects of caffeine, Performance Lab® Caffeine 2™ helps boost brainpower without the usual post-energy crash or late-night insomnia.
Supplement Facts: Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B6, Vitamin B9 (Folate),Vitamin B12, Natural Caffeine (from Coffea robusta beans), L-Theanine, L-Tyrosine
Performance Lab® NutriGenesis® Multivitamin
Foundational micronutrient support for healthy mind-body longevity and performance.
As modern food processing increases the quantity of foods, the quality of our foods seems to be dropping. The term "nutrient density" has been popping up to address the concerns of our empty caloric meals, which contribute to a state of being simultaneously well-fed and malnourished. By supplying nature-identical, probiotic-cultured vitamins and minerals, Performance Lab® NutriGenesis® Multi helps fill the nutritional void left in our highly processed diets.
One underappreciated factor of good sleep is having a healthy micronutrient status, meaning having optimal levels of essential vitamins and minerals that can only be obtained through the diet. Paired with Sleep, NutriGenesis® Multi sets the nutritional foundation required for both optimal sleep and elevated daytime performance.
Supplement Facts: Vitamin A (as Beta-Carotene), Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, Vitamin E, Vitamin K (1&2), Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Iodine, Magnesium, Zinc, Selenium, Copper, Manganese, GTF Chromium, Molybdenum, Inositol, Boron
