Why People Are Ditching Melatonin For A Better, Safer Option
It's hard to overstate how key sleep is to our overall well-being. But for all the benefits it brings, it doesn't always come easy. In an effort to get more of it, lots of people reach for the popular sleep aid melatonin.
But what you may not know is that as of 2017, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine updated its clinical practice guidelines to actually recommend against1 the use of melatonin as a nightly sleep aid because the overall evidence available for its effectiveness is weak. (Not to mention, it's a hormone that can potentially do more harm than good when taken regularly.)
As board-certified sleep expert Michael Breus, Ph.D., previously explained to mbg, "Melatonin is a sleep regulator, not a sleep initiator. Melatonin does not make you feel sleepy; it tells your body it's bedtime. Those are two completely different processes in the brain."
That bedtime reminder function might make melatonin relevant in the short term when traveling across several time zones (i.e., help with circadian reset) but not for routine use.
If you're in the market for a nonhormonal alternative for nightly sleep support, mindbodygreen's pioneering sleep formula sleep support+ is a name to know. Taking two capsules of sleep support+ one to two hours before bed provides 120 mg of magnesium bisglycinate, along with relaxing jujube seed extract and PharmaGABA®, to promote deep and restorative sleep.*
Here's what happy customers are saying about sleep support+ and why they're glad they made the switch from melatonin.
A product that actually works
"This is such a gift to find a product that actually works and is natural with no hormones. I've been able to sleep very well since taking these [capsules] nightly with no after effects at all to start my day. Thank you."*
—Marie G.
No grogginess
"A much better alternative to melatonin! My husband and I compared the two and love this product!"*
—Howard C.
Sweet relief!
"The best sleep support I have tried. So many of them have melatonin which I cannot take. Just sweet sleep, with no morning grogginess!"*
—Carol D.
Love!
"I've had trouble sleeping for the last few years. With sleep support I now get a restful night's sleep without any morning grogginess."*
—Gina M.
Better than melatonin
"Sleep support is really good, better than melatonin definitely."*
—Gloria B.
I fall asleep faster
"I fall asleep faster and sleep longer on nights I take sleep support+. I can't take melatonin (makes my dreams super vivid and exhausting), so this has been so helpful."*
—Amy M.
Sound sleep
"So thankful for this sleep product. Seems like a more natural way to get body to rest, relax and sleep!"*
—Claire R.
The takeaway.
If you've been taking melatonin for some time and aren't sure why it's not working, now you know. Instead, go for a quality sleep supplement with research-backed ingredients, and you'll be snoozing in no time.* Learn more about sleep support+ here.
Sarah Regan is a Spirituality & Relationships Editor, a registered yoga instructor, and an avid astrologer and tarot reader. She received her bachelor's in broadcasting and mass communication from State University of New York at Oswego, and lives in Buffalo, New York.