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There’s nothing quite like a full deep sleep. And waking refreshed the next day.
In fact, we humans covet sleep so much we’ll try just about anything to help us improve sleep in 2024.
A recent study showed that 70 million Americans have problems sleeping.[i] Another study at The University of Warwick Medical School in the UK with nearly 50,000 people revealed that 17% of the population were dealing with sleep problems.[ii]
Insomnia has been deemed an ‘epidemic’ by researchers and medical scholars throughout Europe and the Americas.
And when it feels like you are perpetually exhausted from lack of sleep, it’s tempting to ask your doctor for prescription sleep aids for something like Ambien® (zolpidem) to help your sleep wake cycle.
Behavioral sleep medicine like zolpidem are GABAA receptor agonists that bind to the α-1 subunit, which is believed to be responsible for the drug’s sedative properties.
Turns out this mechanism of action is very similar to using benzodiazepines (benzos) for sleep. They both cause problems with memory consolidation.[iii]
OTC sleep aids containing the antihistamine diphenhydramine prevent acetylcholine (ACh) action. Low ACh can lead to brain fog, mental confusion, delirium, blurred vision, memory loss and hallucinations.[iv]
And if you try to go ‘natural’, you’ll find most ‘natural’ sleep aids on the market contain synthetic melatonin.
But not only is this form of melatonin not natural, a study published in the Journal of Sleep Medicine showed something very alarming.
Researchers found that synthetic melatonin content ranged from -83% to + 478%. Contrary to what was claimed on sleep supplement labels.[v]
If you are as sensitive to melatonin supplements like I am, taking a chance on nearly 500% more than what you thought you were getting is a big problem.
But I have good news for you because experienced neurohackers have found other ways to get quality sleep this year.
And all it takes are 3 supplements that are easy and relatively inexpensive to get.
Best Natural Sleep Aid Supplements for 2024
Put together a stack with the following supplements and you’re sure to get the sleep you need. Night after night.
Tart Cherry
Montmorency tart cherry contains the richest natural source of melatonin. Identical to the hormone secreted by the pineal gland in your brain.
Your pineal gland receives a signal from your hypothalamus in response to your circadian rhythm and environmental clues like light and temperature.[vi]
The problem is this natural process in our modern society can be disrupted by exposure to artificial light from cellphones and tablet screens, medications, medical conditions, stress, food and drink.
And your circadian rhythm can also be disrupted by working the night shift. Or flying to a different time zone.
Supplementing with tart cherry provides melatonin when your natural melatonin is suppressed.
Tart cherry for sleep has been proven in clinical trials as well. For example, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was done with 20 volunteers who consumed tart cherry juice concentrate or a placebo for 7 days.
Sleep quality was recorded along with melatonin metabolites from urine samples.
Melatonin was significantly higher in the tart cherry group compared to no change in the placebo group.
The researchers recorded significant increases in time in bed, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency in the tart cherry volunteers.
And concluded that tart cherry juice does indeed increase natural melatonin. Which in turn improved sleep duration and quality in healthy men and women.[vii]
Tart cherry is also a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It contains anthocyanins which block COX-1 and COX-2 proinflammatory enzymes.
Several studies show that tart cherry helped reduce muscle damage and pain after strenuous exercise. Offering faster relief from minor aches, stiffness and discomfort.[viii]
Tart cherry extract may help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep, and help repair your body and brain while you sleep. Feeling refreshed and physically ready to start your day.
Recommended dosage of organic tart cherry juice from concentrate is 4 – 6 ounces (120 – 180 mL), or 500 mg of CherryPURE® which is tart cherry extract in a capsule about 90 minutes before bed.
Lemon Balm
Lemon Balm – has a long history as a treatment for stress, anxiety, thyroid issues, indigestion, infections, viruses and inflammation. One way Lemon Balm does this is to promote GABA, a glutamate inhibitor in your brain.
Glutamate excites brain cells to act. While this excitation is necessary, too much glutamate results in cell death. Lemon Balm promotes a better balance in glutamate levels, and helps new cell growth. Some users say it works as well as popping a Xanax®.
Recommended Lemon Balm extract dosage is 200 – 400 mg before bed.
Magnesium
Magnesium is the 4th most abundant mineral in your body. And a cofactor in more than 600 enzymatic reactions.
Some of these processes are directly involved in falling asleep and staying asleep. For example, magnesium stimulates GABAA receptors much the same as prescription sleep aid Ambien® (zolpidem).[ix]
This GABA action by magnesium helps block the excitability of NMDA receptors. Calming nerve cell signaling which relaxes muscles and brain activity.
This process also boosts nitric oxide (NO) which helps relax smooth muscle cells. Allowing for easier blood flow and lower blood pressure that precedes sleep.[x]
Magnesium ions control the ion channels required for brain cell signaling. And is critical for the neuroplasticity required for memory consolidation while you sleep.
Magnesium is required for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis. Which is the main energy source produced by your mitochondria in nearly every cell in your brain and body.[xi] And for the synthesis of DNA and RNA.[xii]
The problem is most people are unaware that they are living with a magnesium deficiency. Which is contributing to sleep and memory problems.[xiii]
Over the last 60 years, the magnesium content in fruit and vegetables has declined by 30%. And a further 80 – 90% of magnesium is lost during food processing.
But the thing is that supplementing with regular magnesium won’t do you much good. Because it’s not very bioavailable. And the high dosage required to elevate your magnesium levels can cause diarrhea.
The best option is to choose the right form of magnesium. Magnesium Bisglycinate is a chelated form of this mineral bound to the amino acid glycine which boosts bioavailability.
Or use Magnesium Taurate which is magnesium bound to the amino acid taurine which inhibits neurotransmission (helping sleep), acts as an antioxidant, assists long-term potentiation, and helps magnesium cross the blood-brain barrier.
And the addition of taurine also aids in the movement of potassium, sodium, and calcium into and out of cells. Which helps alleviate muscle twitches that can keep you awake.
Research suggests the recommended dosage of magnesium is 100 – 400 mg about 90 minutes before bed.
L-Tryptophan
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid and precursor to serotonin, melatonin, and Vitamin B3 (niacin) in your body and brain.
Tryptophan is one of the best natural sleep aids available without the unwanted side effects of prescription sleep meds.
You’ll get better results supplementing with Tryptophan as a sleep aid by stacking it with magnesium, and Vitamin B6 because both are required to synthesize serotonin.
Tryptophan converts to 5-HTP, and then with the help of Vitamin B6 (P-5-P) produces serotonin.
The further conversion of serotonin into melatonin requires the presence of SAM-e.
The entire pathway from Tryptophan to 5-HTP to serotonin to melatonin provides a good mood during the day. And a calming influence preparing you for relaxation leading to sleep, and sound sleep all night.
Recommended dosage of L-Tryptophan is 250 mg about 90 minutes before bed.
Best Pre-formulated Stack for Sleep Disorders in 2024
For years, I used the above individual supplements as my sleep stack taken about 90 minutes before bed.
I’d fall asleep in less than a minute, and sleep through the night. Feeling refreshed the next morning.
Then in early 2018, Performance Lab® came out with a sleep stack using the same ingredients. It’s what I now use instead of individual supplements which is less expensive but still works like a charm.
Performance Lab® Sleep contains 100 mg of Magnesium (as Magnesium Bisglycinate, Magnesium Taurate, and NutriGenesis® Magnesium), 500 mg of tart cherry extract (as CherryPURE®), and 200 mg of L-Tryptophan.
Performance Lab® also uses NutriCaps® vegan-friendly capsules which are made from tapioca. Rather than ‘veggie capsules’ which are actually a type of plastic made from pine or poplar tree pulp.
And there no fillers or additives! Just plain, pure, patented ingredients. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, please check in with your personal care provider to make sure this stack is a good fit for your needs.
If you are craving a great night’s sleep, I highly recommend this premium stack.
Get Performance Lab® Sleep or
See my complete Performance Lab® Sleep Review or
See my deeper dive into how sleep works, how much sleep you really need, and health problems associated with not getting enough sleep in my post on “Best Nootropics for Sleep”.
Join The Discussion - 59 comments
Don
November 2, 2024
Hi David,
I currently supplement melatonin in the evening for sleep. Could I expect any additional sleep benefit with tart cherry? I ask because my read of it is that it mainly increases melatonin (which I am already supplementing).
Many thanks.
David Tomen
November 3, 2024
Don, I think you’ll get more benefit from using Tart Cherry in place of melatonin because it is natural and will not produce the negative effects the next morning that many often get when using synthetic melatonin.
Keith Worrall
April 12, 2024
G’day David,
on the subject of sleep, I have BPH, and once I wake to use the bathroom, I find it difficult to fall asleep again. Just a couple of nights ago, I woke up at 2.30am to use the bathroom, could not fall asleep again, and so after about 30 mins of tossing and turning I decided to get out of bed , and that was the end of my sleep for that night. Any suggestions on my lack of ability to regain sleep again?,
sincerely with kind regards
Keith Worrall
David Tomen
April 17, 2024
Keith, I used the stack I talked about in the above article but still had a problem waking 2 – 3 times per night. I added 40 mg CBD Oil and it solved the problem for me.
William
February 9, 2024
Hi David, thank you for all the knowledge that you share. I want to ask you if this product is a valid tart cherry extract to take for sleep. It should be 600 mg per capsule. Thanks 🙂
Amarena Montmorency
David Tomen
February 9, 2024
William, that page is in Italian which I cannot speak. But as far as I tell that is Montmorency Tart Cherry extract which should help with sleep.
Acom
November 25, 2023
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23252791/
What can you say to this, not only tart cherries are capable of this.
David Tomen
November 26, 2023
Montmorency tart cherry contains the “richest natural source” of melatonin. You’d need to eat a lot more of those fruits in the study to match that.
James
December 19, 2022
Just wanted to ask a quick question about your Tart Cherry recommendation….
Do you have to use Montmorency tart cherry to get those benefits that you listed? Or will other types of Tart (or Sour) cherries also produce similar effects; e.g. Morello cherries?
Thanks 🙂
David Tomen
December 21, 2022
James, the highest concentration of melatonin is found in Balaton and Montmorency tart cherries (Prunus cerasus) (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11600041/). It may be found in lower concentrations in other sour cherry varieties. But those two have the highest concentration.