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The Sleep Supplement Helping People Transition Off Melatonin For Good

Emma Loewe
Author:
November 16, 2023
Emma Loewe
By Emma Loewe
mbg Contributor
Emma Loewe is the former Sustainability and Health Director at mindbodygreen. She is the author of "Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us" and the co-author of "The Spirit Almanac: A Modern Guide To Ancient Self Care." Emma received her B.A. in Environmental Science & Policy with a specialty in environmental communications from Duke University. In addition to penning over 1,500 mbg articles on topics from the water crisis in California to the rise of urban beekeeping, her work has appeared on Grist, Bloomberg News, Bustle, and Forbes.
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Image by Milles Studio / Stocksy
November 16, 2023
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Melatonin is the go-to sleep aid for many Americans. Use of these supplements increased about fivefold1 between the years 2000 and 2018—and it's likely even jumped since then. That's because melatonin supplements are everywhere. You can't walk through the grocery or browse online without seeing an advertisement boasting the supplement's benefits. 

Elsewhere, the use of melatonin is more monitored and often available only with a prescription from a doctor. This makes sense—melatonin is, after all, a hormone. The body naturally produces melatonin to help manage your sleep-wake cycle. It also impacts various other aspects of health like blood sugar balance2, immunity3, hormone health, and cardiovascular function4.

Popping a melatonin supplement nightly can disrupt your body's production of the hormone

"Using any hormone regularly can downregulate your own production of that hormone," functional medicine physician Seema Bonney, M.D., previously told mbg. A handful of small studies5 of melatonin, indicate that this likely isn't a side effect in the short term but long-term studies—especially involving higher doses—are lacking6

This is especially concerning as more and more folks reach for melatonin, and in higher and higher doses. Doses of melatonin supplements typically range from 1 to 5 milligrams, but 10-milligram supplements are becoming more prevalent. 

And what's on the label isn't always what's in the supplement. Testing revealed that some melatonin products contain 478% more melatonin than the label claims (while some contain 83% less than what's labeled).

This should be especially worrisome for parents. Recently, the CDC sent out a warning7 to parents who have melatonin lying around the house. In 2021, U.S. poison control centers answered over 52,000 calls about children consuming concerningly high amounts of the supplement. In some cases, the callers reported that the child had mistaken the supplement for candy or vitamins. 

All of this considered, many health experts are now recommending nonhormonal (aka not melatonin) supplements to those who are looking for added sleep support. Enter sleep support+.

Choose sleep support+ to help you snooze through the night 

mindbodygreen's sleep support+ is formulated to promote high-quality rest in a much more multidimensional way (sans hormones) than melatonin.* It's safe and science-backed ingredients can help you fall asleep, stay asleep, and get higher-quality sleep.* 

This supplement contains three powerhouse ingredients: 

  • Magnesium: An essential mineral that the body needs to function
  • Jujube seed extract: a fruit used in traditional Chinese medicine
  • PharmaGABA®: a natural form of an amino acid neurotransmitter, created through fermentation

Each of these ingredients has been shown to help people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer—reaching even deeper stages of restorative rest.*

Customers once disappointed by melatonin have found some much-needed relaxation with sleep support+.*

 I didn't find melatonin effective

"I take these 30 minutes before I hit the bed and within 10 to 15 minutes I'm out and stay sleeping most of the night."* 

—Wayne

It feels calming 

"While it doesn't 'knock you out,' it does help in a more gentle way."*

—Rev

No more crazy dreams

"I take two [sleep support+] before my bath every night and read for 10 minutes and quickly fall asleep and wake refreshed every morning. Finally sleeping eight hours every night. They work!"*

—Tracy

I trust that it's high quality

"Knowing that this is an exceptionally pure, high-quality product that is tested beyond industry standards makes me confident in recommending it wholeheartedly not only to my clients but to family and friends."

Heather Moday, M.D., board-certified integrative medicine doctor

The takeaway

Regularly taking melatonin floods your system of the hormone, which could come with unpleasant aftereffects. mindbodygreen's sleep support+ is a nonhormonal sleep aid designed to help support quality sleep every night, using only safe ingredients you can feel good about keeping at your bedside.*

If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medications, consult with your doctor before starting a supplement routine. It is always optimal to consult with a health care provider when considering what supplements are right for you.

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