If you’re someone who has been struggling with insomnia for a while (have you tried this cure?), this may be the right article for you. We’re going to compare the top ten sleeping pills and explain how they work. SCROLL DOWN if you just want to read the list of the best sleeping tablets.
Here’s the thing:
If you’ve been trying countless different methods to fall asleep, and you even made different lifestyle adjustments, but your face STILL shows the ravages of sleeplessness, you may be someone who will greatly benefit from some sleeping pills.
There are different types of sleeping pills that will help you regain your health sleep pattern, and there are plenty of over the counter and natural options included here too.
How sleeping pills work
Sleeping pills are used to treat various types of insomnia, including the original statement, the inability to fall asleep at the beginning of the night. There is also the type where you’re unable to fall back asleep after waking up in the middle of the night, and finally, the inability to have a restful night of sleep overall.
So, taking some sleeping pills may help you return to a normal sleeping cycle. They are taken orally and you should usually take them about 30 minutes before you’d like to fall asleep.
The most common ingredient that is found in over the counter sleeping pills is a powerful antihistamine called diphenhydramine.
This antihistamine is known to cause drowsiness as one of its side effects, which makes it perfect for inducing sleep.
However, there are other forms of sleeping pills that are also popular, including herbal remedies in the form of tablets, tinctures and teas, homeopathic pills or drops, and even nutritional supplements like magnesium and melatonin. All of these natural and over the counter sleeping pills are all available in drugstores and even online.
Do sleeping pills even work
Sleeping pills do work, in that they trick your brain into thinking that it’s time to go to sleep. However, the way they approach this is different for different sleeping aids.
- Herbal supplements increase your levels of serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that is responsible for getting you to feel drowsy and relaxed.
- Homeopathic sleep remedies use diluted chemicals that then produce full-body responses.
- These responses help your body stimulate into healing itself from different disorders, including insomnia.
Over-the-counter sleeping aids decrease the histamine in your body, which also makes you feel drowsy (This is also why hayfever tablets and dog allergy tablets ALSO make you feel tired because they reduce the histamine in your body).
These prescriptions often affect different brain receptors, and all depend on the classification that your doctor prescribed for you.
Are sleeping pills actually safe
Although all of these different types of sleeping pills have a different effect in your brain, none should be taken mindlessly. This is because most prescription sleeping pills produce an array of side effects, that include: dizziness, headaches, memory problems, diarrhea, sleepwalking and daytime sedation.
Herbal remedies and other nutritional supplements can also produce different side effects like allergic reactions, drowsiness, and dizziness. There is also the other possibility of having them interact with other drugs you may be taking at the same time, and even becoming psychologically or physically addicted.
Remember to always consult a healthcare professional in order to rule out any other underlying condition that may cause your insomnia and to get recommendations for which sleeping pills to try. Always follow the package and doctor’s directions when taking the pills.
Never mix more than one type of sleeping pill to avoid interactions and never mix them with alcohol. Take them before going to bed and allow 7-8 hours of sleep so you can avoid the feeling of drowsiness the next day. Always talk to your doctor if you experience negative side effects and do not make them a nightly habit.
How to choose a sleeping pill
First and foremost, consult your doctor. They might suggest an over the counter option like melatonin, which is significantly cheaper and with fewer side effects.
Otherwise, always look for highly-rated products. Make sure that you find the sleeping pills that will target your specific issues. And try to find a product that will best match up with your lifestyle.
Best 10 Sleeping Pills on the internet
These are in no particular order, but here are the top 10 sleeping pills in 2019. We’ll update this list about twice a year when new pills come out or become better etc. Lins open in a new tab, BUT some of these pills are prescription only meaning you can’t buy them online. For the slepeing tablets you CAN buy we’ve given you a link. Here are the pills we’ll review in summary if you just want to jump to buying them:
- 5HTP sleep tablets (most brands)
- Natrol Melatonin (Natrol is the brand)
- Genexa Sleepology Sleep Aid
- Sleep MD-NightTime Sleep Aid (Prescription)
- Rozerem (Prescription)
- Members Mark Sleep aid
- Valumeds sleeping pills
- Sleep well (Lunar sleep)
- Kirkland Signature Sleep Aid Doxylamine Succinate
- Basic Care Sleep Aid
- Performance Lab Sleep (The best one)
1: 5HTP sleep tablets (most brands)
These are natural sleeping pills and the key ingredient is 5-HTP (which is also great for dreams). This ingredient induces sleepiness by increasing the levels of serotonin in your body.
They also include vitamin B6 and tryptophan, which has a very powerful effect that will work on most tired and stressed out adults. This may also help you lose weight because these capsules suppress your appetite.
2: Natrol Melatonin
This is a melatonin supplement that works better than the traditional melatonin tablets because it has an 8-hour time release formula. It also has vitamin B6 and helps you regulate your sleeping cycle. It’s also a lot quicker than many other sleeping pills so you should only take it immediately before bed.
3: Genexa Sleepology Sleep Aid
Genexa contains a mix of homeopathic ingredients which all address most causes of insomnia. And as with all homeopathic products, it’s organically based. It contains gentle ingredients that help you get to a deep sleep very soon after you take it and then it helps you stay asleep through the night. And there is no feeling drowsy or groggy the next day. The tablets are also easy to chew and are non-habit forming.
4: Sleep MD-NightTime Sleep Aid
This is another natural sleeping pill that doctors tend to recommend because it’s very effective and works great as a short-term antidote to insomnia. Although it may not induce sleep as the products we previously mentioned, there are no negative side effects the next day.
5: Rozerem
Rozerem is a prescription sleeping pill and is somewhat new. It’s a very effective drug that will help you regulate your sleeping cycle instead of sedating the entire central nervous system. And this one won’t get you to have any nightmares or vivid dreams. The effects last between four to six hours, so it’s a great option for both long and short sleepers.
6: Members Mark Sleep aid
Members Mark is a potent sleep aid and the best part is it’s not prescription only. This means you can just order it from Amazon tonight! It has great reviews and for good reason, there are some potent ingredients but it’s certified non habit forming! Lots of sleepig pills tend to be habit forming meaning you get used to them over time, and sooner or later you can’t fall asleep without them!
7: Valumeds sleeping pills
Valumeds sleeping pills are powerful, fast acting and they come in easy to swallow gel capsules. A really annoying thing about lots of sleeping pills is they tend to be fairly big pills and hard to swallow because they don’t taste good but these are easy to swallow.
8: Sleep well (Lunar sleep)
Lunar sleep pills are great for people who maybe aren’t used to taking sleeping pills. They’re not as potent and they just make you feel tired enough to fall asleep on your own. Lots of sleeping supplements and aids make you feel so tired that you just pass out but these give you the choice of when to fall asleep.
9: Kirkland Signature Sleep Aid Doxylamine Succinate
These Kirkland sleeping pills pretty much do what they say on the box, but they’re slightly cheaper than most other sleeping supplements of the same dosage and pill count.
10: Basic Care Sleep Aid
Basic care sleeping pills are probably one of the most affordable sleeping pills on the market and can helpy ou fall asleep very easily. It’s tricky to review sleeping pills because the top rated ones pretty much all work how they’re intended to, it’s more a case of the highest reviewed and also most affordable for lots of people. This is a GREAT all rounder sleeping pill.
11: Performance Lab Sleep
A fairly new but very powerful sleeping aid. This sleep supplement from Performance Lab is potent, natural and works fast. If you’re reading this and you’re just not sure which one to pick, start with this one.
How to improve your sleep without sleep aids
Of course, the holy grail for most people reading this is to be able to fall asleep fast, every night, WITHOUT sleeping pills or tablets. It is possible but it’s tricky if you’ve already ruined your sleep schedule and patterns.
The first thing is to try and wake up at the same time every morning, and go to bed at roughly the same time every night. It will be hard at first, especially if you’re used to falling asleep at 2AM, but try and wake up every day at 7AM.
No matter how tired you feel just wake up at that time, and eventually your body will start correcting itself and you’ll find yourself being able to wake up and go to sleep without too much of an issue. You might also want to read or try:
- This ebook on hacking your sleep on Amazon
- Our guide on falling asleep faster and easier (most of the 50 methods don’t involve sleeping pills)
