The best sleep supplements to help you get a full night’s rest

These sleep supplements contain a blend of lavender, chamomile, passionflower and magnesium to relax the body and trigger the healthy release of melatonin to kickstart the sleep process. Magnesium also supports bone health and helps your muscles to repair while you rest and can soothe aches and pains in the process.

The supplements are perhaps a little more intimidating than others you might have taken, they’re on the larger side so if you struggle to swallow pills they might not be the best choice for you. However, with 151g of magnesium per pill, they do make an impact.

Our tester used to suffer from horrible sleep issues and has been taking the PM+ for several years. These supplements are part of the protocol that has fixed those issues. When taking them, we found we fell asleep very quickly and woke up feeling way more refreshed. We also noticed the difference when we stopped taking them.

Because they contain lavender, these supplements have quite a strong scent so if you don’t like the smell of lavender they might not be your first choice. They’re also a deep black colour which can stain your tongue a little if you don’t swallow them quickly. Overall we rated them the best for a restful night’s sleep so if you can swallow large pills they’re a great choice.

If you’re looking for a more affordable formula, Myvitamins is always a good place to look. This sleep supplement rings in at £12.99 so is a good starting point if you’re trying sleep supplements for the first time and want to dip your toe. The bottle says it contains 30 servings and the brand recommends that one serving is three capsules per day.

Formulated with 200mg of magnesium and L-theanine, these capsules also contain plant-based extracts to help with sleep including, including montmorency cherry powder and lemon balm.

When compared to other supplements from leading brands, we found them to be pretty decent. They contain all the usual suspects along with added zinc and vitamin B6. They also contain L-tryptophan, which is an essential amino acid responsible for the production of serotonin. Clearly aimed at gym bunnies, these supplements will really work hard to help your body repair and regulate itself while you sleep. We slept well while taking them and woke up feeling refreshed with less pain from the gym.

Some people find that when they take magnesium before bed they wake up feeling sleepy. This wasn’t the case when we tested these supplements from Inessa. In fact we woke up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.

These tablets also boast a high volume of bioavailable magnesium from purified seawater as well as magnesium bis-glycinate and magnesium threonate. Magnesium can bind to compounds called phytates which can make it harder for the body to absorb but Inessa uses a chelated form of magnesium and no fillers or additives to ensure you get the full impact of what’s in the pill.

We’ve been taking these tablets for about a year to help with sleep but also to stave off DOMS after exercise. Women shouldn’t take more than 220mg of magnesium a day and this supplement offers 153g which is great alongside a balanced diet. While taking it, we sleep deeply and wake up more energised and less achy and fatigued.

The tablets are easy to swallow but don’t contain any other sleep-promoting ingredients. It’s just magnesium, pure and simple.

These sleep complex supplements contain 120mg of tart cherry, which is packed with natural melatonin. This can boost your body’s natural levels and help you naturally relax and begin the sleep process. Our experience of taking these capsules showed real promise when it came to the time it took to fall asleep.

Other ingredients like lavender soothe the body along with chamomile, which is a natural sedative. The capsules also contain saffron, which is a natural mood booster but it can also support better quality sleep.

Studies on the Earth’s Secret website show the impact of each ingredient on sleep, including passionflower which can increase the level of ‘GABA’ in your brain – this is a neurotransmitter that slows brain activity and enables you to switch off naturally.

We found that while taking these supplements we fell asleep quickly, logged more hours of deep sleep with my sleep tracking device and woke up feeling well rested. The ingredients are perfectly balanced and we rated this supplement for a quick wind down.

If swallowing tablets before bed sounds like something you’d rather not do you could try taking your supplements in a different form. The evening elixir by Elle Macpherson’s wellness brand Welleco is a straightforward powder that you mix with liquid to create a tasty sippable sleep supplement.

Made with 100 per cent certified organic, fairly traded cocoa beans, it’s basically a luxurious hot chocolate, with added health benefits. The powder also contains magnesium, natural vitamin C derived from the acerola fruit, passionflower, lemon balm and shiitake mushroom. Each nutrient is intended to repair your body while you sleep, strengthening bones, muscles, joints and skin.

However, if you’re expecting a super sweet chocolatey drink, this isn’t it. It tastes slightly bitter but very authentic with its natural cocoa flavour and doesn’t contain any of the sugars, additives or preservatives you’ll find in supermarket hot chocolate.

We mixed ours with hot oat milk and drank a cup every night before bed. The combination of the magnesium with the cocoa and warm milk was incredibly soothing and we felt ready for sleep as soon as we’d finished the drink. Our sleep tracking app also showed that we’d slept through the night without waking up, which was a win.

If you’re looking for a quick fix without having to make a whole sleep drink, this tincture from Blooming blends could be it. Ideal for anyone who doesn’t enjoy swallowing pills, tinctures are liquid supplements that you place under your tongue with a dropper.

This tincture contains chamomile, lavender, limeflower and ashwagandha root, which is known for its natural relaxant properties and ability to soothe stress and anxiety. The liquid also contains oat straw, derived from the unripened Avena sativa plant which is typically used to reduce inflammation and improve brain function and mood.

We took a full pipette of the tincture each night before sleep, letting the liquid sit under my tongue before swallowing it. The overall effect was one of relaxation, however, we didn’t drop off as quickly as we have with some other supplements. Nonetheless, we felt very chilled and found our mind felt calmer, despite a busy day. Our sleep didn’t really change but we did find that we woke up feeling relaxed and not at all anxious too.

A much milder chocolatey drink than the Welleco evening elixir, the night drink by Ten PM is a win for anyone who dislikes a strong bitter cocoa flavour. More akin to a smooth hot chocolate, this drinkable supplement contains organic cacao, 3,000mg of L-glycine to support mood and hormonal regulation and 125mg of magnesium citrate to relax and repair the body.

This powder also contains passionflower, zinc, vitamin B6 and L-theanine. It’s sweetened with stevia and xanthan so while there’s a sweeter flavour (one serving is 23 calories), if you’re trying to avoid sweeteners this might not be the pick for you.

We mixed it with foamed oat milk and found it very easy to drink. The addition of L-glycine impressed us as we’ve been trying to incorporate it into my wellness routine lately. We found that we felt relaxed before bed and slept deeply, however, we did wake up a couple of times. This might have been due to the slightly lower levels of magnesium present and our sleep therefore being lighter, or it might have been because the bin men were making more noise than usual – these variables are tricky to track. Either way, we were impressed with the powder and it tasted great.

Mushrooms are all the rage at the moment – and these supplement drinks from Phyto nectars harness the power of the shroom. If a chocolate drink at bedtime isn’t your thing, these sachets are made with reishi and lion’s mane as well as blueberries and guava which give the drink a deep purple colour.

Containing magnesium, lavender, passionflower and L-theanine to support restful sleep, each sachet contains oat beta-glucan extract and holy basil – a herb used for stress relief.

We got on really well with these sachets. They’re pre-measured so they’re easy to pop in a cup and enjoy each evening. I added hot oat milk to mine but I also tried them with coconut milk, which was delicious. The flavour is fruity and a little earthy and I found that I fell asleep quickly and logged more deep sleep on my tracker.”