Every sleep aid on the market says it’ll “help you sleep.”

But is that always true? What do you really need in a natural sleep aid? What does it have to have to ensure that it is effective, and healthy for you to take? Turns out, there are a few things. 

In this post, we’ll explore what doctors say are the top 10 must-haves that every natural sleep aid should contain, that is good for both your mind and body.

Here’s what they are:

1. Melatonin 

The hormone melatonin is exploding in popularity; one study said that close to 3 million Americans were taking it on a regular basis to sleep better at night. But simply taking melatonin alone won’t address your sleep issues in the long term, doctors say. And if a natural sleep aid is going to contain melatonin, it has to offer the perfect dosage. (The DreamEZ supplement contains 10 milligrams, which is often recommended for those with sleep-wake cycle disturbances.)

2. Valerian root 

No, it’s not something from a fantasy novel, even if it sounds like it is. Valerian root is an herb that has been used for millennia for calming purposes and has been shown to promote healthier sleep. When taken properly, it can be a natural aid to your body to ease into a healthy sleep cycle.

3. Lemon balm

Alone, lemon balm is widely regarded as something that can help those with sleep disorders. But in combination with other natural ingredients, it can greatly improve sleep quality by reducing stress — a leading cause of what keeps us up at night.

4. L-tryptophan

Any consumer of turkey knows this amino acid well. Naturally aiding in biosynthesis, tryptophan supplements essentially counter sleep disturbances, by interacting with the brain chemicals that lead to sleep. And that can be really helpful when you’re tossing and turning all night. So it’s more than just turkey.

5. Chamomile

 There’s a reason why so many people drink chamomile tea just before bed — the herb contains an antioxidant called apigenin, which helps decrease anxiety and treat insomnia. It eases your body into a state of tranquility and prepares you for rest. So for natural sleep aid, it’s a no-brainer.

6. Organic and pure ingredients

For a natural sleep aid to be ‘natural,’ it should be exactly that. At EZ Lifestyle, we made a promise to our customers that everything we make would derive from organic and pure ingredients. Just because we firmly believe that nothing you consume should come from a lab, or created with artificial ingredients and chemicals. Especially when it regards something as important as sleep.

7. Vegetarian capsules

If you want to reach the most amount of people with your natural sleep aid, then you’ll want to avoid using gelatin capsules, which are made with animal byproducts. Vegetarian capsules are the solution: using cellulose, these vegan-friendly capsules are halal and kosher-certified, which invites everyone, regardless of religion or diet, to enjoy the benefits of better sleep, and better lives.

8. Zinc

When a body ingests any combination of ingredients, it needs a substance that can help break those supplements down for the body to absorb in a seamless, effective manner. That’s where zinc comes in — the metallic element is found throughout our body, and does exactly that. Most natural sleep aids will incorporate zinc to help the body continue that process of healthy absorption.

9. Synergy

Like with zinc, certain dosages of certain ingredients are important. But ensuring that each ingredient potentiates the other, helping them function in synergy, is what guarantees a positive end result. When shopping for a natural sleep aid, that should be a top priority. (And it’s something that we take very seriously with DreamEZ.)

10. Source and manufacture

In 2019, transparency is vital in any consumer decision. The same goes for natural sleep aids: you should know where each ingredient comes from, and how it was produced. Furthermore, getting FDA or Health Canada approval should not be an added bonus, but rather, a prerequisite to your purchase. Both attributes will guarantee that whatever you’re using to improve your sleep patterns is of the utmost quality, and tested to that extent.

For us, this top 10 list is personal — it’s what we used as a blueprint to create DreamEZ, our natural sleep supplement that works at improving the quality and longevity of the sleep you’re getting each and every night. We set out with the goal of creating natural energy supplements that we could be proud of, using the ingredients (many of which are found here) that we knew doctors approve of. 

We knew what worked, and what didn’t, but also recognized that our bodies didn’t deserve lackluster results. Because nobody should waste time with bad sleep. No matter what.