I tried 3 sleep aids including Kourtney Kardashian’s Lemme Sleep to fix my insomnia – there was a clear winner
THE struggle for a good night's sleep is a very real one that virtually everyone has experienced at one point or another.
With my busy schedule, a tendency to overthink right around bedtime, and the seemingly never-ending sound of sirens in Manhattan, I found myself desperate for a better rest.
Diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in ZzzQuil, left me way too groggy the next day, so I looked into a few differently formulated products.
After finding a few popular ones, I decided to try three natural, over-the-counter sleep aids to see if any of them would help me catch some quality ZZZs.
KARDASHIAN-APPROVED GUMMIES
Armed with an Apple Watch to track my sleep cycle, I first gave Kourtney Kardashian's Lemme Sleep, $27, a shot.
Made with 5 milligrams of melatonin — as well as elderberry, magnesium, L-Theanine, chamomile, and lavender — the brand promises this will help people "fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up feeling refreshed."
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But I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical.
Last year, I tried Lemme's "energizing" supplements, swapping them in to replace coffee for a week — and after seven days I was desperate to get back to my caffeine habit.
Meanwhile, a dietitian told The U.S. Sun last year that several of Kourtney’s supplements overpromise.
Still, I kept an open mind — and right off the bat, the gummies tasted delicious, as usual with the famed vitamin brand.
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After taking two before my nightly routine, I got into bed and waited for the magic to happen.
Much to my surprise, I found myself dozing off within an hour of trying the supplement.
However, when I woke up, the Sleep app on my Apple Watch revealed that while I did get to bed at 11 pm, a decent hour for a journalist, I had some disturbances throughout the night.
In all, I only got about four hours of restful shut-eye using Kourtney's vitamins — not enough for a New Yorker on-the-go.
A 'NIGHT NIGHT' PATCH
Determined to find a solution for deeper sleep, next I tried Good Patch's Nite Nite, which retails for $13.
The patch is fortified with 15 milligrams of premium hemp as well as 3 milligrams of melatonin.
The instructions called for placing the patch on a veiny part of my body, such as the inner wrist.
What is melatonin?
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, melatonin is a hormone that the brain makes in response to darkness.
It aids in keeping our circadian rhythm, which is the body's internal clock.
Melatonin is available in supplement form and may help people fall asleep.
Some potential side effects of ingesting it can include headache, dizziness, and nausea.
I stuck on my patch and prepared for a restful night, but found myself wide awake.
After checking my Sleep app the next morning, I saw I had even worse quality sleep than the previous night — only three-and-a-half hours of deep rest.
The patch also left a sticky residue on my wrist that was difficult to remove with soap and water alone — an unwelcome issue for someone who is typically in a rush in the morning.
A SPOONFUL OF SLEEPINESS
My third and final shot at over-the-counter sleep remedies was Cymbiotika's Liposomal Sleep, $38.
The ingredients include: Vitamins D3, B5, and B6; L-Theanine; Melatonin, GABA; Magnesium Bisglycinate; Chamomile Extract; L-Tryptophan; L-Alpha Glycerylphosphorycholine; L-Glycine; and Passionflower Extract.
The product called for 12 pumps of a cacao-flavored paste containing the snooze-inducing ingredients.
Out of all three products, Cymbiotika worked the best, giving me a total of five hours and five minutes of restful sleep.
My only qualm with it is the formulation and choice of packaging.
The cacao paste seemed too dense to fit through the tiny pump.
I eventually had to use a small straw to remove some product and get it into a spoon.
OLD FAITHFUL
While Kourtney's Lemme Sleep vitamins and Cymbiotika's Liposomal Sleep did the trick, at least to a degree, I am not a fan of the long-term use of melatonin.
The American College of Physicians recommends cognitive behavioral therapy as a treatment for insomnia, especially if it's chronic.
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As a first line of defense, I did appreciate the effectiveness of Lemme and Cymbiotika to use for occasional sleepless nights.
For my own ongoing struggle with sleep, I'm sticking with daily workouts, not eating too close to bedtime, white noise, and getting my mind centered in a city that never sleeps.
