Ask HN: Sleep supplements that worked for you (excluding melatonin) | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Sleep supplements that worked for you (excluding melatonin)

I'm in the UK, and unfortunately melatonin is not available as an over-the-counter product. Only a doctor can prescribe it in the UK. Purchasing it online is not easy. For example, it is not possible to purchase via Amazon.de or Amazon.com for delivery to the UK due to regulations (same for eBay.co.uk).

What non-prescription sleep supplements have you tried? Which ones worked for you that you recommend?

For example, CBD (cannabidiol) oil is widely available without prescription and is purported to aid sleep. If you have tried it, have you found it helpful?

Any other non-prescription supplements you have tried (with success)? Thank you.

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I've tried a lot of options to improve my sleep. What worked for me: - regular exercise in general but morning really works best for me and I would say avoid late afternoon / after work because your body will be too energized for sleep. - reduce caffeine intake. you can listen to Michael Pollan talk about his research for his caffeine book, where he stopped cold turkey and his sleep improved dramatically. - regular, consistent sleep hours - white noise if it helps, I use a diffuser (as mentioned Lavender is very good for sleep and diffuser) - CBD / THC. YMMV. I vape a 1/1 cbd thc plant strain and it def helps me sleep. I smoke late afternoon otherwise it can actually work against sleep if you go to bed buzzed. requires a bit of experimentation... - natural teas that help with sleep - Lemon Balm, Chamomile and Valerian. can be combined or separate. the only problem is that you may have to pee during the night if you drink these before bed. if you are in the UK you can also try this tablet

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ANTI-STRESS-TABLETS-combination-tra...

- a small amount of protein as a snack an hour or so before bed, peanut butter, yogurt, etc.

Melatonin did NOT work for me.

I essentially solved all of my sleep problems by doing the following:

Getting 15-30 minutes of bright light exposure first thing in the morning. Ideally this would be sunlight, but I don't have that option this time of year based on how early I wake up (I'm in the PNW and wake up at 6am), so I use a sun lamp I bought on Amazon.

Likewise, minimizing blue / bright light after the sun goes down. If I need to use my computer, I have flux installed and set to the lowest brightness setting. I do something similar for my phone as well.

Supplementing glycine, magnesium glycinate (which also contains glycine), l-theanine, and ashwaghanda in the evening before bed. Glycine has had the most impact on my sleep. It's as if I had been exiled from dream-land before, but now I've been allowed back! My sleep is so much deeper. Note: I bought the BulkSupplements powdered version on Amazon and take 3-5x the recommended dose in my evening smoothie. I've found megadosing magnesium in this way also helps. The recommended doses seem to be way too low, especially if you happen to be deficient.

As someone who spends a significant portion of the day in front of a screen, I can't emphasize enough how important managing light exposure throughout the day is. Check out the Huberman Lab podcast if you haven't already. This episode in particular is what started me down the path to correcting my sleep: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm1TxQj9IsQ

After watching that episode, I used my sun lamp to dial in my circadian rhythm over the course of a couple weeks. I was then able to wake up at the same time every morning without an alarm clock, which for me was a miracle.

Walking for 30min~2h without reading or listening music from my phone everyday before sleep helped in my case. Just needed to avoid places with car exhaust from busy roads.

If co q 10 is available as a supplement, you can take it in the morning about twelve to fourteen hours before bedtime and get a melatonin spike in the evening.

Lavender oil is the most powerful one so far. Diffused, mot drank lol. It is effectively melatonin and smells great. Quality varies a lot, but Young Living makes really high quality ones. (Yes, I'm aware of the shadiness around YL, but this is one of the good products).

A far cheaper alternative is chamomile tea.

I personally have gone the route of 'unsupplementing', in the sense of greatly reducing caffeine intake and of not eating in the evening. Earplugs and cold air conditioning also help. Hope this helps...

Kalms (valerian). 5-HTP. Chamomile. Theanine.

Listen to a podcast or two to drift off. Reduce blue light both with special spectacles, turning phone into night mode, and using a blue light reducing screen protector.

Exercise more often, I had same issue days when I do not exercise I trend to sleep less

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