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Have you ever struggled with sleep? Just tossing and turning around with no signs of sleepiness in the eyes. Well, struggling with going to sleep is very common. You may not even realize when your circadian rhythm gets hit and messes up with your sleep. Researches show that about 30 percent of American adults have trouble going to sleep.
It is true that many health problems arise due to lack of sleep or a disturbed sleep schedule. Getting a good night’s sleep is very important for a healthy lifestyle. People try various different remedies to help induce sleep and sleep gummies are one of them.
Sleep gummies are out there in the market for a while now and not many people are aware of those. I will render you with all the information about sleep gummies, how they work, and everything about it. So, let’s begin!
What Are Sleep Gummies?
Sleep gummies are supplements that are manufactured with sleep-inducing compounds like melatonin, lemon balm leaf, L-Theanine, Vitamin B6, and more. These supplements help people reset their sleep schedules and help them overcome sleep problems that affect sleep cycles.
People suffering from insomnia, sleep problems, or who want to overcome jet lags, prefer these gummies to make falling asleep easy. Sleep gummies are nothing but gummy vitamins that help to boost the natural sleep hormone in our body. They promote calm feelings and encourage healthy sleep cycles.
They have a blend of active ingredients that work together in order to render restful sleep, body relaxation for a fresh morning. Sleep gummies are available in different flavors that make it less of medicine and more of a tasty supplement.
Usually, sleep problems are majorly seen among adults, but these days even children are facing such problems. Sleep gummies are consumed by adults as well as children. However, children’s doses are mild and not very frequent.
Do Sleep Gummies Actually Work?
The fact that melatonin is one of the ingredients in sleep gummies, there is no doubt that they really work. Although the gummies have other ingredients, melatonin plays a major role. This is because it is a hormone that is already present in our body and is responsible for our sleep.
Melatonin is a hormone that is released in our body by the pineal glands in the brain. It deals with the regulation of sleep and the circadian rhythm (sleep patterns). The time you wake up, go to sleep, the blood pressure changes in sleep, temperature drops, all these are regulated by this hormone. It helps to deal with sleeping disorders, jet lags, and insomnia.
Along with melatonin, sleep gummies also contain other natural elements like chamomile, lemon balm leaf, L-Theanine, Vitamin B6, which help promote healthy sleep patterns. These compounds induce a calming effect in the body that works on the sleeping patterns and help you get a good night’s sleep.
With all these ingredients there is no doubt that sleep gummies are getting popular these days. Sleep gummies work really well in inducing sleep when consumed in the right doses and at the right times. However, it is not recommended to use it every night for a long time. It is rather used to restore disturbed sleep schedules.
How Does Melatonin Work?
The human body has a particular routine that it follows. It is different for everyone as everyone has different schedules and routines. Melatonin is produced in our body as a response to the darkness. This puts us in a rhythm that makes us drowsy and sleepy during bedtime.
The hormone doesn’t induce sleep but sends signals to our brain that it is time to sleep. Exposure to light in the night time can cause melatonin production to suppress. The light may be of any sort, whether it is coming from your computer screen or it is your room lighting, it affects melatonin production and disturbs sleeping patterns.
However, there are people who have night shifts and they work at night. For them, they sleep in the morning and so this may cause the melatonin production at the sleeping time to halt. For people who have to change shifts, added melatonin supplements like sleep gummies help to counter this effect and promote healthy sleep.
It is said that the melatonin levels rise about two hours before we go to bed. However, it only works if there are optimal conditions along with the melatonin production in our body. It is important that our exposure to light is reduced as bedtime approaches so that we can attain a naturally sound sleep.
Melatonin production in the daytime is suppressed as the cells that inhibit melatonin production are highly active. On the contrary, in the night time, these cells become inactive and they do not inhibit the production of the hormone. Research shows that melatonin production decreases with age and this is evidently why adults have more sleeping problems than children do.
How Does Lemon Balm Leaf & Vitamin L-Theanine Help Induce Sleep?
Lemon Balm Leaf:
Lemon balm leaf is another ingredient that is present in sleep gummies. It is a natural herb that comes from the mint family and has been helping to relieve anxiety, stress, and sleep problems for hundreds of years. Researches have proved that the lemon balm leaf helps promote the production of a neurotransmitter, Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). This helps in controlling how the body responds to stress.
It is also found that the people who were going through psychological stress and were having trouble going to sleep experienced a feeling of calmness. Some studies tested the lemon balm leaf for enhancing mood and relaxing the body. The results for both of them were positive as it helps to improve the mood and also relaxes the body.
So, no matter what the reason is behind your sleeping problems, it helps to solve them. Stress and anxiety are some of the causes that affect sleeping patterns. As lemon balm leaf works on stress and anxiety, you can experience sound sleep. When you have a calm and relaxed mind, it is easier to fall asleep.
One of the studies focused on how lemon balm leaf works to induce sleep. About 25 volunteers who were struggling with sleep problems were given doses of lemon balm leaf. It turns out that it helped to reduce insomnia by 40 percent and solved a number of minor sleep problems.
Studies with the children having sleep problems show that lemon balm leaf reduced the sleep problems by 80 percent. When lemon balm leaf is combined with other compounds like melatonin and L-Theanine, like in the sleep gummies, it helps to induce quality sleep.
L-Theanine:
L-Theanine is an amino acid that is primarily found in plants like green tea. It is present in the tea leaves. The compound works in encouraging mind relaxation and promotes sound sleep by signaling various changes in the brain.
L-Theanine boosts the production level of serotonin, dopamine, and the neurotransmitter, Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). All of which is responsible for emotions, change in mood, and sleep. As there is an increase in all these compounds with the help of L-Theanine, it supports healthy sleeping patterns in our bodies.
Our body has different hormones and compounds that are responsible for different things in our body. So, our brain has certain neurotransmitters that are associated with overwhelmingness and stress. When these transmitters are present in excess, they cause sleep problems. L-Theanine works on suppressing these transmitters and hence support healthy and restful sleep.
The compound is found to act as a mild tranquilizer and also help in maintaining the proper heart rate during sleep. L-Theanine when combined with other sleep-promoting compounds as it does in sleep gummies, creates a soothing effect and helps overcome sleep problems.
How Fast Do Sleep Gummies Work?
When we talk about the sleep-inducing hormones, they are released about two hours prior to bedtime. Yes, we are talking about melatonin here. As it releases an hour or two before bedtime and starters working after about 30 to 60 minutes, it is advised to consume the sleep gummies at least an hour or two before you go to bed.
After you take a dose of sleep gummies, make sure that you create a sleeping atmosphere. Lower the lights and get ready for sleep. Also, ensure that you are consuming the right amount of it, especially for children. Given the right dosage of sleep gummies at the right time, it takes about 30 minutes to start working.
Do Sleep Gummies Help With Insomnia?
Coming to insomnia, there are different stages and types of insomnia. There is acute insomnia, transient insomnia, and chronic insomnia.
- Acute insomnia is the one that lasts for about a month and is caused due to stress and other routine problems.
- Transient insomnia is the one that lasts for a few weeks and is caused due to some other disorder or disturbed sleep schedule.
- Whereas, chronic insomnia is a serious problem that lasts for more than a month and is caused by various reasons.
Talking about sleep gummies, they will help with the early stages of insomnia. They certainly do not cure or treat insomnia but definitely help the patients to fall asleep faster than usual. Sleep gummies can show good results in case of acute and transient insomnia depending upon the underlying cause.
In case of chronic insomnia, sleep gummies can help improve the conditions but that may not completely make the symptoms go away. However, for serious problems related to insomnia, visiting a doctor and taking medication accordingly is highly recommended.
The Right Dosage Of Sleep Gummies
There is no generalized right dosage of sleep gummies as such. The amount of doses required varies from person to person and changes according to the severity of their conditions. Some other factors that decide the dosage are body weight, body response to melatonin and other compounds, overall health, and so on.
The average dose for an adult can start from as low as 1 mg. As mentioned earlier, it is most effective to take it an hour or two prior to bedtime. You can increase the dosage depending on how much you need. It is advised to start with a low dose to stay away from any side effects. Ensure that you consult your doctor before you decide to increase your dose from 5 mg to 10 mg.
For children, the dosage can start from as low as 0.5 mg. It is very important to keep a low dose when dealing with children. Make sure that you do not increase the dose more than required without consulting a doctor.
Safety & Side Effects Of Sleep Gummies
Sleep gummies are said to be pretty safe and non-toxic when consumed in the right amount. An excess of anything in general always causes problems. As sleep gummies contain melatonin and other sleep-inducing supplements there are some side effects that may occur if consumed in excess or due to some other body condition.
The basic side effects that you may come across are,
- Drowsiness
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Reduced Alertness
- Irritation
As sleep gummies are taken as a medicine for sleep problems and contain melatonin, they may react with some other medications. People who consume medicines like sedatives, anticonvulsants, immunosuppressants, or medicines for blood pressure and diabetes are advised to consult a doctor first.
There are certain people who respond to different compounds in different ways. The way a body responds to the sleep-inducing supplements plays an important role in whether or not there are side effects.
It is always recommended to consume sleep gummies to aid the sleeping problem in order to overcome it over time. Taking these supplements for a long time is not recommended as it may start causing some side effects.
The effects of sleep gummies during pregnancy are not studied in detail. However, it is again said to be safe until consumed in a limited amount. When we talk about pregnancy, people have different conditions. So, it is always safe to be in touch with the doctor.
Cessation
Well, that’s all about sleep gummies. They are simply sleep-promoting supplements that work on our sleeping patterns. I have tried to cover all the information that is related to sleep gummies including their ingredients, how they work, their effects, dosage, and the side effects as well. If you feel like you have any doubts, questions, or suggestions regarding the same, feel free to drop them in the comments section.
Sleep Well, Sleep Healthy!
