How may other sleep supplements on the market not meet your needs?

Poor quality sleep seems to be a more and more common concern among people these days. This explains why sleep-supporting supplements are virtually everywhere.

Unfortunately, some generic sleep aids may not meet your needs or expectations. With so many options available, it can be hard to know which one to choose.

What type of sleep supplement is best? 

Fortunately, there are now plenty of high-quality sleep supplements that focus on herbal extracts and calming ingredients that may help support sleep quality with no daytime drowsiness or hung-over feeling. Best of all, many of these options use holistic ingredients that you can take daily before bedtime. 

Spotting the ultimate sleep supplement doesn’t need to be complicated. Here are some popular ingredients found in holistic sleep supplements to look for when shopping for a sleep supplement.

How To Choose The Best Sleep Supplement in 2025

Written by:

Angela Schulz

• Expert tested

• Evidenzbasiert

Can sleep supplements really fix your nighttime troubles? Here’s how to spot the ultimate sleep formula for restful, rejuvenating, and restorative nighttime sleep. We all dread those seemingly endless nights of tossing and turning, just hoping that sleep will eventually come to us before the sun rises.  Sound familiar? You’re not alone. 

Published:

Try To Avoid

• Unclear or Misleading Labels: A quality sleep supplement should always clearly list exactly what’s included in the formula.
• Lack of Third-Party Testing: Look for sleep supplements that have been independently third-party lab tested. These unbiased test results will guarantee that the product is top quality and free from unwanted extras, such as contaminants, traces of heavy metals, or pesticides.
• Diphenhydramine: Some generic sleep supplements may contain an antihistamine known as diphenhydramine that’s used in allergy medications. This ingredient may leave some with a sleepy, groggy feeling the next day.

What To Look For In A Sleep Supplement

• Melatonin: Melatonin is an essential sleep hormone that sends signals to your brain when it’s time to sleep, wake, and eat. Shown to help regulate your body’s internal clock (circadian rhythm), melatonin can help regulate your body temperature and other important hormones needed to fall asleep soundly.* 
• Valerian root: Valerian root has been used for centuries for its calming, sleep-promoting benefits. Research suggests that valerian may help promote the length and quality of deep, restorative sleep, as well as reduce the time it takes to fall asleep at night.* [2]
• Important Amino Acids: Amino acids like Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) and L-Tryptophan are thought to help your body produce the proteins and molecules needed for good sleep and relaxation.* 
• Calming Herbal Extracts: Look for soothing herbal extracts like chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, and hops. They are thought to help support relaxation and calm which are important for unwinding after a long day, de-stressing, and preparing your body for sleep.*
• Magnesium: One of the most abundant minerals in your body, magnesium supports over 300 bodily processes, including sleep regulation. Magnesium supplementation has recently become a popular way to support sleep quality.*

Note: Individual results may vary. 

Top Sleep Support Supplements of 2025

 Sleep by Relaxium

Ortho Sleep

by AOR

Melatonin by Natrol

Melatonin by Nature's Bounty

Key Ingredients

Important Criteria

*No information provided on product website.

Note: We try to update product information as often as we can. Please visit product websites for more information.

Melatonin

Valerian Root

GABA

L-Tryptophan

Herbal Extracts

Magnesium

Ingredients To Avoid

According to the Sleep Foundation, 35.2% of American adults say they sleep less than the recommended 7 hours per night! [1]

So what’s the most common solution that people turn to when they can’t stop tossing and turning? Sleep supplements!

Bottom Line:

Primal Sleep by Primal Harvest features a blend of premium ingredients including essential amino acids L-tryptophan and GABA, as well as melatonin, valerian root, and a form of magnesium known as magnesium bisglycinate chelate.

It also features an herbal extract blend of lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, and hops. It comes in a convenient two-capsule serving size which only needs to be taken about 30 minutes before sleep making it easy to incorporate into any bedtime routine.

As all high-quality supplements should be, Primal Sleep is third-party lab tested and made with globally sourced ingredients. 

To top it off, Primal Harvest has a huge 90-day money-back guarantee for all of its products, giving you plenty of time to make sure that Primal Sleep is the perfect fit for your needs.

PROS

CONS

by Primal Harvest[1]

Rating A+

Our rating:

• With valerian root, magnesium, amino acids, and melatonin
• 90-day money-back guarantee  
• 2-capsule serving size  
• Includes 4 herbal extracts
• Certified safety & purity testing 
• Made with globally sourced ingredients

• Only available online
• Due to high demand, sometimes runs out of stock

How we rated the Top 5 Nutritional Supplements

Each of our reviews is based on a factual analysis and comparison. We examine the ingredients, dosages and manufacturing processes to understand the quality of the product. In addition, we evaluate customer reviews, value for money and customer service to protect our readers from negative buying experiences. Although we may receive compensation for these reviews, we strive to provide objective comparisons based on facts.

EFFECTIVENESS 

INGREDIENTS

PRICE-PERFORMANCE 

CUSTOMER SERVICE 

Top Supplements 2025

No Diphenhydramine

90d Money-Back Guarantee

Third-Party Tested

​

Bottom Line:

Sleep by Relaxium is formulated with ingredients like valerian root, GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid), and ashwagandha root. This sleep formula comes in two capsules which should be taken 30-40 minutes before bedtime. All-in-all this product is fairly similar to the number one product on this list, although you may want to note that Relaxium only offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. 

PROS

CONS

2. Sleep

by Relaxium

Rating: B+

Our rating:

• 1-tablet serving size
• 5mg melatonin

• 30 day money-back guarantee

Bottom Line:

Ortho Sleep by AOR features 3 mg of melatonin combined with some sleep-promoting herbal extracts in a 2-capsule serving size. However, the formula is fairly basic, with key omissions being L-Tryptophan and magnesium, which can help with natural melatonin production and promoting relaxation and calm respectively. 

PROS

CONS

3. Ortho Sleep

by AOR

Rating B

Our rating:

• 3 mg melatonin
• Contains herbal extracts
• 2-capsule serving size

• No L-Tryptophan
• No magnesium

Bottom Line:

Natrol’s Melatonin delivers 5 mg of melatonin in each serving. While our team felt that the tablets were easy to take and liked that they are sold at an affordable price, they are not gluten-free as the product contains wheat. This product also contains soy and therefore may not be suitable for everyone. They also only contain melatonin, making its variety of ingredients smaller than some of other products on our list.

PROS

CONS

4. Melatonin

by Natrol

Rating C+

Our rating:

• Includes melatonin, GABA, L-tryptophan 
• Contains magnesium

• No magnesium
• Contains wheat & soy

Our Choice 2025

• Made with globally sourced ingredients
• Features melatonin, valerian root, GABA & magnesium 
• Easy-to-swallow capsules
• Free shipping on orders over $75

Bottom Line:

Nature’s Bounty Melatonin delivers a solid 10 mg of melatonin per serving. This product is simple, coming in a single tablet serving size. Unfortunatley, the product is only purchasable via third-parties, which potential customers may find inconvenient. Unlike some of our higher-ranked options, it also lacks any additional ingredients for added sleep support.

PROS

CONS

5. Melatonin

by Nature's Bounty

Rating C

Our rating:

• 1-tablet serving dize
• 10 mg of melatonin 

• Only purchasable via third-parties
• Lack of additional sleep-supporting ingredients 

Citations

DISCLAIMER: This scientific research is for informational purposes only. The results reported may not necessarily occur in all individuals. Wellness Reviews provides this information as a service but does not endorse it. This information should not be read to recommend or endorse any specific products.

[1] “Sleep Statistics - Facts and Data about Sleep 2023.” Sleep Foundation, 13 Feb. 2023, https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/sleep-facts-statistics. 

[2] Donath F, Quispe S, Diefenbach K, Maurer A, Fietze I, Roots I. Critical evaluation of the effect of valerian extract on sleep structure and sleep quality. Pharmacopsychiatry. 2000;33(2):47-53. doi:10.1055/s-2000-7972

To see a list of our other references, please click here.