- I tried the vitamin for two weeks to see if it would help me sleep better — here's how it went.
- I was never someone who struggled with sleep — that is, until my circadian rhythm decided to throw me for a loop a few months back.
- Now my nights go one of two ways: I'm either tossing and turning for an hour trying to fall asleep, or I pass out as soon as I hit the pillow yet wake up periodically through the night. It's not ideal.
- So, when SugarBear added sleep vitamins to its resume, I had to give them a try. I've been a superfan of the brand for years. Their hair gummies transformed my shoulder-length strands to gorgeous mermaid locks everyone assumed were extensions on my wedding day. (Nope — all natural, folks.)
- Needless to say, I had high expectations that SugarBear Sleep Vitaminscould help me fall and stay asleep. I'm happy to say they exceeded them.
- SugarBear Sleep Vitamins look like gummy bears and taste like them, too. But unlike the cult favorite convenience store candy, these gummies are formulated with an exclusive "Rest Well Blend" to "promote relaxation and optimize sleep," a representative from SugarBear Sleep told Business Insider.
- The vegetarian complex contains a variety of sleep-promoting ingredients, including 6mg of melatonin to help naturally regulate a person's sleep-wake cycle; 200 mcg of magnesium to promote a sense of calm throughout the entire body; vitamin B6 to support the nervous system; and 50 mg of theanine to instill a sense of relaxation. It even avoids bringing on the same feeling of drowsiness the next day a lot of sleep supplements are associated with.
- The formula also contains 5-HTP, an amino acid that converts to serotonin when mixed with the right vitamins and minerals, Stacy Mobley, N.M.D., M.P.H., a licensed naturopathic doctor and certified ayurvedic wellness counselor told Business Insider. It also has herbs like valerian root, lemon balm leaf, and passion flower to ease anxiety and trigger a kind of sedative effect that helps the body and mind relax and prepare for sleep.
· My experience
- On the first night of my experiment, I took the recommended serving of two gummies 30 minutes before I would normally turn in for the night. To my surprise, I started feeling sleepy, droopy eyes and all, not even 10 minutes after the fact. But can sleep supplements that taste like candy really be thatpowerful? Maybe — but also maybe not.
- The sleep spell I was suddenly under could have been a placebo effect, as the mind is a very powerful thing. According to Dr. Mobley, "it could also be related to the level of melatonin in this supplement [as] it's a pretty high dose." Either way, I was out like a light.
- I experienced something similar the first few days of taking the Sleep Vitamins but by the end of the week, I did notice it took a little longer for the supplements to have any effect. The good news is, I slept like a baby every night, all night when I was popping SugarBear Sleep Vitamins.
- Oddly enough, it wasn't until after the first night I took them, though. Despite that immediate sense of drowsiness, I still tossed and turned.
· Cons worth mentioning
· Dependency
- None of the ingredients in SugarBear Sleep Vitamins are addictive but that doesn't mean your body won't start to rely on them to get a proper night's rest.
- As Dr. Mobley explained, "the only way I could see the body creating dependency is due to the level of melatonin in this supplement. This would mean that in some people, their body would need a higher dosage over time to feel the same effect."
· The band-aid effect
- Oftentimes people use sleep supplements as a kind of band-aid to help their circadian rhythm balance out. But by doing so, they aren't addressing any underlying health issues that could be causing a rift in your sleep cycle. This is why it's important to take care of your sleep hygiene and make sleep a priority, Tsao-Lin Moy, Chinese medicine expert and acupuncturist told Business Insider.
· Sugar content
- Glucose syrup and sugar are first on the ingredients list, which means there is a high amount of sugar relative to any other ingredient (typically, ingredients are listed by highest to lowest amounts). On the one hand, sugar is part of a well-balanced diet but it's the type of sugar in SugarBear Sleep Vitamins that raises an issue.
- "I would have preferred the sugar be naturally occurring rather than added," Dr. Mobley said. "So, it's the type of sugar included more so than the amount of sugar [in SugarBear Sleep Vitamins] that's a con."
· The bottom line
SugarBear Sleep Vitamins did something I've not been able to accomplish in some time: They allowed me to sleep soundly through the night. Though the ingredient list is a cause for concern over the kind of sugar that's included, there isn't so much of it that you should avoid these altogether.
While so many sleep gummies rely on melatonin alone to give users a proper night's rest, these include a variety of other beneficial supplements like 5-HTP and valerian root, as well as magnesium and vitamin B6.
SugarBear Sleep Vitamins cost $29.99 for a 30-day supply. One serving is two gummy bears, which means one bottle contains 60 supplements — an amount, I think, that justifies the price tag.
- Should you try them? If you're someone who could use assistance falling asleep every once in a while, I highly recommend giving SugarBear Sleep Vitamins a try. They taste good, are swarming with sleep-promoting ingredients beyond just melatonin, and, most importantly, work like a charm.
Pros: Helps you sleep more soundly throughout the night, features additional supplements like 5-HTP and vitamin B6, won't break the bank.
Cons: Sugar and glucose syrup are the first two ingredients, sleep aids run some risk of dependency.
*This product can be purchased at UNI Cosmetics stores.
