The Best Sleeping Pills of 2024: Complete Guide

Today we'll show you what to look for in a sleeping pill, what to avoid, and how the top five measure up.

Ask any biologist what the most important things to mammalian life are, and they’ll likely give you a list that includes these three basics: shelter, food, and sleep.

While many people in modern life may have the first two down pat, they don’t always pay attention to the last one. But while it’s easy to forget about sometimes, the truth is that sleep is critical to good health. During sleep, and particularly the important cycle known as REM sleep, the brain cleans itself of toxins, organizes memories, and processes experiences¹. Without adequate sleep, you can end up feeling hungrier, have mood swings, and increase your risk of high blood pressure and strokes ². So sleep is extremely important for a functioning body.

That said, not everybody is sleeping well these days. Whether due to their environment, their job, their drinking habits, or any of a number of different factors, lots of people suffer from inadequate sleep. It can make the waking hours difficult to bear, and their work life and social lives suffer as a result.

That’s where sleeping pills come in. These products promise to help people’s natural sleeping cycles and help them get more restful sleep. But with so many products out there, how can you know which is the right one? Our guide which you’ll find below has some great information not only on what to look for in a sleeping pill, but also what to watch out for. Last, we’ve assembled our list of the top choices. So read on, and look forward to a restful night of sleep! We've also included our top 5 picks for the best pills we've seen all year.

How Do Sleeping Pills Work?

There are two main kinds of over-the-counter sleeping pills out there while we’ll be covering. The first is the drug, the other the supplement.

The drug refers largely to common over-the-counter sleep aids that contain diphenhydramine or doxylamine succinate³. These drugs technically weren’t developed to help people fall asleep: instead, they are antihistamines, drugs meant to block the histamine reactions in the body which cause allergic reactions like itching and sneezing. One powerful side effect researchers noted was that users were very sleepy as a result of using them, leading to them being sold and marketed in another capacity as straight sleep aids. By causing drowsiness, it’s supposed to be easier to fall asleep. One drawback is that these drugs can cause side effects like dry mouth, upset stomach, and constipation.

The supplement for our purposes refers to natural sleep aids that contain natural chemicals,extracts, and essences that are meant to naturally work with the body to assist with sleep. These commonly contain ingredients like melatonin – the hormone responsible for regulating the body’s sleep cycle – valerian root⁴, and passion flower⁵, among others. Such natural ingredients are associated with feelings of well-being, lowered anxiety, calmness, and other states harmonious with falling asleep.

Scientific Breakthroughs in Sleep Aid Supplements: A Detailed Look at the Top 5 Sleep Aid Supplements

What To Look For In A Sleeping Pill

Supplements are something we’re very knowlegeable about, which is how we’ve put together this short list of the bare essentials for any sleeping aid.

🌙 Melatonin

Melatonin is vital for regulating the sleep-wake cycle, helping reduce sleep onset time and enhance sleep duration, particularly effective for circadian rhythm-related sleep disorders.

🌱 Valerian Root

Valerian Root acts as a natural sedative, shortening the time to fall asleep and improving sleep quality by interacting with GABA receptors in the brain.

🍃 Hops Flower

Hops Flower possesses sedative properties that improve sleep quality and treat insomnia, especially effective when combined with valerian root, by enhancing GABA activity.

🌼 Chamomile Flower

Chamomile Flower, known for its calming effects, improves sleep quality through the antioxidant apigenin, which promotes sleepiness and alleviates insomnia.

Natural Ingredients

You want to give your body the best it can get, and the natural way can often be the best way. By offering your body gentle doses of plant extracts like valerian, hops, and chamomile, you’re less likely to suffer major side effects like those you get from harsh chemical drugs. Some additives have even been associated with toxicity and cancer, like the inactive additive titanium dioxide⁸.

Money-Back Guarantee

How do you know a company is likely to make good on their promises that their product works? By offering a money-back guarantee. Promising to give people their money back if they don’t see the results that are promised is a great way to show people you’re being as honest as possible. This ensures the company is being held to their word, since a company whose product doesn’t work will be returned en masse and they’ll never keep any of the money they make⁹.

High Quality Manufacturing

Natural ingredients that are scientifically-tested for their effectiveness is important in any supplement, but what else is important is how the supplement is made. If these pills are thrown together in someone’s kitchen in Arizona, or in a cramped sweatshop in some third-world country, you don’t know what kind of quality control the product is subjected to and it could even end up tainted¹⁰. A good way of avoiding this danger is by making sure that the product adheres to Good Manufacturing Practices standards of manufacturing quality and safety. That way you know you’re getting the best the American market offers, and are less likely to get something that contains hidden ingredeints, inaccurately-marked ingredients, or is made in unsafe work conditions¹¹.