FOOD & SUPPLEMENT BUNDLE
Foods and supplements claimed to help sleep
37 of them, ranked by strength of evidence. 3 reach grade A or B.
At a glance
37 foods and supplements marketed for sleep, each graded one by one against clinical trial evidence. Grade spread: B 3 · C 19 · D 5 · F 1. 3 reach grade A or B.
The grade measures how strong the evidence is, not how good something is for you. Grade A means independent research groups replicated a reduction in real clinical events in humans; grade F means well-designed trials established there is no effect. See Methodology.
Claimed to help sleep — strongest evidence first
Within a grade, higher scores come first; verdicts without a score sit at the bottom. Follow a name to see its trials, evidence, and limits.
| B | 68 | Tart cherry (Montmorency, Prunus cerasus) | improving sleep quality/sleep duration and post-exercise muscle recovery |
| B | 64 | Saffron extract, including affron, sleep-efficacy axis | Improvement of sleep onset and sleep quality |
| B | 61 | Lemon verbena extract (Aloysia citrodora) | Improvement of sleep quality and stress |
| C | 56 | Heukharang lettuce extract (Lactuca sativa) | Improved sleep quality and sleep onset |
| C | 55 | Lactium (milk protein hydrolysate, alpha-s1-casein-derived) | sleep and stress relief |
| C | 54 | Raw onion juice, 10 mL daily | Improved insomnia and sleep duration in adults aged 60 years or older |
| C | 52 | GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid, oral) | Stress and sleep |
| C | 50 | Magnesium | sleep improvement and eye-twitching relief |
| C | 50 | Glycine | Sleep |
| C | 50 | Rice bran ethanolic extract | Improved sleep duration, sleep efficiency, and sleep onset |
| C | 50 | Glycine | Improved sleep quality and daytime alertness when taken before bed |
| C | 50 | Shoden® ashwagandha extract | Sleep quality, sleep onset, and nighttime awakenings |
| C | 50 | A complementary-feeding program starting at about 3 months while breastfeeding continued, with nonallergenic foods followed sequentially by milk, peanut, egg, sesame, white fish, and wheat | Longer nighttime sleep, fewer night wakings, and fewer parent-perceived infant sleep problems |
| C | 49 | L-theanine | sleep and tension relief |
| C | 49 | Ecklonia cava extract (phlorotannins) | sleep |
| C | 48 | Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA, Levagen+®) | Shorter sleep-onset latency and improved sleep quality and waking experience |
| C | 47 | L-tryptophan | Sleep and mood |
| C | 44 | Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) | sleep and anxiety |
| C | 44 | Magnesium L-threonate (Magtein, a supplemental magnesium salt marketed for brain bioavailability) | Improved deep sleep, rapid-eye-movement sleep, and daytime function in adults with nonclinical sleep dissatisfaction |
| C | 42 | L-serine | Improvement in sleep quality and nighttime awakenings |
| C | 40 | Hops (Humulus lupulus) | Sleep and anxiety |
| C | 40 | L-ornithine, sleep-efficacy axis | Improvement of sleep quality related to stress and fatigue |
| D | 31 | Fresh green kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa, an ordinary food containing serotonin and antioxidant compounds) | Improved sleep onset, sleep duration, and sleep efficiency when adults with sleep difficulty eat two fruits one hour before bedtime |
| D | 30 | Presleep alcohol targeting breath alcohol 0.08 mg/L as printed in the article, with an observed pre-bed mean of 0.066 | Faster sleep onset and better whole-night sleep quality |
| D | 27 | Bedtime collagen peptides (hydrolyzed protein supplement) | Reduced sleep fragmentation and nocturnal awakenings in exercising people with sleep complaints |
| D | 25 | Reishi mushroom extract (Ganoderma lucidum, a polysaccharide- and triterpene-containing functional mushroom supplement) | Improved sleep onset, nocturnal awakenings, and sleep quality from reishi monotherapy in adults with insomnia |
| D | 25 | Pistachio (Pistacia vera, a melatonin-containing tree nut) | Consumed before bed to shorten sleep onset and improve sleep efficiency and sleep quality |
| F | 10 | Hyland's Calms Forté (multi-ingredient homeopathic product) | Relief of stress-related insomnia and restlessness with restful sleep free of next-day drowsiness |
| ? | score not listed | Apigenin | Sleep quality and tension relief |
| ? | score not listed | Magnolia bark extract (honokiol and magnolol) | Improvement of anxiety, stress, and sleep |
| ? | score not listed | Jujube seed (Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa) | Improvement in insomnia and sleep quality |
| ? | score not listed | California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) | Improvement in sleep onset and sleep quality |
| ? | score not listed | Wild lettuce extract (Lactuca virosa) | Sedation, sleep onset, and restful sleep |
| ? | score not listed | Apigenin | Sleep, relaxation, and anxiety relief |
| ? | score not listed | Coffea cruda 30C homeopathic preparation | Relief of insomnia caused by racing thoughts |
| ? | score not listed | Taurine (an aminosulfonic-acid neuromodulator supplement) | Shorter sleep-onset latency and better sleep quality after taurine alone at bedtime |
| ? | score not listed | Whole crown daisy | Improved sleep quality and sleep onset |
Not swallowed — applied, inhaled, held in the mouth, worn, or performed on the body (5)
Same claims, but these are not taken by mouth: rubbed on the skin, breathed in, chewed or rinsed and spat out, worn on the body, or performed as a procedure such as acupuncture or cupping. A different route into the body, so they are listed separately.
| C | 41 | Lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia; consumer aromatherapy oil) | Improve sleep onset, sleep maintenance, and sleep quality through inhaled aromatherapy in adults with poor sleep |
| D | 31 | Electroacupuncture (acupuncture with electrical stimulation, a Korean medicine procedure) | Improved sleep onset, sleep maintenance, and insomnia severity in adults with chronic insomnia |
| D | 29 | Grounding or earthing sleep mat or sheet (conductive bedding; non-medical consumer product) | Improved insomnia severity, sleep duration, and daytime sleepiness through grounding during sleep |
| D | 24 | Acupressure or spike mat (multi-point pressure bedding, non-medical sleep product) | Improved sleep onset, deep sleep, and insomnia severity when used before bed |
| ? | score not listed | Transdermal magnesium chloride spray or oil (topical wellness product, not a medicine) | Improved sleep onset, deep sleep, and nighttime awakenings after application to the skin or feet before bed |
Claimed to harm sleep (2)
Here a higher grade means the harm is better established — the opposite direction from the table above. A low grade means the claim of harm rests on weak evidence.
| C | 50 | Alcohol consumed before sleep under hypobaric conditions resembling a long-haul aircraft cabin | Worsened nocturnal hypoxemia, increased heart rate, and impaired sleep architecture |
| D | 30 | Late dinner at 10 pm followed by sleep at 11 pm | Worsened sleep architecture over one night |
What does have evidence for sleep
Not foods or supplements: drugs and procedures graded A or B. Chamgap recommends nothing. It only shows where the evidence is strong. Any treatment decision belongs with your doctor.
| A | 88 | Melatonin | Prevention of jet lag and adaptation to destination time |
| B | 77 | Lemborexant (dual orexin receptor antagonist, Dayvigo, prescription) | Improved sleep onset and sleep maintenance in insomnia |
| B | 77 | Sodium oxybate (GABA-B-related central nervous system depressant, Xyrem, specially controlled oral prescription drug) | Reduced cataplexy attacks in patients with narcolepsy |
| B | 75 | Pramipexole (prescription D2/D3 dopamine agonist; Mirapex) | Improvement of nocturnal symptoms and sleep satisfaction in moderate-to-severe idiopathic restless legs syndrome |
| B | 74 | Pregabalin (alpha-2-delta gabapentinoid; prescription drug, Lyrica; off-label for restless legs syndrome in Korea) | Improvement of nocturnal symptoms, periodic limb movements, and sleep disturbance in moderate-to-severe restless legs syndrome |
| B | 72 | Zolpidem (prescription nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic) | Shorter sleep latency and increased total sleep time in short-term insomnia |
| B | 72 | Daridorexant (dual orexin receptor antagonist, prescription medicine) | Improved sleep onset, sleep maintenance, and daytime functioning in adult insomnia |
| B | 72 | Suvorexant (a prescription dual orexin receptor antagonist) | Improved sleep onset, sleep maintenance, and total sleep time in adults with insomnia |
| B | 72 | Tai chi (exercise intervention) | Improved sleep in older adults with chronic insomnia |
| B | 70 | Eszopiclone (Zopistar; prescription Z-drug) | Shorter sleep onset, improved sleep maintenance, and increased total sleep time in chronic insomnia |
| B | 70 | Rotigotine (non-ergot dopamine agonist; prescription transdermal patch, Neupro) | Reduction of nighttime symptoms, periodic limb movements, and sleep disturbance in moderate-to-severe primary restless legs syndrome |
| B | 64 | Ferrous sulfate (oral ferrous iron salt sold as an OTC medicine or supplement) | Relief of nighttime symptoms in restless legs syndrome with ferritin at or below 75 ng/mL |
How to read this list
A grade of C or D does not mean "do not take it." It means the evidence is not yet strong enough to promise the effect. Equally, A or B does not mean it works for everyone.
Chamgap sells nothing and takes no advertising. See all Sleep verdicts.