Say Goodnight to Insomnia With the Best WIRED-Tested Over-the-Counter Sleep Aids

"AGZ Nightly Sleep Support (30-Pack) for $89: I tested the chocolate and mint flavors, which come with a frother, and you can blend the powder with water or milk, either warm or cold (although I think it tastes the best with milk like a frothy hot cocoa). The drink doesn't taste overly sweet and has a nice, rich chocolate taste. The mix is melatonin-free, instead with adaptogens, herbs, and minerals, including magnesium, vitamin B6, L-theanine, ashwagandha, and calming herbs."

"It's a striking icy cool blue when combined with water (one scoop per four ounces of water), and has a hard-to-pinpoint lemon elderflower flavor. It has magnesium, L-theanine, glycine (amino acid), and inositol (B vitamin that helps with regulating body function). It's a bit hard to stir completely in, and it can have a bit of a grainy mouthfeel, but overall I liked this powder, but I found I generally had to double the doses to feel a sleepy effect."

"Rebalance Dream Sleep Mints (Melatonin-Free; 31-Pack) for $46: These melatonin-free mints are designed to slowly dissolve, with natural sleep inducing ingredients like L-theanine, L-tryptophan, GABA, and slow release Reishi mushroom. You can take up to three lozenges every night, and it took me three to feel any sort of calming effects. I like the idea of a slow melting mint alternative, but next time I might try the version with melatonin to see how it stacks up against the melatonin-free version I tested."

AGZ Nightly Sleep Support offers chocolate and mint powder flavors with a frother; blends with water or milk and contains magnesium, vitamin B6, L-theanine, ashwagandha, and calming herbs. The beverage tastes rich and not overly sweet and produces a general pre-bed calm but does not reliably cause full sleepiness. Everyday Alchemist Deep Sleep Solution is a melatonin-free blue powder with magnesium, L-theanine, glycine, and inositol; it can be grainy and may require higher doses for noticeable drowsiness. Rebalance Dream Sleep Mints are slow-dissolving lozenges with L-theanine, L-tryptophan, GABA, and reishi that often require multiple lozenges for calming effects; a melatonin version may prove stronger.

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