When it comes to our health, sleep is an important element. It's when our bodies do most of their recovery and renewal, and broken or interrupted sleep can lead to changes in mood and impact our ability to concentrate.

If you are struggling to get to sleep or find yourself waking often in the night, taking a herbal or nutritional supplement could be helpful, as certain botanicals and minerals have been found to help sleep. You can find more information below on which ingredients could help reduce anxiety, ease tension or help your body achieve restful sleep by aligning with its natural circadian rhythm.

Read on for our guide to the best sleep supplements, tried, tested and reviewed by a nutritionist and our expert team.

Looking for more ways to get a good nights sleep? Read our guide to the best magnesium supplements for sleep.

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Best sleep supplements at a glance

  • Best capsule sleep supplement: Nutravita Natural Night Complex, £12
  • Best tablet sleep supplement: Healthspan Night Time 5-HTP, £18.39
  • Best sleep supplement for travel: Together Health Night Time, £11.89
  • Best everyday sleep supplement: Vitl Sleep Sweet, £9.99
  • Best powder sleep supplement: Ancient + Brave True Nightcap, £25.60
  • Best sleep supplement for your evening routine: BioCare Sleep NutriPowder, £31.29
  • Best gummy sleep supplement: Nutrigums Night Time Complex, £14.99

Best sleep supplement to buy 2025

Nutravita Natural Night Complex

Nutravita Natural Night Complex

Best capsule sleep supplement

Star rating: 5/5

If you're looking for an affordable sleep supplement in capsule form, this could be a good option. This was one of the easiest supplements in this list to take as the daily amount is just one flavourless capsule, plus the price works out to 16p per day, the most affordable that we tested.

Each capsule contains a mix of botanicals and nutrients including vitamin D3, magnesium, chamomile, vitamin B12, L-tryptophan and lemon balm.

Available from:
Amazon (£12)
Superdrug (£17.99)

Healthspan Night Time 5-HTP

Best sleep supplements

Best tablet sleep supplement

Star rating: 4.5/5

This sleep supplement contains 100 per cent NRV of 5-HTP — an amino acid that is converted into melatonin and serotonin, brain chemicals which can both in turn influence mood and sleep. Other ingredients include many sources of B vitamins — B3, B6 and B12 — which help to contribute to a calmer body and mind.

The recommended dose is one tablet a day, taken one hour before bed. At 34p per day this is on the more affordable end of the products in this list.

Available from:
Pharmacy2U (£18.39)
Healthspan (£22.99)

Together Health Night Time

best sleep supplements

Best sleep supplement for travel

Star rating: 4/5

These capsules contain a blend of magnesium and herbs. We were impressed by the five forms of highly bioavailable natural marine magnesium in them, alongside the 100 per cent NRV of 5-HTP (that is converted to melatonin and serotonin) as well as natural hops.

These capsules come in a travel-friendly, compostable pouch that contains a month supply. It is recommended you take two capsules 30 minutes before bed, which raises the daily cost to 46p.

Available from:
Superdry (£11.89)
bodykind (£13.99)
Amazon (£17.33)

Vitl Sleep Sweet

best sleep supplement

Best everyday sleep supplement

Star rating: 4/5

Vitl's Sweet Sleep supplement has a rounded list of ingredients including vitamin B6 and zinc at the optimum servings, L-theanine, lemon balm and cherry extract. Magnesium is also included to help support normal cognitive function, the onset of sleep and healthy melatonin levels. You can sign up to buy this on a subscription basis to save some money so you never run out.

Available from:
Holland & Barrett (£9.99)
Waitrose & Partners (£10)
Vitl (£11.99)

Ancient + Brave True Nightcap

best sleep supplement

Best powder sleep supplement

Star rating: 3.5/5

This sleep supplement from Ancient + Brave comes in the form of a powder rather than a tablet or capsule. The lemon and ginger flavour we tried is strong and punchy, with a heaped teaspoon added to cold or warm water. We found that even with thorough stirring it didn't mix entirely so we'd recommend using a hand held milk frother to thoroughly mix.

Available from:
Ancient + Brave (£25.60)
Boots (£32)
Amazon (£32)

BioCare Sleep NutriPowder

BioCare Sleep NutriPowder

Best sleep supplement for your evening routine

Star rating: 3.5/5

This is another sleep supplement in the form of a powder, which we found useful in terms of incorporating it into our evening routine as we could combine it with water or our evening tea. Ingredients include lemon balm, L-theanine, cherry powder and hops powder, as well as magnesium. It's one of the most expensive sleep supplements we've tested at £1 per daily dose.

Available from:
Amazon (£31.29)
BioCare (£31.30)
Healf (£31.39)

Nutrigums Night Time Complex

best sleep supplement

Best gummy sleep supplement

Star rating: 3.5/5

If you're looking for a sleep supplement to take as a gummy, this one from Nutrigums could be a good option. Although, it's worth noting that this format means the supplement is higher in sweeteners than many others on this list. The ingredients include 5-HTP at 60 per cent of the daily NRV, plus herbal extracts lemon balm, lavender and chamomile.

Available from:
Nutrigums (£14.99)
Amazon (£14.99)

What are the best botanicals or minerals for sleep?

When it comes to sleep supplements, there are a few ingredients we look out for which include:

  • Magnesium: an essential mineral which is involved in stress reduction and muscle relaxation, magnesium glycinate has been shown to be the most useful for insomnia.
  • Vitamin D: a deficiency in this vitamin has been associated with sleep difficulties.
  • Vitamin C: some research suggests that low levels of vitamin C can be associated with short sleep, look out for Montmorency or acerola cherries listed as ingredients as there's also evidence cherries can benefit sleep.
  • L-Theanine: this is an amino acid that occurs in the leaves of tea plants, with some research suggesting it aids relaxation.
  • Tryptophan: this is also an amino acid which converts into L-Theanine and serotonin in the body which can help with sleep quality.
  • 5-HTP: this is a compound which is made in the body from tryptophan, which in turn is used to make serotonin, a neurotransmitter known to help sleep.
  • Valerian: this is a herbal sleep remedy made from the roots and stems of a plant of the same name.
  • Hops: another natural sedative, hops can help calm nerves and help you fall asleep, the effects of which are enhanced when combined with valerian.
  • Passion flower: this is a flowering vine believed to help with insomnia.
  • Lemon balm: another natural remedy, lemon balm has mild sedative properties that can help calm the mind and body.

How to take a sleep supplement

In order to make your sleep supplement most effective, they should be taken 30-60 minutes before you go to bed. Routine and consistency are important when taking any supplement, but particularly when trying to establish good sleep patterns, so if you can, try to take them at the same time each night.

Individual supplements have different advice on how to take them, but broadly we'd recommend eating a light snack alongside your sleep supplement. Particular food can help aid some ingredients in sleep supplements, for example sources of healthy fat like avocado or nuts can help vitamin D and valerian root be better absorbed as they are fat-soluble.

It's important not to combine herbal sleep supplements with melatonin. If you have any questions or concerns about taking any supplements, or are having persistent trouble sleeping, consult your GP.

How we test sleep supplements

Our sleep supplements were assessed by registered nutritionist Jo Williams for ingredients. They were also assessed for the benefits and disadvantages of recommended doses and delivery formats.

When scoring the supplements, the criteria we tested for included taste, nutrient profile, additives, dietary requirements, value for money and sustainability.

Each supplement was also tested by our team of testers for taste, smell, packaging and ease of use.

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Authors

Imogen Hope
Jo Williams

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