Dietary and Herbal Supplements for Sleep

Abstract

Dietary supplements, including vitamins, minerals, and herbal medicines, are used for many common conditions, including insomnia. An example is valerian, one of the top-selling botanicals in the United States. Other dietary supplements used for sleep are the hormone melatonin, the mineral magnesium, and the herbal medicines chamomile, hops, kava kava, lavender, lemon balm, and passionflower. There are both mechanistic studies and clinical trials of varying methodological quality exploring the efficacy of these products in affecting sleep quantity and quality. An additional factor with the use of any dietary supplement is assuring safety, by understanding both possible adverse effects and any supplement-pharmaceutical interactions.