15 SUPPLEMENTS · UPDATED 2026-07-01
Supplements — 15 evidence-based picks reviewed
Prices from Amazon and brand-direct stores, with cost per night worked out so a cheap bottle that runs out in three weeks does not look like a bargain. Dose, form and third-party testing compared side by side. No sponsored ranking.
How to choose
Three steps to the right pick
1
Match it to how you sleep
Your position, budget and the problem you're fixing narrow the field fast.
Take the 60-sec quiz →2
Compare the shortlist
Weigh the picks head-to-head on the specs that matter — filter and sort the table.
Jump to comparison ↓3
Check the price, then buy
Prices move — we show the last-checked figure and send you to the retailer's live price.
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15 of 15 shown. Click any product for the full review + all retailer prices.
BrandProductScoreFormBest price
Doctor's Best
Doctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium Glycinate 200mg (240ct)
Editor's ChoiceTop rated
The highest-rated magnesium on Amazon for sleep — glycinate form is chelated for maximum absorption without laxative effects.
9/10
Magnesium bisglycinate chelate (TRAACS)
$23.99
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Thorne
Thorne Magnesium Bisglycinate Powder (60 servings)
The athlete-grade magnesium — NSF Certified for Sport, powder format, same chelate as our value pick at three times the price.
8.7/10
Magnesium bisglycinate powder
$52.00
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Thorne
Thorne Glycine (250 capsules, 1 g per serving)
Top rated
The catalog's third amino-acid relaxation option — the 'what else besides melatonin' answer, NSF Contents Certified.
8.5/10
Capsule (openable — mildly sweet powder)
$31.00
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NOW Foods
NOW Foods L-Theanine 200mg (120ct)
200mg L-theanineTop rated
The best-value pure L-theanine — 200mg per capsule, GMP-certified, and $15.79 for 120 servings.
8.4/10
Veg capsule
$15.79
-7% off · at amazon
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Life Extension
Life Extension Melatonin 6 Hour Timed Release 300 mcg (100ct)
Top rated
The microdose, stay-asleep melatonin — 300 mcg released over six hours for people whom 5 mg leaves groggy.
8.4/10
Vegetarian tablet
$9.00
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Nature Made
Nature Made Melatonin 5mg (240ct)
5mg melatoninTop rated
The USP-verified melatonin your GP would actually recommend — same dose as prescription-adjacent formulations at a third of the price.
8.2/10
Immediate-release tablet
$9.29
-23% off · at amazon
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Life Extension
Life Extension Neuro-Mag Magnesium L-Threonate
The brain-first magnesium — L-threonate is the form studied for crossing into the brain, aimed at racing-mind nights and cognitive support.
8.1/10
Capsule (3/serving)
$30.78
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Natrol
Natrol Melatonin 5mg Fast Dissolve
Melatonin 5 mgTop ratedBest value
The fast-dissolve standard — strawberry tablets that melt under the tongue, no water needed, from the #1 melatonin brand.
8/10
Fast-dissolve tablet
$8.49
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Nested Naturals
Nested Naturals LUNA Sleep Aid
The kitchen-sink botanical — melatonin, valerian, chamomile, L-theanine and magnesium in one capsule, with a melatonin-free version for purists.
7.9/10
Vegan capsule
$18.95
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Sports Research
Sports Research L-Theanine 200mg
Top rated
Calm without drowsiness — Suntheanine-grade L-theanine in coconut-oil softgels, the daytime-safe anxiety ally that also smooths sleep onset.
7.9/10
MCT-oil softgel
$17.95
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Olly
Olly Sleep Gummies (3mg melatonin + L-theanine, 50ct)
3mg per 2 gummiesTop rated
The most popular sleep gummy on Amazon — 3mg melatonin + L-theanine + botanicals in blackberry flavor. Effective if you don't mind sugar.
7.8/10
Gummy
Check price
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ZzzQuil
ZzzQuil PURE Zzzs Melatonin Gummies
Top rated
The drugstore favorite — low-dose melatonin plus botanicals in a gummy, from the brand your pharmacy already stocks.
7.8/10
Gummy
$11.97
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Best for...
6 category winners — different needs, different picks. All editorially scored against measured specs.
Best overall
Doctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium Glycinate 200mg (240ct)
Restless legs, muscle tension, anxiety-driven insomnia, athletes
From $23.99
Best budget
Natrol Melatonin 5mg Fast Dissolve
The cheapest sticker price in the lineup
From $8.49
Best melatonin-free
NOW Foods L-Theanine 200mg (120ct)
200mg L-theanine per capsule, GMP-certified, no melatonin
From $15.79
Lowest melatonin dose
ZzzQuil PURE Zzzs Melatonin Gummies
1-2mg melatonin — the low end of the category
From $11.97
Best verified purity
Nature Made Melatonin 5mg (240ct)
USP-verified and third-party tested, 240 tablets
From $9.29
Best all-in-one blend
Nested Naturals LUNA Sleep Aid
Melatonin plus seven botanicals in a single vegan capsule
From $18.95
🔥 Below list price
2 on saleBiggest savings vs list price
12 brands compared · updated weekly
Brands in this category
Doctor's Best
Thorne
NOW
Life Extension
Nature Made
Natrol
Nested Naturals
Sports Research
olly
ZzzQuil
Nature's Bounty
Vitafusion
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VS · HEAD-TO-HEAD
Doctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium Glycinate 200mg (240ct)vsNature Made Melatonin 5mg (240ct)
$23.99·$9.29
VS · HEAD-TO-HEAD
Doctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium Glycinate 200mg (240ct)vsOlly Sleep Gummies (3mg melatonin + L-theanine, 50ct)
$23.99·Check price
VS · HEAD-TO-HEAD
Doctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium Glycinate 200mg (240ct)vsNOW Foods L-Theanine 200mg (120ct)
$23.99·$15.79
VS · HEAD-TO-HEAD
Thorne Magnesium Bisglycinate Powder (60 servings)vsDoctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium Glycinate 200mg (240ct)
$52.00·$23.99
VS · HEAD-TO-HEAD
Thorne Magnesium Bisglycinate Powder (60 servings)vsNOW Magnesium Citrate 200mg
$52.00·$11.09
VS · HEAD-TO-HEAD
Thorne Magnesium Bisglycinate Powder (60 servings)vsLife Extension Neuro-Mag Magnesium L-Threonate
$52.00·$30.78
How to pick a sleep supplement in 2026
Five decisions collapse this whole category into a clear pick.
1. Start with magnesium, not melatonin
For garden-variety trouble winding down, magnesium glycinate (Doctor's Best) has the better evidence-to-side-effect ratio: it supports relaxation and muscle ease without morning grogginess. Glycinate specifically — oxide (in many cheap brands) absorbs poorly and works mostly as a laxative. 200-400 mg with dinner is the studied range.
2. Melatonin: less is more
The effective dose is 0.5-1 mg taken 1-2 hours before bed — the 10 mg gummies on every shelf are marketing, and higher doses cause more grogginess without working better. Melatonin shifts TIMING (jet lag, shift work, night-owl drift); it is not a knockout pill and tolerance to that use builds fast.
3. Capsule, gummy, or powder?
Capsules (Doctor's Best, NOW) give exact dosing with no sugar. Gummies (Olly) win on compliance — you'll actually take them — at the cost of 2-3 g sugar and looser dosing. Powders let you titrate but taste like it. Pick the form you'll take consistently at the same time nightly; consistency beats format.
4. Check the safety boxes
Magnesium interacts with some antibiotics and blood-pressure medication; melatonin with blood thinners and immunosuppressants. Pregnant, nursing, or on prescriptions → ask your pharmacist first, it's a free consult. Look for third-party testing (USP, NSF) — supplements are not FDA-approved products and the label is a promise, not a guarantee.
5. Judge value per night, not per bottle
Doctor's Best glycinate runs about $0.17/night over a 4-month bottle — the category's best ratio. Olly gummies cost 3-4x per night for the same actives plus sugar. A $20 bottle that lasts 120 nights is the cheapest legitimate sleep intervention on this site.
What do sleep supplements actually cost?
Between $0.09 and $0.87 a night across the products we track — a roughly tenfold spread that the price on the bottle hides completely. The cheapest legitimate option is magnesium glycinate at about $0.17/night; melatonin is cheaper still per dose but is a timing tool rather than a nightly sedative. Gummies and premium powders sit at the top of the range.
| Supplement | Price | Nights | Per night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature Made Melatonin 5mg240 tablets, 1/night | $11.99 | 240 | $0.05 |
| Life Extension Melatonin 300mcg100 tablets, 1/night | $9.00 | 100 | $0.09 |
| NOW L-Theanine 200mg120 capsules, 1/night | $16.99 | 120 | $0.14 |
| Doctor's Best Magnesium Glycinate240 tablets, 2/serving | $19.99 | 120 | $0.17 |
| Nature's Bounty Ashwagandha 470mg60 capsules, 1/night | $11.99 | 60 | $0.20 |
| Thorne Glycine250 capsules, 2/serving | $31.00 | 125 | $0.25 |
| Sports Research L-Theanine 200mg60 softgels, 1/night | $17.95 | 60 | $0.30 |
| Nested Naturals LUNA60 capsules, 1/night | $18.95 | 60 | $0.32 |
| Olly Sleep Gummies50 gummies, 2/serving | $14.99 | 25 | $0.60 |
| Thorne Magnesium Bisglycinate60 scoops, 1/night | $52.00 | 60 | $0.87 |
| Life Extension Neuro-Mag90 capsules, 3/serving | $30.38 | 30 | $1.01 |
Cost per night = pack price ÷ servings per pack, using the dose on each product's own label. Prices are the ones we verified manually, shown with an “as of” date on each product page — they are not live. Four tracked supplements are missing from this table because their listings give a pack-size range rather than a fixed count, and a per-night figure would be invented rather than calculated.
One caveat worth more than the price difference: supplements are not FDA-approved products, magnesium interacts with some antibiotics and blood-pressure medication, and melatonin interacts with blood thinners and immunosuppressants. If you are pregnant, nursing, or taking prescriptions, the pharmacist consult is free and worth more than saving $0.20 a night.
Still stuck? Take our 60-second sleep quiz. It asks 8 questions and recommends the right gear for your sleep style. Free, no signup.
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