One of the great ironies of my life is that when I'm anxious, I have a hard time falling asleep, and when I can't fall asleep, my anxiety usually turns into panic attacks. You probably know the feeling too: your brain is running through what-ifs and jumping to the worst conclusions. Then your heart starts to beat faster. You can't feel comfortable. Before you know it, you've been tossing and turning for hours, unable to turn off your brain or close your eyes. The more tired you are, the worse this feeling becomes. If you've ever experienced something similar to this scenario, you've probably tried almost anything to solve the problem. Enter: Sleep supplements and Olly Nutrition's Restful Sleep gummies.
If Olly sounds familiar, it's probably because you remember the brand from its cute little cube containers or from the vitamin aisle at your local Target. It seems like there's a new supplement or vitamin brand popping up every day, Olly has been around since 2014 and is at the forefront of the health and wellness craze that's still going strong. Olly offers traditional supplements, such as multivitamins specifically formulated for men and women, but also offers trendier supplements. The brand is now launching individual gummies designed to make skin glow, reduce stress, reduce blemishes and, of course, help you get a good night's sleep.
As someone who occasionally suffers from insomnia, I thought I'd give Restful Sleep gummies a try for 30 days. Even though it's technically safe to take gummies every day, I myself don't want to take gummies on a regular basis (mainly because I don't need to take them every night). I decided that when I was having trouble sleeping at night, I would take the recommended dose and see if that worked.
claim
According to Olly's website, Sleep Sleep gummies "deliver a unique blend of active ingredients that work together to calm your mind and promote restful sleep, so you wake up feeling refreshed." These gummies are made with melatonin, Made with L-theanine and a blend of chamomile, passionflower, and lemon balm, it's designed to promote sleep and help you stay asleep.
In addition to these statements, the Olly website also clearly states that the FDA has not evaluated these statements. While the FDA does regulate dietary supplements like melatonin, over-the-counter supplements like Olly's Restful Sleep gummies are "less stringently regulated," according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Comparatively, Olly's Restful Sleep supplement has low levels of melatonin - even when consumed regularly.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, between two-tenths of a milligram and five milligrams of melatonin is the recommended dose for adults. Olly gummies contain 3 mg in a two gummy dose. Additionally, melatonin is actually a very small ingredient compared to the levels of L-theanine (200 mg) and fruit and plant extracts (51 mg) found in the supplement. L-theanine is an amino acid derived from tea that is often used to treat anxiety and restlessness by calming the brain without causing drowsiness. The benefits of these two ingredients combined with traditional calming botanicals like chamomile, make it easy to see why Sleep Sleep gummies work like a charm.
Since I don't suffer from severe sleep problems, I wanted to make sure that taking the gummies wouldn't disrupt my sleep habits long-term, so I consulted with Ingrid Prueher, a certified pediatric and adult sleep consultant. Pruecher explained to me that poor sleep quality is not only very common, but can be caused by just about anything—diet, stress, smoking, etc. While Pruecher's goal in her program is always to get to the root of the problem, she also told me that it's perfectly fine to take over-the-counter gummies or supplements for people who need a break every once in a while.
“People want something tangible,” Plucher said. While it's always better to get to the root of the problem, she does note that gummies and supplements can help and recommends that they are safe to use — even if just for the placebo effect.
With the expert seal of approval, I felt better about starting to experiment with gummies.
this experiment
Over the course of 30 days, I tried the gummies 3 times, each time for different reasons. I wanted to see how my body reacted to them in different situations, which turned out to be particularly interesting.
The first time I used gummies was before traveling overseas. I was a little anxious about the trip itself and knew I needed a good night's sleep to cope with the 20+ hours of travel. I took these gummies about an hour before bed (for no particular reason other than when I was brushing my teeth and doing other nighttime rituals) and was pleasantly surprised by the taste (they were sweet and blackberry-flavored). When I finally closed my eyes, I can't say I fell asleep any faster than usual. But I'm also very aware that I've taken the gummies - so I'm definitely trying to think about how quickly I fall asleep compared to normal. In retrospect, that probably didn't help. However, when I finally fell asleep about 30 minutes later, I fell asleep. I don't wake up when my dog walks past me trying to find a more comfortable spot on the bed, or when my boyfriend wakes up early to pack. I went out and woke up feeling very rested. I'm not sure I felt better rested than any other after a decent night's rest, but I definitely felt refreshed.
The second time I used fondant, things went... a little off the rails. I was dealing with severe jet lag and the resulting lack of sleep in Europe. One night, after being unable to sleep for over two hours, I decided to eat two gummies. After that, the longer I took to fall asleep, the more restless I became and the more I started to panic. Another two hours passed and I still wasn't sleeping, and while I was feeling a little sleepy (whether from the gummies or lack of sleep, I don't know), I was also starting to panic. Soon I was crying and hyperventilating—the whole thing. If you've had a night or two without sleep, this probably won't surprise you. Exhaustion can make you feel like you've almost lost control of everything. Finally, at 4:30 a.m., I slept for a few hours.
After that experience, I was a little hesitant to try fudge again—especially since I was exhausted. But I wanted to make sure I tried the gummies without feeling anxious. So one day I woke up early, worked out, and had nowhere to go the next morning, I tried gummies for the third time. But this time, they seemed to work their magic. I fell asleep quickly and stayed asleep. I woke up feeling great.
judgment
I interviewed Pruch and another sleep expert, and they explained some things to me that I hadn't considered before. Even before taking an over-the-counter sleep supplement, it's important to consider how and when to take it and assess your sleep needs.
"Timing is everything," psychiatrist and sleep expert Dr. Alex Dimitriu told me in an email, and many of these "take time to take effect. If the goal is to help fall asleep, many substances, including... Melanin needs to be taken 90 minutes before scheduled bedtime.”
I think a little more consideration of time before taking the gummies and going to bed would have made a big difference in my experience. The first two times I took the gummies, I was so eager for the product to start working that I think I ended up making myself more anxious instead of relaxed.
These gummies seem like a great tool if you occasionally have trouble falling asleep, but I wouldn't rely entirely on them - especially if you face a lot of anxiety when falling asleep or suffer from chronic insomnia. As Pruch told me, "Creating better sleep is like putting the pieces of a puzzle together." Finding sleep solutions can often be complicated, but that doesn't mean if something like an over-the-counter gummy doesn't work for you. You can't find a solution.
