Best Supplements to Stay Asleep Through the Night

Melatonin is the hormone your brain produces when darkness falls, signaling the body to shift into sleep mode ¹¹. Supplemental melatonin reinforces that signal, helping synchronize your circadian clock. It also has mild effects on core body temperature regulation, which can improve the quality of sleep's second half when temperature control tends to weaken ⁵.

Melatonin has the deepest evidence base of any sleep supplement. A foundational 2013 meta-analysis of 19 RCTs found it reliably shortened sleep onset and modestly increased total sleep time ¹¹. For sleep efficiency specifically, 17 trials totaling over 1,500 participants show a consistent improvement ¹²¹³¹⁶. Where melatonin is less convincing is night awakenings: pooled data from 8 trials shows mixed results, with some populations benefiting and others seeing no change ⁴⁶. Controlled-release formulations may work better for maintenance than immediate-release ⁵¹³.

People who have trouble both falling asleep and staying asleep, since melatonin addresses both (though falling asleep is its stronger suit). Especially helpful for shift workers, jet lag, and anyone whose circadian rhythm is off.

Valerian contains valerenic acid, which binds to GABA-A receptors in the brain, the same receptors that benzodiazepines target ²³. The binding is much weaker than a drug, producing mild sedation and muscle relaxation rather than the heavy sedation of prescription sleep aids. It also contains antioxidant compounds that may reduce oxidative stress contributing to sleep disruption.

Valerian has a split personality in the research. A large 434-person RCT found only modest improvements in night awakenings and global self-assessment, with the primary sleep quality endpoint missing statistical significance ²⁴. But a rigorous 2024 study using polysomnography and wrist actigraphy told a different story: 200 mg daily for 8 weeks significantly improved sleep efficiency, total sleep time, and sleep onset compared to placebo ²³. Seven pooled trials give it very high confidence for improving how sleep feels overall. For specifically staying asleep, the evidence is thinner, resting on fewer studies.

Light sleepers who want to improve their subjective experience of sleep without strong side effects. Valerian is one of the gentlest options here, which makes it a good first-line choice for people nervous about supplements.

Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors, the same receptors that accumulate the "sleep pressure" signal throughout the day. By occupying these receptors, caffeine prevents the brain from recognizing its own tiredness. This doesn't just delay sleep onset; it reduces sleep depth and increases the number of brief awakenings throughout the night, even if you don't fully wake up.

Six trials totaling nearly 400 participants consistently show that caffeine worsens both sleep efficiency and sleep maintenance. It is one of the few supplements with a likely-harmful verdict for total sleep time, reducing it by a meaningful margin across studies. If you are trying to stay asleep through the night, eliminating late-day caffeine is probably more effective than adding any supplement on this list.

Nobody. Caffeine is included here because reducing it is the single highest-impact change most people can make for sleep maintenance. Think of it as a freebie that costs zero dollars.

Magnesium supports GABA receptor function, the brain's main inhibitory pathway that quiets neural activity before sleep ³⁰. It also regulates melatonin production and helps relax muscles. Around half of adults don't get enough magnesium from food, which may explain why correcting a deficiency sometimes improves sleep even though the supplement itself isn't a strong sleep aid.

This is one of the biggest gaps between reputation and evidence. Magnesium is probably the second most-purchased sleep supplement after melatonin, but for staying asleep specifically, the trial data is weak. A 2021 systematic review of magnesium for insomnia in older adults found limited and inconsistent results ³⁰. Two trials measured sleep maintenance endpoints for magnesium, and neither produced a clear effect. Where magnesium may genuinely help is for people who are deficient (common in older adults and those on certain medications), where restoration alone could improve sleep.

People with suspected or confirmed magnesium deficiency (check with a blood test). Also useful for those with restless legs or muscle cramps at night, which disrupt sleep for mechanical rather than neurochemical reasons.

Cordyceps contains cordycepin, an adenosine analogue that may promote sleep by activating the same adenosine receptors that caffeine blocks. It also has anti-inflammatory effects that could reduce the low-grade inflammation associated with poor sleep quality.

The entire evidence base for cordyceps and sleep maintenance comes from a single RCT testing Cordyceps sinensis fermentation broth in adults with primary insomnia. We have one endpoint for sleep efficiency with no replication. This is pure early-stage exploration: the signal exists, but there is no way to know if it will hold up in larger, independent trials.

Not recommended as a primary sleep supplement at this stage. Of interest if you already take cordyceps for respiratory or athletic performance and are curious about a possible sleep side benefit.