Thorne Research Sleep + Blueberry Flavored Review

This product combines three ingredients studied for sleep. Melatonin is at 1 mg, above the lowest amount that worked in studies. A review of 22 trials in adults with insomnia found slow-release melatonin helped people fall asleep about 5 to 6 minutes faster and slightly raised sleep efficiency ^[1]. In adults 55 and older it shortened time to fall asleep, and the benefit lasted over six months ^[2]. One review found clear benefit in children but no significant benefit in adults ^[3]. L-theanine is at 200 mg, the amount that worked in studies. A pooled analysis of 19 trials found it modestly improved self-reported time to fall asleep, daytime tiredness and sleep quality ^[4]. In 30 healthy adults, 200 mg daily for four weeks reduced time to fall asleep and sleep disturbance ^[5]. However, an evening blend with 200 mg did not improve sleep in 103 adults ^[6]. Chamomile is at 100 mg per serving and reaches the studied amount only at the four servings a day members are told to take. Reviews found it improved how people rated their sleep, but not how long they slept ^[7]. Results on insomnia severity were mixed ^[8]. Animal and cell studies are never counted.

The panel is split on melatonin, the main ingredient: four of the ten use it or recommend it, mostly for jet lag, travel or schedule disruption and for falling asleep, while several others warn about it or stay neutral. The people who take it favor low doses, from about 0.3 to 1 milligram, though a few use 3 milligrams, and one takes a high dose for the first nights of long trips. Some suggest taking it about 3 hours before bed, and Peter Attia style advice to fix sleep habits first and keep to the lowest dose comes up as well. Cautions are common: several say it is a blunt timing signal that can cause grogginess, dependence or less natural sleep, that long-term use is a concern, especially for kids, and that over-the-counter doses are often too high. A few said it does not fix waking in the night, and one flagged light sensitivity at high doses. Chamomile is a smaller ingredient in this product, and only one panelist mentioned it, recommending the tea for kidney and gallstones.