In this article about the best sleep aids for adults with anxiety that you can get over the counter, I’ll share some natural options (with 1 non natural option) as well as some specific supplements for anxiety you can consider.
I want you to know that living with anxiety, fear, depression and anxiousness isn’t your birthright. And it may not even be your burden. If you look into Recall Healing, it could be a way of honoring your mother and father on a subconscious level.
That fear and anxiety you have…
It may not even be yours.
It may be something you’re holding onto as a way of honoring your mom and dad.
Join me on a thought experiment….
Let’s say you’re a child living in a hot dry village in Africa and your mom’s job is to get water for the family. Your dad is off hunting for food. Your mom takes you to the place to get water that’s a five mile walk away.
You get the water and now you’re walking back with mom but she’s struggling. She’s breathing hard and doesn’t look like she’s going to be able to carry all that water back home before it gets dark.
What do you do?
As a way of honoring her and giving back to your family, you could carry her burdens for her by carrying some or all of the water for her right?
Remember, it’s your mom’s burden. She’s the one who needs to get the water, but you’re just the kid. But you decide to carry her burden for her with the goal of getting the water and your mom back home safe and on time.
The #1 goal —-> get water back home & make sure your mom is safe.
Many times we carry the burdens of our ancestors (those that came before us) without even knowing it. But we can honor them in many different ways, we don’t need to recreate their burden so we can carry it.
If the goal and therefore burden was to get water back home, we could do that in a number of ways.
We could ask somebody to help us get the water back home. But…. we as a child don’t have to carry it.
We could call a taxi and drive us back to the village so we don’t have to carry it.
We could ask a friend to drive us back home so we don’t have to carry it.
We could give our mom a massage to make her sore muscles feel better so she could carry it.
See the point is we don’t have to actually carry the water in order for us to honor them and get rid of the burden (the water back home).
What if we were able to come up with a way to dig a well, or capture rain water or figure out a dehumidification system to procure water from the air? These would also be ways to honor your mom’s burden that doesn’t involve carrying that water.
So many times in our lives, we subconsciously create situations where we create a life of stress and anxiety in order to ease the suffering and burdens of those that came before us.
Maybe that stress, fear, anxiety and insomnia are not even yours?
Is there way to give it back to the person it came from and figure out another way of honoring those that came before us (whether they’re alive still or not) so that we no longer have to carry that burden of anxiety?
This is the work of Recall Healing.
10 Best Over The Counter Sleep Aids
As a preface I ALWAYS recommend starting with natural sleep aids that you can get over the counter first. You always want to be working with natural molecules that are found in nature. The reason is synthetic drugs have fillers in them that can be toxic and they’re devoid of buffering alkaloids naturally found in the plants they’re derived from. This (along with ultra concentrations) are primarily what cause “contraindications” with other pharmaceutical compounds or even molecules found in nature.
Remember, nature is your best ally. This is true whether or not you’re talking about foods, supplements and the environment you live in.
When we sperate ourselves from nature by living indoors, looking at blue lit screens all day and not getting fresh air, clean water and sunshine while grounding, we’re cut off from the natural frequencies that heal us.
If you have mental issues, anxiety, fear, depression or anxiousness these are all stressors that arise from being disconnected from nature. The further you get from nature, the more of these health issues you’re going to have.
As somebody who has been intently studying natural health, reading PubMed articles, books and listening to podcasts since 2002, I can say that returning to a more natural life is the primary catalyst that will restore homeostasis to your sleep cycles and ultimately your health.
How does one return to nature? There are many things you can do but here are some to start with…
- Watch the sunrise every morning without sunglasses on while grounded to the earth
- Spend more time outdoors
- Block blue light by wearing yellow glasses (day), orange (after sunset) and red (2 hours before bed)
- Drink filtered water
- Practice gratitude and abundance
- Do work you love
- Spend more time doing hobbies that excite you
- Install circadian lighting in your home
- Block blue light from your computer and cell phone
Melatonin
Melatonin is absolutely incredible as a circadian rhythm regulator (it’s not a sleeping pill) and antioxidant extraordinaire. I personally take 50mg per night and plan on increasing my dosage quickly in due time. If you’ve taken it and it hasn’t quite worked the way you wanted, I wrote an article titled “why doesn’t melatonin work on me” that you should definitely read.
- Dosing: 0.5 mg to 5 mg or as high as 1,000mg.
- When to Take: 30–60 minutes before bedtime
- How Long to Take: Safe for short-term use; long-term safety unclear
- Side Effects: Dizziness, daytime drowsiness, headaches
- Contraindications: Not recommended for people with autoimmune disorders, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and those taking blood thinners.
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl, Unisom Sleep Gels)
Diphenhydramine is an antihistamine with sedative properties derived from synthetic chemicals, often used as a sleep aid for short-term treatment of insomnia. It can help with sleep onset (falling asleep) but may cause next-day drowsiness and I don’t recommend it for long term use or at all for that matter. I had to add this non natural option in case you as a reader are looking for the best sleep aid for adults with anxiety over the counter derived from pharmaceutical drugs.
- Dosing: 25 mg to 50 mg
- When to Take: 30 minutes before bedtime
- How Long to Take: Short-term use, no more than 7–10 days consecutively
- Side Effects: Dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision, dizziness, drowsiness
- Contraindications: Avoid in elderly due to increased risk of falls and confusion; not recommended for people with glaucoma or prostate enlargement.
Valerian Root
Valerian root is a herbal supplement that may improve sleep quality by promoting relaxation and reducing the time it’ll take you to actually fall asleep. It has been used traditionally to treat insomnia, but what’s interesting is that its effects seem to be more pronounced with regular use over time. Valerian for the sleep win!
- Dosing: 300 mg to 600 mg of valerian extract
- When to Take: 30 minutes to 2 hours before bedtime
- How Long to Take: Safe for short-term use (up to 6 weeks)
- Side Effects: Headaches, dizziness, upset stomach, vivid dreams
- Contraindications: Avoid in people with liver disease, pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Magnesium
Magnesium helps tremendously with sleep if you take it right. What I love about it, is that it runs 3,751 of your 9,000 enzymes. I like to take it in a bath and in a spray trans dermally as well as adding some to my water and in supplement form.
- Dosing: 200 mg to 400 mg
- When to Take: 30 minutes to 1 hour before bedtime
- How Long to Take: Can be used long-term with medical guidance
- Side Effects: Diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea
- Contraindications: Avoid in people with kidney disease or heart block.
L-Theanine
Theanine or also called L-theanine is an amino acid that’s found in green tea and other herbs that helps with relaxation without sedating you. You don’t want that. There have been some studies suggesting it can increase alpha brain waves at night which can help with anxiety. If that’s you this amino acid can help with stress induced anxiety and sleep problems.
- Dosing: 100 mg to 200 mg
- When to Take: 30–60 minutes before bedtime
- How Long to Take: Safe for long-term use
- Side Effects: Low blood pressure, headaches
- Contraindications: Avoid in people taking blood pressure medications or stimulants.
5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan)
5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin. Serotonin gets converted to melatonin in your gut so this can help regulate sleep cycles and your circadian rhythm. It can also help with regulating mood disorder and insomnia but I haven’t read any research on it for anxiety yet.
- Dosing: 100 mg to 300 mg
- When to Take: 30 minutes before bedtime
- How Long to Take: Can be used for several weeks, but long-term safety is unknown
- Side Effects: Nausea, diarrhea, drowsiness
- Contraindications: Avoid if taking antidepressants, especially SSRIs, as it can increase serotonin levels dangerously.
Phosphatidylserine
Phosphatidylserine can help lower your cortisol levels, the stress hormone that can interfere with your sleep. Cortisol should normally rise naturally around 5am or 6am but if your circadian rhythm is off because you don’t get natural light during the day and you don’t block blue light, it can rise too early and wake you up. But it does help in achieving more restful and deep sleep.
- Dosing: 100 mg to 300 mg
- When to Take: In the evening before bedtime
- How Long to Take: Safe for long-term use, but consult a healthcare professional for extended use
- Side Effects: Stomach upset, insomnia (at high doses)
- Contraindications: Avoid in people on blood thinners or those with soy allergies (if derived from soy)
3 Natural Sleep Aids For Anxiety
I always recommend trying natural substances like herbs, essential oils, Chinese medicine, homeopathy, minerals, vitamins, supplements and other nutraceuticals (like IV vitamin C for example) that can be used to get to the root cause of mental disorders like anxiety.
What I want you to know is that just because a medical doctor doesn’t know about a substance, doesn’t meant it doesn’t exist or it isn’t effective. Not only are medical doctors indoctrinated by the medical industrial complex via pharmaceutical sales people, but they’re also paid to NOT know this information.
Really stop and think about that for a minute.
Your sleep doctor might be a nice man or woman but they must adhere to the standard of care (I call it the standard of scare) which kills hundreds of thousands of people per year when doing exactly what the doctor says.
So “curing” you of your insomnia isn’t in their best interest, keeping you on drugs is.
With that said, here are 3 of the best sleep aid for adults with anxiety over the counter.
CBD Oil (from Hemp)
I’m a huge huge fan of CBD oil. I first heard about it by watching a documentary called Run From The Cure (look that up on Rumble to get your mind blown) in relation to many types of cancer. It turns out we have cannabinoid receptors on every cell in our body for this molecule. It helps with anxiety and can improve sleep significantly by attaching to the receptors in your endocannabinoid system. It has calming effects and can help reduce sleep disturbances and insomnia, especially in individuals with anxiety-related sleep issues.
- Dosing: 25 mg to 50 mg
- When to Take: 30–60 minutes before bedtime
- How Long to Take: Can be used long-term with proper dosing adjustments
- Side Effects: Drowsiness, dry mouth, diarrhea, reduced appetite
- Contraindications: Avoid in people taking blood thinners or sedatives; not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid)
GABA is a neurotransmitter that promotes relaxation and reduces neuronal activity, helping to lower your anxiety and anxiety response to improve sleep. Supplementing with GABA can really calm your mind at night, making it easier to fall asleep and better yet stay asleep.
- Dosing: 100 mg to 500 mg
- When to Take: 30 minutes before bedtime
- How Long to Take: Safe for short-term use, more research needed for long-term safety
- Side Effects: Mild dizziness, drowsiness
- Contraindications: Avoid in people taking other medications that affect neurotransmitter function, such as benzodiazepines.
Chamomile (Herbal Tea or Extract)
Chamomile is an herb that has been known throughout ancient cultures for its ability to calm your senses and have a sedating effect that’s more natural feeling rather than taking Ambien for example which always made me feel like a truck hit me in the morning. It has been used for anxiety and for improving your quality of sleep.
- Dosing: 400 mg to 1600 mg daily as an extract, or 1–2 cups of chamomile tea
- When to Take: 30–45 minutes before bedtime
- How Long to Take: Safe for long-term use
- Side Effects: Allergic reactions (especially in those allergic to ragweed), drowsiness
- Contraindications: Avoid in people allergic to plants in the daisy family; may interact with blood thinners like warfarin.
Conclusion
I hope this article about the best sleep aid for adults with anxiety over the counter has helped you realize a few things about not only your anxiety and its relation to your insomnia but also how the medical industry works. My goal here is to empower you with resources to help you restore your sleep.
Remember nobody is going to come save you. There’s no magic pill that’s going to fix your anxiety or sleep, it’s going to take an entirely new approach to your lifestyle, habits and most importantly changing the environment you live in.
Questions:
- What OTC sleep aids have you used with success?
- What brands were they and how long did you take them?
- Where did you hear about them?
- How specifically did they help your sleep?
Comment below!
