I love sleep.
There, I said it.
I think a lot of people will agree with me there, but that doesn’t make falling asleep any easier.
I think my record of sheep counted is somewhere in the three hundreds.
My best friend is even worse, and eventually resorted to a melatonin supplement…she slept, but she was zoned out for about a day and a half afterward.
I personally think the dose might have been too high, and something like Performance Lab Sleep might be better.
Before You Buy
Supplements are a great solution to a lot of problems, but they’re not for everyone.
I will always suggest that you do research on any supplement you’re thinking of taking.
There’s not a lot of regulation in this industry, meaning people can get innovative, which is wonderful, but there is a risk of bad actors in the supplement business.
Some supplements can interact with medications, so consider talking to a healthcare professional about what you’re planning to take and why.
A lot of common problems don’t need prescription strength solutions, so supplements are a wonderful way to improve your quality of life without fighting your insurance company.
Performance Lab Sleep is great for people who don’t want a high dose of synthetic melatonin.
It’s also vegan/vegetarian friendly if that’s a concern.
This is an aid to make you fall asleep and sleep well instead of being designed to knock you out like a lot of sleep medicines out there.
If you’ve tried sleep supplements before and they had little to no effect, it may be time to talk to your doctor about prescription sleep medication.
Presenting Performance Lab Sleep
Sleep is part of Performance Lab’s CORE range, which contains supplements designed for a huge range of average problems like low energy and joint pain.
Like all their supplements, Performance Lab takes pride in the fact that Sleep is free of allergens, non-GMO, and is free of synthetic additives.
The company makes a few big claims about Sleep, the first being that you’ll get the best night’s sleep of your life.
They claim that the supplement settles your body and helps you fall asleep faster and get a better night’s sleep overall.
When compared to the #1 sleep aid supplement on Amazon, Sleep has fewer ingredients and claims more benefits.
While the #1 supplement is simply melatonin, it also contains Dextrose (a type of sugar) and flavoring to give it a berry flavor.
Performance Lab Sleep by contrast has three active ingredients that are all meant to assist with getting a good night’s sleep.
Pros
- Simple Ingredient List
- Vegan Friendly
- 30-Day Performance Guarantee
Cons
- Not Available on Amazon
- Cherry-Derived Ingredients That Some Could be Allergic to
- Only Comes in Pill Form
Features & Benefits
Website
While I still strongly recommend doing independent research on any supplement you want to take, I will say that the Performance Lab website goes above and beyond to be transparent about what goes into their product and why the ingredients are used.
With helpful graphics, breakdowns of the benefits of every ingredient, and clear explanations of what the supplement is supposed to do, Performance Lab has clearly put a lot of thought into their website.
They also clearly display reviews of their products right on the same page of the site.
GMP Certified
GMP stands for Good Manufacturing Practices.
This means that an outside group determined that Performance Lab met their standards for health and safety in their facility.
Considering you’re meant to consume their products, it’s very nice to have the extra level of reassurance that this is a safe product and wasn’t made in someone’s garden shed.
Designed for Mind & Body
One of my favorite things about this supplement is that it doesn’t just focus on one aspect of what keeps people up at night.
My sleep issues are two pronged – I toss and turn, and my mind will not stop chugging along.
The fact that Performance Lab Sleep is meant to affect both shows that they put a lot of thought into making their product.
By combining ingredients that are often sold on their own as sleep aids, this supplement can reduce the number of things you have to remember to take and address several sleep-related issues at once, from not being tired when you know you need to sleep to releasing tension that keeps you awake.
Ingredients
I’ll get more in-depth on each individual ingredient in the next few sections, but I also wanted to talk about them as a whole.
All the ingredients are vegan friendly, and are gluten, soy, allergen and banned substance free.
They’re also non-GMO and non-irradiated.
These ingredients are all proudly displayed on the website, and you don’t have to google any of it just to find out that they’re just a sixteen-syllable word for a synthetic sugar.
All this means that you can feel confident when taking these supplements that you understand exactly what is going into your body and why.
It’s also easy to see if this supplement has everything you need because the ingredients are in multiple places on the website, and there’s an explanation of why every ingredient in the supplement is there as well as a basic description of what Performance Lab does to get the most out of their ingredients.
Melatonin
Melatonin is a hormone produced by your body, decreasing in levels during the day and increasing at night to help signal your body to sleep.
This would have been great when I had trouble sleeping in college because there was a streetlamp that shined right into my room, so I don’t think my body got the message to make melatonin.
According to the Mayo Clinic, scientific studies have found melatonin to help with many sleep related issues such as insomnia and jet lag.
As opposed to many sleep medications, it’s unlikely to develop a dependence on a melatonin supplement.
Performance Lab Sleep sources its melatonin from Montmorency Tart Cherry and uses a minimum effective dose in their effort to help with sleep.
Sourcing from cherries also means that antioxidants come with the melatonin, which can assist with aching joints and muscles.
The low dose of melatonin is great for anyone who has taken high-dose melatonin and experienced grogginess the next day as a side effect, or anyone who just wants or needs a gentle nudge to sleep instead of a knockout.
L-Tryptophan
If you’ve heard of tryptophan, you may associate it with Thanksgiving turkey like I do.
If you’ve ever wondered what gives you that sleepy feeling after the holiday meal, this is probably one of the culprits.
Turkey isn’t the only source of tryptophan; several plants contain it as well.
In keeping with their vegan-friendly goals, Performance Lab gets their L-Tryptophan from vegetables.
There are many functions of L-Tryptophan, but when it comes to sleep it has two big functions, aiding in your body’s production of melatonin and helping your brain make serotonin.
We’ve gone over what melatonin does, and serotonin helps you feel good and relax while you try to sleep.
This ingredient means that beyond just giving your body something that makes you sleepy, Performance Lab Sleep instead works with your body to start and speed up the natural processes that lead to sleep.
Magnesium
Magnesium is hugely important to many of our body’s functions, and a lot of us don’t get enough of it in our diets.
Chronically low magnesium can lead to increased risk of a whole host of health issues, according to a Mayo Clinic article.
Among the huge range of things magnesium does for our bodies are a few important aids for sleep.
Performance Lab will tell you that magnesium assists with calming muscles and nerves, meaning if you toss and turn a lot, magnesium is definitely something to consider.
The soothing action also facilitates a slow drop in blood pressure which may help you relax and fall asleep.
This calming of your muscles and nerves can also help you stay asleep because it can reduce involuntary movement, which is great if you’re like me and keep waking yourself up by kicking the blankets off… or like another friend of mine who once rolled out of the top bunk and scared his brother in the middle of the night.
What Buyers Are Saying
You can read long form reviews like this one all day, but user testimonials will still be a huge part of making a buying decision, naturally.
Since Performance Lab products are only available through their website, the only user reviews are also on that site.
I’ve grabbed a few reviews for Sleep to show you what people are saying.
Review #1
Dost M. exclaims “It’s a wonder boost to a sound and peaceful sleep. No prescription drugs can match this product. The freshness and the energy in the morning is unbelievable. Highly recommend!”
Review #2
Shirle S. tells us “Works really well in helping me falling to sleep & stay sleep at least over 5 hours.”
Review #3
Finally, Chris D. is so enthusiastic he wrote “5/5 will buy again! I always used to nap after work, and struggle to stay awake on the drive home, but since I started using these I haven’t had to do that! I feel my motivation to workout has increased, as has my performance in the gym. I experimented taking between 1, 2, 3, and 4 of these. 2 worked perfectly [every time]. I have [recommended] these to basically everyone I know!”
Alternative Sleep Supplements
Gentle Sleep Aid from Luna
If you want your supplement to be a bit more herbal-based, this may be the choice for you.
There’s a small dose of melatonin in Gentle Sleep Aid from Luna, but most of the ingredients are herbs like Valerian root and Passionflower.
It’s slightly cheaper than Performance Lab Sleep as well.
Both supplements are non-GMO, free of common allergens, vegan, and GMP certified.
Luna has a lifetime refund policy as opposed to the 30 day guarantee of Performance Lab.
While Performance Lab limits itself to three active ingredients, Gentle Sleep contains eight, with no mention of what they do besides “calming”.
Gentle Sleep Aid from Luna vs. Performance Lab Sleep
- More Ingredients
- Herbal-Based
- Also Non-GMO and Vegan
- No Strings Attached Refund Policy
Sleep Fairy from Hollis Nutrition
Despite the name, this supplement was put together by a neurologist rather than a tiny winged person.
Like Performance Lab Sleep, Sleep Fairy by Hollis Nutrition contains melatonin and magnesium, but not tryptophan and the magnesium is a lower dose.
This supplement is another that is largely an herbal mixture.
The most unique ingredient in this supplement is Magnolia Bark Extract, as no other supplement mentioned in this review has it.
This supplement is also proudly non-GMO, vegan, and free of soy/gluten.
Not only is the company GMP certified, the supplements are produced in an FDA registered facility.
Sleep Fairy Natural Sleep Aid vs. Performance Lab Sleep
- Herbal-Based Mixture
- Neurologist Developed
- 100% Satisfaction Guarantee
- Vegan, Non-GMO
- Made in FDA Registered Site
5-HTP Plus by Dr. Emil Nutrition
5-HTP Plus Serotonin Synthesizers and Cofactor B6 by Dr. Emil Nutrition is more focused on vitamins and is the only supplement on this list that contains no melatonin.
Besides Performance Lab Sleep, it’s also the only one to contain L-Tryptophan.
This supplement is meant to improve mood and lower anxiety in addition to assisting with sleep. It is cheaper than Performance Lab Sleep.
Unlike the other supplements, this one is contained in a gelatin capsule that makes it non-vegan.
The supplements are Non-GMO and common allergen free, however.
Because it bundles in sleep with mood and anxiety support, the ingredients are aimed much more at increasing serotonin levels.
5-HTP Plus by Dr. Emil Nutrition vs. Performance Lab Sleep
- Non-Vegan
- More Aimed at Boosting Serotonin Levels/Production
- Contains Vitamin B6
- Made in a GMP Certified Facility
Final Thoughts
A good night’s sleep can be the difference between a great, productive day and a terrible one.
If you have trouble sleeping like I do, Sleep by Performance Lab may be exactly what you need so you can sleep without having to resort to prescription-strength medication.
