Supplements for Enhancing the Quality of Sleep: A Review
Karol Dolepski
Orcid profile, Kamila Duszyńska
Orcid profile, Alicja Góral
Orcid profile, Krystian Żuk
Orcid profile and Michał Czachajda
Orcid profile 
Published Online: Mar 12, 2025
Page range: 273 - 291
Received: Mar 15, 2024
Accepted: Jan 15, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jhsm-2024-0013
Keywords
© 2024 Karol Dolepski et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Background
It has been observed that nowadays sleep problems are affecting an increasing number of people. Researchers from around the world are trying to find a substance that would significantly improve the lives of people struggling with sleep disorders, while being widely available and free of side effects.
Objectives
The purpose of this article was to summarize the benefits of using sleep supplements to improve sleep quality.
Material and methods
The conclusions of the article were formulated by analyzing the available literature from 2017–2024 (PubMed database). For the purpose of this paper, studies on supplements with a relatively safe use profile for any individual compared to prescription drugs were selected.
Results
Poor sleep quality significantly affects mental and physical health, is a risk factor for many diseases, worsens their prognosis, and impairs a person’s efficiency during the day. Among the supplements used to improve the quality of nocturnal rest are melatonin, whose positive effects are found in patients who are older, herbal preparations such as valerian, saffron, cannabinoids, ashwagandha, Melissa officinalis, and L-theanine, which appears to be the best supplement for people suffering from mental disorders, including depression and anxiety. In addition, vitamin D and probiotics are being investigated.
Conclusions
Currently, there is no supplement that significantly improves the quality of sleep for every patient who has difficulty resting at night. In the coming years, there may be new reports of a substance that would be efficient and safe.