Transparent Labs Sleep Aid Review | Is It Truly Worth It?

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Packed with vitamin B6, magnesium, and melatonin derived from tart cherry, the Transparent Labs Sleep Aid Supplement was designed to help restless sleepers go into a deep slumber.

However, does it actually work?

To understand if this supplement works, we looked at the ingredients and respective scientific literature to determine whether they’re effective and safe to help you fall and stay asleep. 

Curious to know what we found out? Feel free to read our full review.

Brand

Transparent Labs supplements are formulated and manufactured in the United States.

The company focuses on formulating supplements with “natural” and research-backed ingredients, which means they use foods or herbs with alleged health benefits. 

Transparent Labs has an intriguing line of supplements, many of which are vegan-friendly. What sets them apart from other brands is that Transparent Labs does not use proprietary blends, which suggests they are more transparent because they reveal the exact dose of each ingredient they’ve used. 

They have various supplements that cover many aspects of an individual’s life, including ones that enhance one’s energy, others that aid in vision and mental acuity, and others that support physical performance.

Typically, their supplements are free from artificial sweeteners, preservatives, colorings, as well as gluten and GMOs, so they also formulate supplements taking into account the potential health risks of such properties.

Transparent Labs appears to be a brand that legitimately cares about its customers. 

Ingredients

Transparent Labs Sleep Aid Supplement is an over-the-counter sleep formula containing 30 servings per container for 24.00 USD, making it one of the most cost-worthy sleep aids on the market, and you only need to re-supply once a month. 

According to Transparent Labs, you should only take three capsules (equivalent to one serving) on an empty stomach, 45-minutes before you go to sleep. 

In terms of ingredients, it has 8 unique ingredients: vitamin B6, magnesium, zinc, glycine, tart cherry powder, l-theanine, rutaecarpine, and melatonin. Below, we’ll analyze why these ingredients were added to the supplement, and how they work to help you sleep. 

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is important for many bodily functions, and there’s some evidence that links it to immune health, cognitive development, and sleep. 

Research suggests that taking vitamin B6 can help you in two ways: increase serotonin and melatonin production, and it can also help you better recall your dreams. ^{1, 2} 

The hormones serotonin and melatonin are both important to achieve restful, sound sleep, and also good mood. 

In fact, a lack of vitamin B6 has been linked to symptoms of insomnia and depression, which means there is a strong correlation between depression and sleep problems. This also means that taking vitamin B6 can reduce the risk of depression. ³

Magnesium

Magnesium has always been known for improving bone health, but some research has popped up suggesting that it may also help us fall asleep.

In fact, a study found that subjects taking a 500 milligrams supplement of magnesium every night for eight weeks fell asleep faster and spent more time in bed than the placebo group. ⁴

However, it’s important to note that the sample size was small with only 47 participants. Unfortunately, other studies studying the effects of magnesium on sleep also work with small samples, therefore, it’s difficult to determine whether magnesium is beneficial for sleep.  

Zinc

Apparently, zinc plays a role in neurotransmitter function and in maintaining cognition. 

Zinc, according to researchers, is also capable of regulating sleep. It’s not clear how it happens, but it seems to impact the latest stages of sleep, where physical restoration and memory consolidation occur. It doesn’t trigger sleep, but having adequate levels of zinc in the blood appears to shorten the time it takes to fall asleep. ⁵

Glycine

Glycine increases serotonin levels, which is essential to creating the sleep hormone melatonin.

Research suggests that oral glycine increases serotonin levels, reduces symptoms of insomnia, and improves sleep quality. In fact, there are numerous clinical trials that show glycine’s efficacy as a natural sleep remedy, even in moderate doses like 1000 mg before going to sleep. ^{6, 7}

There are also studies that suggest glycine can help people return to healthy sleep patterns even after a period of disrupted sleep. 

Tart Cherry Powder

Tart cherries are rich, natural sources of melatonin, the sleep hormone. The basic notion behind taking melatonin from an external source is that you increase your melatonin stores for more effective sleep.

However, there’s very limited clinical evidence on using tart cherries for sleep. One study found that tart cherry juice was associated with statistically significant improvements in self-reported sleep among older adults with insomnia. ⁸ Still, more research is necessary as the sample size is too small (15 subjects).

L-Theanine

L-theanine is an amino acid found in tea leaves.

Some researchers believe that l-theanine promotes relaxation and sleep by affecting different mechanisms in the brain, namely boosting levels of GABA and other calming brain chemicals, as well as reducing other chemicals associated with stress and anxiety. ^{9, 10}

There is also evidence that l-theanine enhances alpha brain waves, which are associated with a state of “wakeful relaxation”, a state of mind you experience when meditating. 

Rutaecarpine

Rutaecarpine is an alkaloid isolated from Evodia rutaecarpa and related herbs with several