Sleeping Like a Log … Or Tired as a Dog?

by Joy Choquette | June 2, 2022

Natural sleep products are expected to continue upward sales trends, with new delivery methods, ingredients and more being regularly innovated.

The old adage, “sleeping like a log,” doesn’t aptly describe many Americans. It’s estimated by the American Sleep Association (ASA) that 50-70 million U.S. adults have a sleep disorder. These range from snoring to sleep apnea to insomnia. And it isn’t only an inconvenience. Approximately 100,000 deaths occur annually in hospitals around the country due to medical errors, and a significant contributor is sleep deprivation, according to the ASA.

NBC News reported that 8.6 million Americans take sleeping pills to get rest. Since the time the story was released in 2013, however, the pandemic has taken its toll on Americans in dreamland. In an article, “Sleeping Pill Addiction,” writer Ryan Fiorenzi noted that more than 500,000 people in the U.S. abuse Ambien and other sedatives.

There are other problems with sleep medications, too. Grogginess, constipation or diarrhea, headaches, gas and changes in appetite are a few potential side effects. But what are individuals to do? Adults require between seven and nine hours of sleep a night to function at their best. Natural sleep aids may be the solution for many with sleeping issues. Many find that these products offer benefits without the side effects and that they are non-habit forming and as reasonably priced or less expensive than over-the-counter or prescription sleeping medications.

Is the market for natural sleep products growing? If so, what are some of the newest trends? Is there anything new that manufacturers of natural sleep products are excited about? What do they look for when creating these products? And how can retailers best promote natural sleep products in their stores?

What’s the Market Like Currently for Natural Sleep Aids?

Director of Education and Spokesperson, Michael Smith, MD, at Life Extension in Florida, stated that he’s encouraged by the demand for natural sleep aid products. “The natural sleep products market has seen impressive growth over the last few years and that growth is expected to continue,” he stated. “In 2021, Life Extension polled 2,000 U.S. adults and found that 91 percent agree that sleep is crucial to a healthy routine and 82 percent are interested in vitamins/supplements that could improve quality of sleep.” This interest, stated Smith, matched sales growth in this category, which increased an estimated 36 percent in 2020 and 13.7 percent in 2021, according to Nutrition Business Journal’s 2021 Condition Specific Report.

“Looking at the Amazon landscape, sales for sleep complex products grew 29 percent year-over-year with sales of melatonin increasing 18 percent in 2022 as of February, according to ClearCut Analytics,” explained Smith. “Melatonin holds the largest share of the category at more than 50 percent, followed by combination herbs and hemp/CBD with additional ingredients trailing behind. This category will remain strong as sleep will continue to remain a top concern with consumers seeking natural support options,” Smith stated.

This same idea was reached by Janet Ryan, founder and president of SpectraSpray in New Jersey, who stated that she’s noticed a major increase in the market for natural sleep products. “Some research shows that the stress created by both the pandemic and challenging economic times has affected people’s stress and sleep levels,” stated Ryan.

Children too may benefit from natural sleep solutions. Vicky Mak, a technical writer for ChildLife Essentials headquartered in California, stated that the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recognizes sleep deficiency as a serious public health concern, one which affects an estimated 50 to 70 million Americans. “Due to increased exposure to artificial light from their surroundings, children may not be getting enough sleep and may become susceptible to risks associated with sleep insufficiency,” Mak said. “Consequently, parents are trying to find convenient, effective solutions to help their children get better, healthier sleep.”

Newest Topics and Trends in the Natural Sleep Aid Marketplace

Like most things in the world of natural health products, continual change is the norm. New ingredients, studies and trends are always being developed. At Betsy’s Health Foods in Texas, Ramona Billingslea has seen an uptick in CBD products in the store. “… I am noticing in natural sleep products a rise in CBD products targeted for sleep, many combining hemp with more ‘traditional’ ingredients like GABA and herbs that support sleep and calm,” Billingslea stated.

Founder and CEO of Olloïs, Guillaume Lois, noted that natural remedies are what today’s customers are looking for. CBD and supplements are popular, but homeopathy products are one of the fastest-growing categories. “Homeopathic medicines have been used for over 200 years, with no known side effects, and help the body to relax naturally,” said Lois. “Even though homeopathic sublingual pellets have traditionally been used for centuries around the world, they are now being used more widely in the U.S.,” Lois noted.

Olloïs, which has its headquarters in California, offers a variety of these products. “Our organic and vegan Ignatia Amara 30c and Coffea Cruda 30c are plant-based homeopathic remedies which can have a calming effect on the body and help with difficulty falling asleep.”

For Life Extension, melatonin—that tried-and-true favorite in the natural sleep category—continues to win big. “ … we formulated our Rest & Renew product to include an immediate-release combined with extended-release melatonin for approximately seven hours of sleep support,” Smith explained. “This rapid release technology followed by a slow sustained release of melatonin helps to support falling asleep quickly and staying asleep throughout the night.”

Likewise, the company recognized the need for alternatives to pills. “Consumers have expressed a desire for tasty chewable supplements due to pill fatigue,” said Smith. “In response, we formulated a strawberry flavored, no sugar added, gluten-free gummy providing 3 mg of immediate-release melatonin to help make falling asleep easier without the pills.”

Ryan stated that SpectraSpray has observed an interesting trend. “We have noticed many companies adding proven herbals as well as stress-reducing adaptogens in order to address the full spectrum of true sleep support,” Ryan said. SpectraSpray has also added proven herbs to create its Zen energy spray with adaptogens that can be used during the day for additional support and mental focus, said Ryan.

She also noted a trend that might be hurting people’s sleep: low-carb diets. “A proper healthy diet, including healthy carbs, is also very important for being able to rest. Many are on carb restrictive diets and do not realize it could be affecting their sleep,” Ryan explained. “Complex carbs—as in ancient grains or rice—contain many minerals that the body needs to support hormone balance, sleep, stress, cognitive health and positive aging.”

Certainly, there are practices to improve sleep hygiene. Shutting off screens an hour or more before bed is one. Keeping your bedroom cool, quiet and dark is another. Trying to maintain a similar sleep preparatory schedule is often helpful, like reading in bed for 10 to 20 minutes or meditating or doing a gentle, restful yoga flow.

Still, these things aren’t always possible. And for children as well as adults, anxiety about sleep or not being able to sleep can be very stressful. One popular ingredient in natural sleep products, particularly those for children, is melatonin, said Mak. “Although findings show that short-term usage of melatonin improves sleep outcomes in children, there is still skepticism about the efficacy and safety of long-term pediatric supplementation,” she noted.

Another option? Valerian and passionflower. “Valerian has been widely used as an herbal sleeping aid in Europe for several decades,” Mak explained. The extracts of valerian have been shown to improve both sleep structure and quality in adults. Likewise, she stated, “The calmative effect of passionflower can boost stress resistance and quality of life by lessening restlessness and sleep disturbance.” ChildLife offers its popular product, ChildLife Essentials Sleep Essential, which includes valerian root and passionflower along with other ingredients which may help support a restful night’s sleep for little ones.

Vice President of Product Development and Quality Assurance at Healthy Directions in Maryland, Dr. Irfan Qureshi, shared that the multi-billion-dollar sleep category industry is expected to continue growing. “People are trying all sorts of products to help them sleep, but not just dietary supplements,” explained Qureshi. “They are seeking out other sleep support products, too, such as rings and bracelets that track your sleep, oils and sound machines to provide relaxation, and masks, pillows and mattresses designed to make you more comfortable and drift off more easily.” Another trend he’s noticed is that popular sleep promotion products, such as melatonin sleep aids, are focused now on lower doses and dividing those throughout the night. “Alternative delivery forms such as powders, drink mixes and gummies are also increasing in popularity in this category,” he noted.

“In addition, products that offer enhanced availability and absorption of key ingredients are trending. While providing effective sleep ingredients in a formula is a given, if the body is unable to fully utilize them because they’re delivered at the wrong time, this defeats the purpose of the product you are taking,” stated Qureshi. “More than ever, the concept of optimizing ingredient delivery needs to be kept top of mind.”

What’s New in Delivery Methods, Ingredients and More in the Natural Sleep Aid Arena?

Mak noted that the company Fx Chocolate recently created a product called Fx Dream. This dark chocolate supplement is infused with sleep-supporting ingredients like melatonin and 5-HTP, stated Mak, and is naturally sweetened with allulose. “This chocolate delivery format may be very appealing for those who prefer tastier functional foods over conventional pills and capsules,” Mak noted. “By combining chocolate and sleep-support ingredients into a delicious product people can take before bed, this delivery format has considerable potential to reach different age demographics, including young children who may be picky about the foods they eat.”

At SpectraSpray, Ryan stated that the company is pleased with its delivery method. “We already offer the highest absorption delivery system on the market with our oral sprays,” she noted. Additionally, she’s interested in the new focus on combining products for more effectiveness. “Quite often, a combination of products will support sleep better than one product. For example, taking magnesium along with a sleep product or melatonin can be supportive,” Ryan said.

Healthy Directions is most excited about the technology it used to create an extended-release melatonin product. This dual dose, said Qureshi, helps people fall asleep and stay asleep. “We use a new technology called VidaSpheres Microbeadlet Technology, which concentrates the ingredients into tiny microbeadlets that float in plant-based hemp seed oil.”

How Can Retailers Best Promote Natural Sleep Aid Products in Their Stores?

When customers seek natural sleep aids, they may not always know what they’re looking for. Or they may be interested in a product that isn’t right for them. So, how can manufacturers help retailers best?

“Selling points on the product labels can help us focus our discussion on the sales floor,” Billingslea noted. As a busy retailer, it’s helpful to have that information close at hand when working with customers. “Otherwise, our most useful support materials are webinars or podcasts that we can play on-demand to use for staff training,” she noted. This way, “our great sales team has a greater understanding of the products we have on the shelves and how to best help customers.”

One way to support retailers and customers alike, says Ryan, is the use of supportive information, especially for sleep products. “It is very important to include disclaimers since many customers already take meds to sleep and possibly other prescription drugs,” Ryan noted. “It is important to include B vitamins, D3 and follow a proper diet to support healthy, restorative sleep. We have found with our online quiz that many customers are not aware of their vitamin D or iron levels. Both can substantially affect energy levels, dietary habits and sleep quality.”

Ryan also stated that she likes to refer customers to a knowledgeable nutrition-based health professional when they have complex questions about their health. It’s essential not to overextend yourself as a retailer, Ryan said, when answering customers’ questions or “counseling” their supplement or sleep needs. “Every customer is unique; what works for one may not work for another,” said Ryan.

Qureshi too, noted that it’s key for retailers to remember that every customer is an individual. What works for one may not be effective for another because products react differently—some more quickly and some more slowly—in different bodies. “There are no magic pills,” he said. He suggested combining supplements with other products like relaxing herbal teas before bedtime.

“Emphasize the importance of following usage instructions as you generally want to take these products 30 minutes to an hour before planning to go to sleep,” said Qureshi. And when it comes to ingredients like melatonin, more isn’t always better. “A lower dose of 2 mg or less can be—and often is—more effective than a larger dose of melatonin if it is in an extended-release form. That means it releases the first dose soon after taking it to help you fall asleep, and then releases a second dose gradually through the night to help you stay asleep until morning.”

A special display is another option. Olloïs offers retailers a specific category dispenser with the four most commonly used homeopathic remedies to be placed in retailers’ Stress and Sleep area, which provides easy access, Lois noted. This helps to set the product apart and is also prime real estate to offer more detailed information about one’s product with spots for informational pamphlets, cards, coupons and more.

Billingslea said that the need for natural sleep products isn’t likely to go away anytime soon. “Lately, we’ve all been challenged to maintain tranquility and quality of life in the face of so many cultural shifts and worldwide crises. Increased stress and tension mean that sufficient, healthy sleep becomes harder to maintain, which only increases consumer interest in sleep support products,” said Billingslea. VR