From ergonomic pillows to sleep medications, the market for sleep products is growing every year.  According to a 2018 report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 8.2% of adults report using sleep medications at least four times in one week to help them sleep.

Common sleep aids include prescription sleep medication and over-the-counter sleeping pills with active ingredients such as sedating antihistamines. 

While prescription sleep aids such as benzodiazepines and antidepressants can make sleep easier to achieve, they often come with adverse side effects ranging from grogginess and dry mouth to memory problems. Fortunately, there is a wide range of nonprescription available to treat insomnia that don't carry these same risks.

Here are our top ten picks for sleep aids that can help you get a good night's sleep with little to no side effects.

When people say they have sleep problems, we know they mean one of two things:  they either have trouble falling asleep or have trouble staying asleep.  Between 10% to 30% of the adult population suffer from insomnia, with older adults at increased risk due to certain factors such as circadian rhythm changes, health problems, and medications. 

Sandland Sleep can remedy these issues with two formulations targeted towards the area of sleep you're having problems with.  Made with natural hemp-derived ingredients known for their gentle sleep-promoting properties, Fast Asleep and Stay Asleep can help you align your sleep-wake cycle and combat daytime sleepiness.

The main active ingredients include cannabinol (CBN) and melatonin. CBN is a cannabinoid, a component found in hemp and marijuana, which promotes sleep without altering your brain chemistry or leaving you high.  A few studies suggest this may be the best cannabinoid for sleep. 

Meanwhile, melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone produced by the pineal gland that regulates sleep.  Taking melatonin has been shown to help reduce sleep latency, or the time it takes for you to fall asleep when administered 2 to 4 hours before bed.

Aspiring sleepyheads can also look to Olly Sleep and its collection of sleep supplements.  Olly Sleep has a range of gummies with different combinations of sleep-promoting ingredients to target different issues for different people. 

Their products all contain melatonin, known for its sleep-supporting properties targeting different molecular pathways.  They combine this with L-Theanine and botanicals to help you fall asleep faster.  L-theanine is a well-known amino acid known for its immunity-boosting properties. 

L-theanine is also a known relaxant, and research found it helps improve sleep among boys diagnosed with ADHD.  L theanine's calming effects are attributed to its potential impact on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in your brain. GABA acts as a neurotransmitter that sends your brain signals to calm down when it's under stress. 

Meanwhile,botanicals like chamomile, passionflower, and lemon balm have long centuries of history in treating sleep disturbances and are also present in Olly Sleep products.

Klean Athlete Klean Magnesium contains magnesium glycinate.  Although primarily targeted towards athletes and marketed as a muscle relaxant to support an athlete's ability to produce and utilize energy (ATP), and improve recovery time between workouts, magnesium glycinate can also be used to help you get quality sleep.

Magnesium glycinate is formed when you combine magnesium with glycine, another amino acid that can help with insomnia. 

Magnesium is an essential mineral that you can usually obtain from food such as nuts and seeds.  While its role in sleep hasn't been completely discovered yet, a few studies found that magnesium deficiency leads to lack of sleep.  Thus, supplementing magnesium may improve sleep quality.  Research also found that magnesium may help older adults with insomnia whether it's used alone or in combination with other sleep-promoting ingredients like zinc and melatonin.

Meanwhile, glycine is another amino acid known to have sleep-promoting properties based on its effect on body temperature.

Magnesium in the form of magnesium glycinate is highly bioavailable, meaning it can be easily absorbed by your body.  This is why Pure Encapsulations Magnesium Glycinate may be able to help you sleep.

Magnesium is an essential amino acid that is used in over 600 cellular activities in your body, meaning without magnesium many things in your system will not work.  Sleep is part of it.  Magnesium helps your body relax by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, the switch that tells you when you need to be relaxed and calm. 

Being more relaxed can help you fall asleep faster.

Chamomile is a versatile plant that you can use no matter what form you put it in.  Pressed, chamomile essential oil is great for aromatherapy.  You can use it in food and drinks as well as beauty products like lotions and soaps.  It is often used as a natural remedy for hay fever, inflammation, muscle spasms, menstrual disorders, insomnia, ulcers, wounds, gastrointestinal disorders, rheumatic pain, and hemorrhoids. 

As a dietary supplement, chamomile can help induce muscle relaxation and sleep.

Cannabidiol or CBD is a  cannabinoid that comes from hemp or marijuana but doesn't introduce any psychoactive effects. CBD can help you achieve natural sleep by interacting with neurotransmitters in your brain.

Research suggests that CBD can help improve the symptoms of people with Parkinson's disease who haveREM sleep behavior disorder.  These are the people who act out their dreams.  CBD has also been shown to decrease anxiety and improve sleep.

If you experience occasional sleeplessness, Nature's Bounty Melatonin sleeping pills may be the one for you.  Melatonin nutritionally supplements sleep by regulating your sleep cycle.  Taking melatonin supplements will help you get back on the proper sleep pattern by sending gentle signals to your brain that it's time to sleep. 

Nature's Bounty melatonin comes in the gummy form in a tropical punch flavor and is shaped like the moon and stars.  They're aesthetically pleasing and will help you counter sleeplessness without causing havoc on your health.  Each one also contains L-theanine for added relaxation. 

They also offer quick-dissolving tablets in cherry flavor for those who don't like swallowing pills.  Those who prefer swallowing melatonin have the option of rapid-release soft-gel capsules.

Sleep disorders don't just affect your health, they also affect your skin.  Lack of sleep can cause fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of elasticity.  Hum Nutrition formulated Mighty Night with skin buffs in mind.  Mighty Night contains valerian root, passionflower, and hops which are botanicals that are known to help promote deeper sleep.  Valerian root, in particular, has been dubbed as nature's "valium" due to its effect of promoting tranquility and sleep. 

Mighty Night also contains ceramides, a term you may have heard of in beauty commercials.  These ceramides help support your skin as you sleep to give you back that lost elasticity and help you wake up fresher.  Mighty Night is also free of artificial sweeteners or colors to make sure each product is untainted and clean as it could be.

Green Roads specializes in CBD products from hemp grown in the U.S.  Like Sandland Sleep, Green Roads use cannabinoids or chemicals found in marijuana and hemp to make their products. Green Roads combine cannabidiol (CBD) and CBN.  These bioactive have been shown by research to have promising effects on sleep disorders such as insomnia and restless leg syndrome.

Green Roads also make sure to have their products tested by third-party representatives so you can be sure each tablet is trustworthy.

This quick-dissolving sleeping pill is as easy on the tongue as it is on your head.  Made with a trio of bioactive known for their great impact on insomnia, this product can help you relax and fall back to sleep naturally. 

Melatonin, L-theanine, and GABA all have proven impact on sleep.  Add that with the pleasant berry flavor without a hint of sugar, Nature Made Back to Sleep may just be the sleep aid you need to get you back on to proper sleep patterns.

Sleep is a necessity, but to people with sleep problems, it becomes a luxury.  Sleeping aids can be great for helping people improve sleep quality, but with the sleep market saturated with a million different products, it can be hard to figure out which sleep aids are really helpful.

If you have a compromised sleep schedule, sleep apnea, or are regularly experiencing insomnia, consult your health care provider before taking any sleep medicine.  This is particularly important if you have health conditions such as heart disease or high blood pressure because you may be taking medications that can induce negative drug interactions with the sleep aid of your choosing. 

Natural sleep aids like Sandland Sleep are generally safe for use because unlike sleeping pills they do not alter your brain chemistry.  Of course, you can also try a few lifestyle changes to see if they can help you deal with trouble sleeping.