Struggling to Sleep? Here Are 16 Solutions Ranked From Worst to Best

Struggling to sleep? Need a solution? Then you’ve come to the right place! This is the ultimate list, ranking everything that you’ve ever thought of (and likely ever will) to help you sleep. We’ve looked into everything from pills to herbal potions—and we’ve even read a small library of scientific papers to back our claims up! Basically, we’ve done all the research for you, so you don’t have to.

Keep reading, your journey to better sleep begins now!

A woman in bed sleeping with a smile on her face.

16. Sleeping Pills: 1 Star ★☆☆☆☆ (1 out of 5)

Asian senior woman taking medicine at bed room

So, let’s kick things off with some good old prescription sleeping pills. Although anything signed off by your doctor probably seems like the best solution at your disposal, some drugs do more harm than good in the long term.

Really, this go-to sleep “solution” is actually a no-go.

Case in point, did you know that you can become dependent on sleeping pills? Not to mention the myriad of potential side effects like headaches, dry mouth, constipation or diarrhoea, daytime drowsiness and light-headedness.

15. Nytol: ★☆☆☆☆ (1 out of 5)

Diet. Nutrition. Healthy Eating, Lifestyle. Close Up Of Woman Taking Pill With Cod Liver Oil Omega-3 And Holding A Glass Of Fresh Water In Morning. Vitamin D, E, A Fish Oil Capsules.

This brings us to Nytol. This is the brand name for Diphenhydramine, used to treat allergies and short-term insomnia. You can get Nytol over-the-counter (OTC) or pop into your doctor’s office for a prescription.

Remember what we said about prescriptions?

It’s tempting, it works fast, and you can get it in liquid form, too—a godsend for anyone who hates pills. But, just like prescription sleeping pills, those pesky side effects will creep up on you sooner or later.

14. Melatonin: ★☆☆☆☆ (1 out of 5)

White bottle and pills, letters Melatonin, alarm clock and sleep mask on light grey background. Sleeping backdrop Concept melatonin, insomnia and good night. Top view

This hormone controls your sleep-wake cycle, and you can get a manufactured version of it to help you catch some zzzs.

Sounds like exactly what you’re looking for, right?

Well, it could be—if you’re willing to risk your overall health and wellness in the name of a couple of weeks of better sleep. Seriously, the list of potential side effects associated with melatonin is brutal. We’re talking about anything from depression to itchy skin.

That doesn’t seem very sleep-conducive, does it?

13. Aromatherapy: ★☆☆☆☆ (1 out of 5)

Cropped shot of various pampering essentials in a spa with a young woman in the background

We get it; aromatherapy is all the rage nowadays. We all have someone in our contacts list who’s slinging essential oils.

Maybe you’ve even read up a little on aromatherapy on your phone . . . in the middle of the night . . . when you should be asleep. So, now you have this idea of yourself lying on fresh cotton linens and drifting off as notes of lavender and cedarwood waft through the air.

However, it can take up to two weeks for you to feel the effects of aromatherapy.

You got two weeks? Nope? Thought so.

12. Blue Light Blockers: ★★☆☆☆ (2 out of 5)

Mixed race man using smart phone in bed next to his sleeping partner

We know the science; your phone, tablet and laptop emit light that can trick your brain into thinking that it’s daytime, messing with your circadian rhythm—your natural sleep-wake cycle.

But if you had a penny for every time someone told you to stay away from your devices right before bed, how many pennies would you have?

Anyone who blinks at the ceiling every night knows that blue light sometimes isn’t the problem.

11. Diet: ★★☆☆☆ (2 out of 5)

Healthy eating: high angle view of a group of food with high levels of Omega-3 fat. The composition includes salmon, sardines, avocado, extra virgin olive oil, and various nuts and seeds like pumpkin seeds, chis seeds, pecan, almonds, pistachio, walnuts and hazelnuts. High resolution 42Mp studio digital capture taken with Sony A7rII and Sony FE 90mm f2.8 macro G OSS lens

We’re willing to bet that you aren’t chugging coffee every night. Simple dietary changes, like eating lighter dinners and going easy on the wine, will improve your sleep quality.

But don’t expect it to happen overnight.

You’ll have to give it a month or so to really see the improvement.

10. Reading: ★★☆☆☆ (2 out of 5)

beautiful brunette girl reading book and drinking coffee in bed in the morning

Ah yes, the age-old problem—finding a book that you actually want to read, but that can bore you to sleep every night too. Seriously though, reading can help you wind down and destress.

But you may want to stay away from ebooks—gotta watch out for that blue light!

9. Vitamins: ★★☆☆☆ (2 out of 5)

Capsules with dietary supplements in a pharmacy store

Certain vitamins, like vitamin E and vitamin B5, could improve your sleep quality. While supplementing your diet is certainly worth a shot, there’s no guarantee that it’ll actually work.

8. Herbal Teas: ★★★☆☆ (3 out of 5)

A cup of herbal tea (lime blossom/ linden tea) photographed on a cozy beige blanket with herbal flowers in the background.

Your gran’s chamomile tea always did the trick when you were younger, but now it just leads to a midnight bathroom run.

The market is flooded with different herbal teas that apparently treat all manner of problems, but few, if any, actually resolve sleeping problems in the long term.

More importantly, if you’re on any medication, you’ll want to make sure that you know exactly what’s in your tea—and that it won’t interact with your meds.

7. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: ★★★☆☆ (3 out of 5)

A therapist listening intently to her patient

The word “therapy” implies something pretty serious, doesn’t it? But don’t let it scare you off; getting a good night’s sleep is a pretty serious issue.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a talk therapy that could address sleep issues like insomnia.

Of course, therapy is notoriously pricey, and it may take a while to see the results.

6. Breathing Methods: ★★★☆☆ (3 out of 5)

Try it. Begin counting from 1-10 and then backwards, counting on your exhales. Repeat this process until you fall asleep.

Sigh, if only things were so simple!

This sleep solution apparently takes up to a month to kick in. That’s a long time to be counting sheep. While there isn’t much research confirming its efficacy, it may just work for you.

Plus, it’s free!

5. CBD and Hemp Products: ★★★☆☆ (3 out of 5)

Marijuana industrial cannabis hemp leaves and products like oil, cream and tincture flat lay pattern on pink background top view

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a cannabinoid derived from the hemp plant. Unlike THC, CBD won’t give you the “high” your parents always warned you about.

There are many different types of CBD products, such as oils, capsules, gummies, creams and more. This means that you can select a product that best suits your needs.

CBD may help you feel calmer, more relaxed and relieve any physical discomforts keeping you up at night.

4. Meditation: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)

Front view full body portrait of a relaxed woman doing yoga exercise in the night at home with candles

“Meditation for sleep” is a fairly popular internet search, and if you’re reading this, then chances are you’re one of the thousands of people who’ve typed this phrase into their search bar.

If you’re new to meditation, then you may find that it actually leaves you more frustrated than when you started.

Trust us, we tried it—and all we could think about was why we couldn’t stop thinking about things.

3. Sleep Music/Sounds: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)

Young beautiful woman relaxing in her bed, she is listening to music and lying down with eyes closed

Popular choices include a crackling fire, whale sounds and soft piano. The best part? There are loads of free videos available online.

Unfortunately, the results are nowhere near instant, and if you share a room with someone else, they may not be so receptive to your choice of white noise.

2. Exercise: ★★★★☆ (4 out of 5)

Group of multiethnic mature people stretching arms outdoor. Middle aged yoga class doing breathing exercise at park. Beautifil women and fit men doing breath exercise together with outstretched arms.

Research suggests that exercise can improve sleep quality, help you to sleep longer and fall asleep faster. Both morning and evening exercises can be beneficial but don’t exercise too late in the day, or you could find yourself up all night again.

Of course, if you want to solve your sleep problem NOW, then you’re going to need something that kicks in sooner rather than later. We have just the thing!

Drum roll, please!

1. Yawns Night Caps: ★★★★★ (5 out of 5)

An open bottle of Yawns Night Caps with their benefits written beside it

And that brings us to the best sleep solution out there—Yawns Night Caps! Our caps are derived from organic, non-GMO all-natural ingredients. Unlike most prescription options out there, our Night Caps don’t come with the risk of dependence or addiction. Plus, they are vegan-friendly!

Sounds too good to be true? It really isn’t!

Want to know more about these bad boys? Here’s a list of some of the ingredients that make Yawns Night Caps so great:

Ashwagandha

Also known as Indian ginseng and winter cherry, this plant is known to help improve sleep quality. Its active ingredient, withanolides, help reduce stress, among other benefits.

Valerian root

This natural herb has been used for thousands of years. It can help promote calm and reduce stress for a good night’s sleep.

Griffonia seeds

These seeds come from the Griffonia simplicifolia shrub and are the only source of non-human 5 HTP. 5 HTP is short for 5-Hydroxytryptophan and is naturally produced by the human body to make serotonin. This plays a vital role in regulating your sleep.

But wait, there’s more!

Our caps are tasteless and easy to swallow. The best part? You can feel the results in just a couple of hours, depending on their age, body weight, lifestyle and metabolism.

There you have it, 16 sleep solutions to help you get yawns!