MidNite Sleep Aid Review (Previous Version)

I recently tried MidNite sleep aid for a week. There are a few different versions, but the one I took contains melatonin, chamomile, and lavender.

MidNite isn’t a prescription sleep aid, and like many over the counter sleep aids in the United States, it’s sold and regulated as a supplement.

I’ve previously had good results from other sleep aids that combine melatonin with plant ingredients, such as ZzzQuil Pure Zzzs and Vitafusion SleepWell.

The ingredients aren’t exactly the same, but I should still admit that I probably had some expectations that it would help me sleep better. And that potentially increases the chance of a placebo effect occurring.

The short summary is that I feel like I slept fairly well during the week I took MidNite. I did have some vivid dreams though, which has happened before when I’ve taken melatonin. I had no other side effects that I could tell, such as morning grogginess.

My main criticism is the sugar content of the gummies. I already have enough sugar in my diet without adding 2 mg more just before bed. And I do wonder about the risks associated with making sleep aids that might appeal to the sweet tooth of young children.

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My experience

Cost and what you get

I paid $10.99 for a small plastic bottle of 36 gummies in my local Target while living in the US. Since the dosage according to the bottle is one per night, that works out at around 30 cents per night. There’s no other packaging, and I believe the PETE bottle can be recycled.

There isn’t an information leaflet, which has been an issue with several over the counter sleep aids I’ve bought. It means the only information you get is what they can squeeze onto the label around the bottle, and I personally wish it came with more information about the ingredients and warnings to consider.

The first night

The bottle tells you to take one gummy, but doesn’t tell you when to take it. So I decided to chew one 30 minutes before my ideal time of falling asleep.

The gummy had a cherry flavor, and the 2 mg sugar content was noticeable. It was sweet, tasted good and was easy to chew. I personally don’t have a problem swallowing pills or capsules, but I can see why the easier to consume gummies might appeal to some people.

I stayed awake reading in bed for a while as usual. I didn’t feel particularly drowsy after 30 minutes, but turned the light out to go to sleep anyway. I know from experience that this type of sleep aid doesn’t tend to knock me out, and that the effect is often more subtle. But I still carefully observe how I feel when I take a new sleep aid to see if I notice a sedative effect or anything else.

I do wonder sometimes if trying to stay alert to see if I start to feel less alert is counterproductive! But I don’t see it as putting up resistance as a challenge to the sleep aid; I just let my brain casually take mental notes if I feel different to any other night.

I believe I fell asleep soon after switching off the light the first night I tried the MidNite sleep aid. I woke once around 3 a.m., but soon fell asleep again and got around seven and a half hours’ sleep, which is a good amount for me.

I woke up feeling relatively refreshed, which is one of the key points I judge a sleep aid’s effectiveness on.

No noticeable side effects for me

I didn’t have any side effects that I could tell, and no morning grogginess. I was able to get up and walk the dog without feeling like I needed a strong coffee first.

I often take longer than five minutes to fall asleep, and often wake up more than once. And I can’t deny that I feel the need for that strong coffee before stepping out the front door sometimes! So all in all, I was fairly pleased with the first night.

The following nights

I took the MidNite gummies for a total of seven nights in the end. If there had been a lot of variety in the effect each night, I would have split each night into different sections. In this case, I can summarise what happened without breaking it up into seven parts.

Essentially, I think I slept fairly well all week. My total sleep was between seven and eight hours every night. It’s not unusual that I have at least one bad night in any given week, so when I sleep well for an entire week, I’m happy about it.

I also feel that I fell asleep in a relatively short amount of time every night, with no recollection of any night where I just couldn’t drop off. I only had an extended middle of the night waking on one night, which isn’t a problem as long as I get enough sleep either side of that time awake.

No side effects during the rest of the week (for me)

I didn’t experience any grogginess on any of the mornings. Some sleep aids I’ve tried give me side effects the following morning, such as a fuzzy head, a headache, or just a general feeling that I’m just ‘not quite with it’.

Vivid dreams

Although I was pleased that there was no next morning brain fog, I did have some vivid dreams throughout the week. I didn’t recall any on the first night, but definitely did on a few other nights.

Personally, I like remembering my dreams and find vivid dreams interesting to reflect on the next day – as long as they aren’t disturbing ones. But I know some people don’t appreciate having particularly vivid dreams and might find them disturbing.

For me personally though, I was content with the lack of serious side effects during the week I took MidNite.

Would I take it again?

If I didn’t have a similar sleep aid with less sugar available, I would consider taking MidNite again. It seemed to work reasonably well for me (even if it was the placebo effect or just coincidence that I slept well that week). And the lack of annoying side effects was a plus.

However, I’d probably prefer a small tasteless pill I could still take after brushing my teeth if I’d forgotten to take it beforehand. It might sound like a minor detail, but it happens sometimes and I prefer not to feel like I need to brush my teeth twice in quick succession.

If I had kids in the house, I don’t think I’d choose to keep a sleep aid in the house that looks, smells and tastes like sweets – even if it does have a childproof lock and I could hide it.

Just my experience

Please bear in mind that the experience I had was just that – my experience only. There’s no guarantee that it will help you sleep, or that you won’t get any other side effects, or that you’ll have vivid dreams like me. It’s always worth reading other reviews too if you’re unsure about taking it.

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Additional information

Ingredients

Please note that the last time I checked, the exact version I took is no longer available.

There is a version called ‘Deep Sleep’ that has more melatonin than the one I took. There is also a version called ‘Back To Sleep’ that includes lemon balm, but has less melatonin.

According to the bottle I bought, the supplement facts are:

• Calories 10
• Total carbohydrates 2 g
• Total sugars 2 g – includes 1 g added sugars

The active ingredients are:

• Melatonin 3 mg
• Propriety blend 10 mg – consisting of chamomile flower and lavender flower.

Note that propriety blend means they don’t tell you the exact quantity of chamomile or lavender included. I’d prefer it if they did specify the exact amount used.

Other ingredients listed:

• Sugar
• Corn syrup
• Water
• Pectin
• Citric acid
• Natural flavor
• Trisodium citrate dihydrate
• Malic acid
• Vegetable juice (color)

Is there any evidence it works?

To my knowledge, the Midnite sleep aid hasn’t undergone clinical trials to test how safe and effective it is. Because it’s classed as a supplement in the US, it’s not required to undergo the same rigorous testing as medicines.

So like many supplements, the statements ‘For occasional sleeplessness’ and ‘Fall asleep faster without any grogginess’ have an asterisk that corresponds to the disclaimer line of ‘These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration’.

There have been studies done into the effectiveness and safety of the active ingredients, just not in this exact formula. The links at the end of this article can be used to find out more about that.

Warnings and potential side effects

It’s always wise to check with your doctor or a qualified healthcare provider that a sleep aid is safe and appropriate for you to take, even if it’s available over the counter or online. They can give you personalised advice rather than relying on the manufacturer’s guidance.

The label on the bottle I bought did list some groups of people that the manufacturer advised should not use MidNite, so it’s important to check that it will be safe for you. The label didn’t list potential side effects though.

The ingredients can cause a range of side effects in some people, so it’s important to know what to look out for. Again, consult the label carefully, consult a healthcare practitioner, and also read up on the ingredients.

The Midnite website FAQ section (not a paid link) has some information about the warnings and safety.

Further information

Here are some websites that have lots of information about the active ingredients used in Midnite:

WebMD – the chamomile page has lots of information, such as drug interactions. The website also has sections on melatonin and lavender.

Mayo Clinic – the melatonin overview page covers key points about when it might help, side effects, and interactions.

Drugs.com – covers lavender, melatonin, and chamomile.