Vitafusion SleepWell Review

Vitafusion SleepWell is a non-prescription sleep aid that’s sold online and in some stores in the United States. There are different versions of it – the one I tried contains melatonin, passionflower, chamomile, and lemon balm.

Interestingly, melatonin doesn’t require a prescription in the US as it’s considered a supplement rather than a medicine. That’s a key reason you’re unlikely to find it in Europe.

Melatonin is different from many sleep aids in that it’s thought to be better for regulating your body clock in situations like jet lag or shift work. It’s not a one-size-fits-all sleep aid for anyone with insomnia.

I decided to test it for a week to see if it would help fix my out-of-whack sleep pattern, which had been disrupted by traveling.

In this review, I’ll talk about my experience using SleepWell for the week. And I’ll also discuss some useful points if you’re thinking of trying it yourself.

My experience

I took SleepWell the night I got back from a trip abroad. My sleep pattern was around three hours in advance of what it usually would be. So I hoped the melatonin would help shift my bedtime earlier.

The label just says to take them ‘prior to sleep event’. I interpreted that as 30 minutes before, and on an empty stomach.

I took two gummies, which is the suggested dosage. They have a sweet flavor and are very easy to chew – one reason why it’s good to keep them out of young children’s reach!

I’ve had comments from readers before about children who’ve found a bottle of melatonin gummies and eaten several.

A noticeable sedative effect

I went to bed and read a book straight after taking the gummies, which is what I always do so I can keep an eye out for any noticeable sedative effect.

I wasn’t expecting to sense anything physical, but I did. In about 45 minutes, I started to feel quite drowsy. I was admittedly tired anyway, but I couldn’t read any longer and turned the light off.

Disorientated in the night

I remember waking up a few hours later and going to the bathroom. I was still half asleep and kind of stumbled out of the bedroom in a daze.

I went back to sleep almost instantly and then woke up seven and a half hours after first falling asleep. That’s the ideal amount of sleep for me, so I was quite happy about that.

Some grogginess in the morning

When I woke up, it felt like I was waking from a very deep sleep. I usually wake up feeling instantly alert, but it took me around 30 minutes to shake the groggy feeling.

It wasn’t as bad as the grogginess of antihistamine sleep aids like Nytol or Sominex, however, which is stronger and tends to linger for much longer.

No other side effects

Other than a briefly cloudy head and heavy eyes, I didn’t notice any other side effects. I didn’t remember any vivid dreams either, which is often reported with melatonin.

The rest of the week

I took the same dosage of SleepWell every night for the rest of the week. On five of those nights, I got between seven and eight hours’ sleep, which is great. On two nights, it dropped back down to six and a half, which is still ok for me.

Interestingly, I had the same effects as the first night all week. Disorientated when waking in the night to go to the bathroom and a brief heavy feeling upon waking.

Sleep tracker data

I don’t usually report what my sleep trackers say about my sleep stages when I review sleep aids, as they are never 100% reliable.

However, there was a strong pattern this week which interested me. Every day, without exception, my total REM sleep jumped significantly.

I actually felt on fine form all week during the day, and was able to perform consistently well in my sports. So perhaps there was an increase in REM sleep, and it was doing me good.

Conclusion for the week

I feel that the SleepWell gummies worked well for me. I got a good amount of sleep all week, and my sleep schedule adjusted to the local time quickly. I felt good during the day, could work and exercise well, and the side effects were minimal.

My only concern was the disorientated feeling when waking in the night. On reflection, I think I stumbled to the bathroom on a couple of occasions with worse coordination than I should have.

I’d also be very wary of keeping them anywhere children can get to them. They seem to glow attractively in light, look like sweets, and definitely taste like them.

In the photo below you can see how the gummies glow and look like sweets:

Further information

Ingredients

The label lists the active ingredients per serving (two gummies) as:

• Melatonin 3 mg
• Passionflower extract 4.25 mg
• Chamomile flower extract 4.25 mg
• Lemon balm leaf extract 4 mg

Additional non-active ingredients listed are:

• Maltitol
• Gelatin
• Water
• Citric acid
• Color (annatto extract)
• Fractionated coconut oil (with beeswax and/or carnauba wax)
• Lactic acid
• Natural flavors
• Sucralose

Note that the gummies are gluten-free, but do contain tree nuts.

Dosage

The suggested dosage is two gummies prior to sleep. I found that taking them 30 to 60 minutes before bed worked well.

Who is Vitafusion SleepWell intended for?

Since Vitafusion SleepWell falls into the category of food supplements, it doesn’t require the same rigid testing and regulation that medicines do to be approved for use for specific conditions.

The label says the melatonin in the gummies provides:

• Help with jet lag
• Sleep cycle regulation
• Awake refreshed

Bu then the label also states:

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, cure or prevent any disease…this product is not intended to treat insomnia or other sleep disorders.

That’s a common statement you’ll find with many over the counter sleep aids that contain melatonin and/or herbal ingredients.

Precautions and side effects

The label doesn’t have much information about possible side effects and interactions.

It has the following advice:

• Not for children under 16
• Don’t exceed the suggested dose
• Don’t take when driving, operating machinery or conducting any activity requiring alertness (it causes drowsiness of course)
• You should take to a medical practitioner before using it if you are pregnant or nursing, taking any other medication or have any medical condition

As it’s a supplement and not a medicine, there’s no requirement to list possible side effects. However, melatonin can cause many different side effects, even though most people tolerate it well.

My advice is to research and understand the risks before you decide to take this, or any other melatonin product.

What others say

At the time of writing, Vitafusion SleepWell gets good customer reviews on various online stores. At Amazon.com it has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars, from 300+ customers.

There are a low number of 1 and 2 star reviews, which is quite unusual for sleep aids and speaks well for the product.

140+ customers on Costco.com give it an average of 4.4 out of 5.

Your experience

Have you tried the SleepWell gummies? Let me know your experience in the comments below.