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By Danielle St. Pierre
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What We Tested This Week: Som Sleep
Who This Is Perfect for: Anyone who struggles with occasional sleeplessness
I'll be the first one to admit that going into this sleep-water experiment, I was skeptical. As someone who has struggled with insomnia and general restlessness at night since childhood, I fully expected to not be wowed by this whole sleep-water situation.
Melatonin? Tried it. Natural sleep aids? Never cut it for me! After years of trying tons of different natural sleep aids, tinctures, and potions, I had basically just accepted my fate as an owl of the night. Hoot hoot, I'd cry from my branches cloaked in darkness!
But let the record state: Som Sleep did, indeed, help me get som sleep ... and now I am kind of hooked on the stuff. Let me start from the beginning ...
When my 12-pack of Som Sleep cans arrived, I did what I always do when testing a new product: Examined the ingredient list. I saw right away that the main ingredients were vitamin B-6 (which helps with normal brain and nervous system functionality), magnesium (a mineral essential to bodily energy production), and a proprietary blend of L-theanine, melatonin, and GABA. I was familiar with L-theanine (an amino acid found most commonly in green tea leaves) as well as melatonin from other sleep-aid products, but WTF was GABA?
Since this sleep water contains 357 milligrams of a mysterious "proprietary blend," I definitely wanted to find out before chugging a whole can before bed ... GABA (short for gamma-aminobutyric acid) as it turns out, is a chemical naturally made in the brain that can also be taken as a supplement to help with symptoms of anxiety, certain attention deficit disorders, high blood pressure, and a myriad of other health issues.
So, all skepticism aside, I was actually surprised by how relatively clean and not-scary this ingredient list was. It should be mentioned that the original Som Sleep contains 8 grams of cane sugar, though I preferred the Zero Sugar Som Sleep formula (in the lighter blue can). Both blends contain erythritol and stevia-leaf extract (natural low-calorie sweeteners), although I couldn't detect these sweeteners from the taste.
Rob Bent, cofounder and chief product officer of Som Sleep, shed a bit more light on the ingredient list for us:
"Magnesium and vitamin B-6 help ensure that your body's own sleep-regulating system is functioning properly, L-theanine and GABA help calm your mind for sleep, and melatonin jumpstarts the natural process of falling asleep."
For one week (seven nights), I drank my 8-ounce can of Som Sleep 30 minutes before bed per the instructions. Although the first night brought no significant change to my sleep schedule (this was on a Monday night, and for some reason I always sleep horribly on Monday nights regardless of any supplements, so I was honestly not surprised), the rest of the week was a different story.
Each night I drank the Zero Sugar Som Sleep formula at 11 p.m. Approximately 20 to 30 minutes after finishing the can, I felt markedly more drowsy, relaxed, and calm. Not only did I fall asleep within 30 minutes of drinking Som, but I also felt significantly more relaxed before dozing off each night. I kind of couldn't believe it. Although I did wake up at 2 a.m. on the dot for two nights out of my seven-night trial run to go to the bathroom (it's kind of a lot of liquid to chug before bed), I never felt drowsy or groggy the following morning.
In fact, I felt totally rested, refreshed, and like I had slept super soundly.
The taste is also pretty damn delicious. Both the Zero Sugar and original formula have a slight berry taste, similar to Vitamin Water or Gatorade.
At $28.49 for a 12-pack (that's under $3.00 per can), you really have nothing to lose.
I'm not saying Som Sleep is a miracle nectar of the gods for those who suffer from insomnia, but it did help me get a more restful night's sleep. If you're having trouble catching those zzz's, give Som Sleep a shot.
I did, and now I'm kind of obsessed.