This ‘water’ may offer a safer alternative to sleeping pills

Simone Olivero
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Didn’t get a good night’s sleep last night? You’re not alone.

Turns out more than half of Canadians are sleep deprived in some way. Blame it on our busy lifestyles, stress, kids, work and social obligations. But what if there was a way to get a better night’s sleep without resorting to prescription sleeping pills?

ALSO SEE: Yes, sleep loss really does lead to overeating – here’s how to beat it

Dream Water, which recently launched in Canada, is a non-prescription sleep aid that promises to help you “fall asleep, stay asleep and wake up feeling refreshed.”

“Everyone needs a good night’s sleep, but in today’s world of constant connectivity that’s getting harder and harder to do,” says Stephen Dick, Chief Executive Officer, Dream Water Canada.

“We’re thrilled to bring Dream Water to Canada, offering Canadians a way to sleep naturally with three key ingredients, melatonin, GABA and 5-HTP that help you fall asleep naturally, stay asleep and wake up feeling refreshed.”

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(photos: Dream Water)

Melatonin

Melatonin has been used as a sleep aid for years. A hormone made by the pineal gland in the brain, it helps regulate your body’s internal clock, controling sleep and wake cycles.

GABA

Also called gamma-Aminobutyric acid, this is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that helps calm the body, reducing excitability in the nervous system.

5-HTP

An amino acid, 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) increases the production of serotonin, which can help with sleep deprivation, depression, appetite and sexual drive, among other things.

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For best results, Dream Water suggests starting with a healthy bedtime routine:

  1. Set a sleep schedule and stick with it

  2. Make sure your bedroom is cool, dark and quiet

  3. Avoid caffeine and stimulants in the evening

  4. Power down an hour before bed: dim the lights and turn off all of your devices

  5. Be smart about napping: limit your nap to 30 minutes and don’t nap to close to bed time

Then, 30 minutes before lights out, down the entire 74 ml bottle and wait for the sweet dreams to come and find you.

ALSO SEE: Eating more fibre can help you sleep better

Curious to see if this actually worked, we had a sleep deprived editor at Yahoo Canada try some out to see if it brought her sweet dreams.

And it did! Well, sort of.

“I could only drink about half of the bottle,” she says. “It was really sweet, almost like a Red Bull, which wasn’t what I expected.”

While she does admit that she fell asleep quicker than usual and had a deeper than normal sleep, she found that she had to go to the bathroom more often throughout the night.

“I got up like six times!”

Note: This editor is a longtime sleep sufferer who’s tried pretty much everything out there – including prescription sleep meds. While she doesn’t dismiss Dream Water’s effectiveness, personally she would prefer to stick with a more “dry” option, that won’t have her running to the washroom all night.

Would you try Dream Water to help you get a better night’s sleep? Let us know by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA.