L-Theanine - 200 MG
L-theanine is a non-essential amino acid found most commonly in the leaves of the green tea plant.
It can improve the health and functions of your body, brain, and immune system. It is a widely used sleep aid ingredient, as it can help to promote a feeling of calm. This will help you to relax and focus, feel free from anxiety, depression, and stress, and avoid developing any sleep issues.
With 200 mg of l-theanine being the upper end of the optimal daily dosage, it also means that the Nested Naturals Luna Sleep Aid formula starts out pretty strong (1).
Valerian Root Extract - 150 MG
Valerian root is a mild, natural sedative that works by interacting with the pineal gland in the brain. This causes it to increase the production of certain neurotransmitters, leading to a reduction in stress and anxiety levels, which will make it much easier for you to drift off to sleep quickly each night (2).
Unfortunately, while more studies are needed to determine precisely what level it delivers these effects to, most agree that you need to consume around 450 mg per day for it to really benefit your sleep. This means the 150 mg of valerian root in each serving of the Nested Naturals Luna Sleep Aid is simply not enough.
Chamomile Flower Extract - 150 MG
Chamomile flower extract is well known for its ability to induce relaxation, which occurs thanks to the presence of a chemical called apigenin. This has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety, help people feel calm, and make it easier to fall asleep, stay asleep, and enjoy a healthy sleep cycle (3).
It can even help to prevent the development of issues like inflammation and digestion, which are known to cause sleep disorders like insomnia.
However, for chamomile to be able to produce any of these benefits, you need to be consuming at least 1.1 grams per day. As the Nested Naturals Luna Sleep Aid contains just 150 mg of chamomile flower extract in every serving, it just is not going to be enough to be of any use.
Passionflower Extract (Whole Plant) - 100 MG
Passionflower extract has long been used in traditional medicine in the Americas, due to the belief that it can be used to either treat or prevent anxiety, hysteria, insomnia, and seizures, while also being able to boost sleep latency.
They say that it achieves these effects as it causes to pineal gland to increase its production of gamma-aminobutyric acid, a type of neurotransmitter.
The problem is, limited clinical studies on its effects have been conducted, and even those which believe it can benefit your sleep cycle say that its effects are mild. This means that it adds minimal benefits to the Nested Naturals Luna Sleep Aid, if it does anything at all (4).
Lemon Balm Extract (Whole Plant) - 100 MG
Lemon balm extract comes from a plant in the mint family that is rich in vitamin c and various minerals. Its supporters claim that it can provide a variety of health benefits, including making you feel relaxed and less anxious, boosting your mood and brain functions, and helping to relieve stress.
The issue is, none of the claimed benefits of lemon balm extract have ever been proven. This means its inclusion in the Nested Naturals Luna Sleep Aid is more likely to do nothing than it is to benefit your health or sleep quality in any way (5).
Hops Flower Extract - 100 MG
Hops flower extract is an antioxidant that is also believed to have mild sedative properties. Its supporters claim that it can relieve depression, stress, and tension, make you feel less anxious, prevent issues such as insomnia, make falling asleep much easier, and promote a healthy sleep wake cycle (6).
Unfortunately, studies also show that an absolute minimum of 300 mg of hops extract is required each day in order to produce these results, which is triple the amount that is present in the Nested Naturals Luna Sleep Aid.
Meanwhile, other studies have shown that it can increase your appetite, which can lead to overeating and the development of certain sleep disorders. This means that not only is it possible that it won't do you any good, but it could even make you gain weight or make your sleep problems even worse.
GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) - 100 MG
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is a neurotransmitter produced by the pineal gland in the brain of all mammal adults. Its main job in the body is to inhibit the activity of the receptors in the neural system which control excitability.
Studies show that people with higher levels of GABA in their system have lower physiological and mental stress levels, are less likely to become anxious, can achieve greater levels of relaxation and calmness, and will tend to fall asleep faster and achieve a higher quality of restful sleep (7).
Yet again though, the recommended daily intake of gamma-aminobutyric acid required to produce these effects is far higher than the dosage used in the Nested Naturals Luna Sleep Aid, so its presence is unfortunately highly unlikely to do you any good at all.
Melatonin - 6 MG
Melatonin is considered by many to be the king of all sleep aid ingredients. A hormone naturally produced and secreted by the pineal gland in brain of every human, it is vital to ensure that you enter REM sleep (the most restful kind) and to help support a healthy sleep wake cycle (8).
Research shows that taking a sleep aid which contains melatonin is a great way to help you fall asleep fast, and then enjoy a deep sleep of a high quality that lasts the whole night. In order to produce these effects, you need to consume at least 5 mg of melatonin per day.
As the Nested Naturals Luna Sleep Aid contains 6 mg of melatonin in every serving, this is another rare instance where it actually contains a sufficient dose of an effective ingredient, although it is still weaker than many other dietary supplements of this kind, such as RestAgain.
Other Ingredients
Outside of its special blend of herbs, the Nested Naturals Luna Sleep Aid also contains rice flour and vegetable cellulose.
The flour is used to thicken, stabilise, and preserve the powder, while the vegetable cellulose is used to create the capsule in which it is contained. Neither ingredient adds any positive or negative effects to the sleep aid.
Pros
Contains some ingredients that have been proven to offer amazing results in other sleep aid supplements
Very reasonably priced
Cons
The majority of the ingredients in its herbal blend have not been conclusively proven to help you sleep
Some of the ingredients that are proven to support sleep are present in doses that are too low to allow them to do so
Previous customers have complained about it not working, causing side effects, and having an unpleasant taste and smell.
Resources:
1 - ​https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6836118/
2 - https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Valerian-HealthProfessional/
3 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2995283/
4 - https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/passionflower
5 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4245564/
6 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8868281/
7 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7527439/
8 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4273450/