Wish you could get more winks? Our experts weigh in on what's worth a try and what you should skip (11 Photos)
Gabrielle Gayagoy on Apr 24, 2011 at 9:00PM
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Product: Dream Water
Cost: $2.99 per bottle
Claim: The natural compounds in this zero-calorie drink work together to improve the quality of sleep.
Dream Water, a 2.5-ounce shot of flavored water that consumers are directed to chug about 30 minutes before bed, claims to lull you to sleep with its proprietary blend of compounds (including melatonin and gamma-Aminobutyric acid), all of which are natural and already produced by your body. Sounds safe, right? Not according to Michael Breus, Ph.D., author of the new book, The Sleep Doctor’s Diet Plan: Lose Weight Through Better Sleep. While consuming some amounts of melatonin may be safe, taking too much of the hormone can actually disrupt your body clock, spurring other possible side effects such as cramps, dizziness and decreased libido. So how much melatonin is safe? The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends starting with around .3 mg, or the amount typically produced by the body. The verdict: "We don’t know the exact dosage [of melatonin] in this product," says Breus, so he wouldn't recommend it.
