With so many sleep aids claiming to be the best, it’s tough to find the ones that will deliver their promise. The Genius Brand is most known for their nootropics but decided to give a stab at a sleep aid. Let’s find out if it’s worth the purchase.
When looking for good sleep aid, there are several ingredients and benefits you like to see in them. Not only do you want it to make you sleep longer and faster, but you want it to improve the overall performance of your sleep.
Common ingredients that will help get this job done are L-Glycine, melatonin, L-Theanine, magnesium, tryptophan, chamomile, and lemon balm.
When looking for the right product, you’ll want to avoid the ones that include a lot of unnecessary ingredients. This is why doing a little research into each ingredient will tell you exactly what to expect.
So how did The Genius Brand do with their sleep aid product?
About The Genius Brand
Founded in 2015, according to their Facebook page, The Genius Brand offers a wide range of different supplement products available in powder and capsules.
The list is extensive, including supplements targeting BCAA, protein, digestion, estrogen, heart, caffeine, sleep, muscle, joy, consciousness, electrolytes, pre-workout, carbs, and more!
The Genius Sleep Aid promises to do three main things: get you to sleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up more refreshed. In addition to this, they claim to also provide adrenal support. A limited amount of melatonin help keeps this supplement non-habit-forming.
Looking further into their website, they also offer something called the “Genius Promise.” This promise states that all ingredients used in their products are clinically tested and proven. It also says that anyone unsatisfied with their purchase can receive a refund or exchange the product within 30 days.
What’s In Genius Sleep Aid?
After looking at the ingredients on the back label, you’ll find some ingredients that are expected and some that aren’t as common in sleep aids. We mentioned above some of the ingredients you’d like to see, so let’s take a look at what Genius Sleep Aid offers:
- L-Glycine
- L-Theanine
- Rutaecarpine
- Melatonin
- Inositol
- Hypromellose
- Organic Rice Hulls
- Ascorbyl Palmitate
As you can see, there are definitely some ingredients that make this a good sleep aid — L-Glycine, L-Theanine, and Melatonin. Melatonin is very popular in almost all sleep aids, like Luna Gentle Sleep Aid and Alteril. As well as L-Theanine which can also be found in many others, such as Nocturest. Other ingredients, like Rutaecarpine and Inositol, are less common in sleep aids and more common in nootropics.
Hypromellose (vegetable capsule), organic rice hulls (replaced silica), and ascorbyl palmitate (Vitamin C) are also included to help make the product more healthy.
Let’s do a quick breakdown of each ingredient and how they relate to helping you sleep better at night.
L-Glycine
L-Glycine is a simple amino acid that is commonly found in sleep aids. It will improve your mood and sleep cycle by helping the body produce serotonin. This amino acid is often found in protein-rich foods and is naturally produced by the body.
Other health benefits associated with L-Glycine are protection against muscle loss, protection against heart disease, reducing the amount of liver damage caused by alcohol consumption, and it is a powerful component of glutathione — an antioxidant produced by the body.
L-Theanine
L-Theanine is another amino acid and is commonly found in tea. It is a nootropic that enhances both focus and mood. It is known to affect serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain, which will also help people deal with stress.
Other health benefits linked to theanine are weight loss, improved immune system, lowering blood pressure, and supporting some cancer drugs.
Rutaecarpine
Rutaecarpine is rarely found in sleep aids, but I can understand why The Genius Brand might include it — especially for coffee lovers. It is found in the plant evodia rutaecarpa and will help eliminate caffeine from the body much quicker than normal.
It works by negating the caffeine, limiting the exposure, and then expediting its excretion from the body. As a result, consumers will fall asleep quicker.
This ingredient is not scientifically proven to work on humans.
Melatonin
Melatonin is a very key ingredient to many sleep aids, mainly because it is the body’s own sleep hormone made by the pineal gland. The Melatonin is typically released at night since the pineal gland is “inactive” throughout most of the day.
When Melatonin is released into the bloodstream, it makes you feel less alert and drowsy. It’s important to note that even being in a brightly-lit room can prevent melatonin from being produced — even if it’s night time.
Melatonin is one of the most effective sleep aids and can be found in most popular sleep supplements, like Dream Water and Olly Sleep.
Inositol
Inositol is found in beans, grains, fruits, and nuts, but is also produced in the body depending on the carbohydrates you eat. Despite commonly being referred to as Vitamin B8, Inositol is known as a sugar and not a vitamin.
There are many health benefits that Inositol provides, including treatment for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, panic disorders, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar. It is also known to improve mental health.
It is not commonly found in sleep aids.
Dosage, Pricing & Packaging
When deciding if Genius Sleep Aid is the right product for you, you’ll want to know you’re getting the most bang for your buck. Make sure the sleep aid is one that will work with your schedule and habits.
Genius Sleep Aid comes in a white and orange plastic container with the logo centred on the front. On the container, they advertise the product being “All-Natural,” “Sleep Support,” and “Bio-Optimizing Sleep Aid & Adrenal Support.”
For the price of $19.95 on Amazon — cheaper than the $24.99 price on their website — you’ll receive a container with 40 veggie capsules. They suggest taking two veggie capsules before bed five days per week, with two days off.
Taking that schedule into account, you can expect a container to last you about a month, making this a $20/month investment. That’s a pretty standard price among competitors.
Pros vs. Cons
Genius Sleep Aid will offer several benefits, which is found by looking at the ingredients. Like most products, there will also be some things to consider before purchasing. Many times, there could be a different brand that offers the same pros with fewer cons or the same pros and cons at a cheaper price.
Let’s take a look at what The Genius Brand offers in their sleep aid.
Pros
- L-Glycine affects both mood and sleep cycle
- L-Theanine is a nootropic that enhances your focus and mood
- Rutaecarpine is useful to heavy coffee drinkers, eliminating caffeine from the body before bed
- A small dose of melatonin will limit dependency
- Inositol will help stabilize mental health
- Veggie capsules make it more healthy
- Generally believed to be safe for vegans and vegetarians
- The Genius Brand offers plenty other “stackable” product
Cons
- More of a nootropic than a big-time sleep aid
- Would like to see chamomile or lemon balm, which isn’t included
- Complaints of sleep interruptions and upset stomach
- Doesn’t work for everyone, like most supplements
- More of a niche product for a select few
- Rutaecarpine is not scientifically proven to work on humans
Genius Sleep Aid Alternatives
As I mentioned above, this is more of a product that will appeal to a select few that want minor sleep support with added benefits — caffeine detox, improved cognitive function. If this is what you’re looking for, don’t hesitate in purchasing.
Likewise, if you’re looking for something that focuses more on your sleep and less on your cognitive function, there are some sleep aids I think you’ll like.
Utzzz’s Stay Asleep
Although this brand is a little more expensive and comes with a higher dose (4 capsules 1 hour before bed), it comes as one of the most sought after sleep aids on the market.
Utzzz’s Stay Asleep is packed with a powerful mix of top sleep aid ingredients, including magnesium, melatonin, chamomile, tryptophan, and L-Theanine.
Another reason this is a top pick among consumers is how transparent the company is. You can find detailed information on each of their ingredients and how they are made and tested directly on their website.
OLLY Restful Sleep
For those of you that aren’t too fond of capsules, OLLY Restful Sleep comes in a gummy. This sleep aid includes a standard dose of melatonin (3mg), but adds a healthy balance of L-Theanine, chamomile, and lemon balm extract.
Even better, these gummies are a little more affordable than the others. For 50 capsules (suggested 2-3 per day), you can find them for just $13 on Amazon.
You can’t really go wrong with OLLY, which features most of the main ingredients you’d want in a sleep aid.
Claims vs. Reality
Earlier in this review, we mentioned that Genius Sleep Aid claims to do several things in helping you sleep better. It will help you get to bed quicker, stay in bed longer, and make your sleep much more enjoyable and soothing.
In addition to that, the company claims to add adrenal support by eliminating caffeine from the body.
Looking at the ingredients, you will definitely experience improvement in your sleep and feel more ready in the mornings. The L-Theanine and L-Glycine will help to relieve anxiety and stress, while the melatonin will help you sleep.
In addition, the Rutaecarpine is added to help eliminate caffeine from your body, which it seems to do based on various testimonials.
There have been reports of sleep interruption throughout the night, but this was only the case in a few consumers. There were also reports of an upset stomach, but this is likely a result of these products not being made for everyone.
I will note that the small dosage of melatonin differs from other sleep aids, which tend to load their product with it. As a result, a lot of consumers experience feeling drowsy in the mornings when taking a sleep aid product. This was not the case with Genius Sleep Aid.
Overall, the product does what it says it will do, while limiting the amount of side effects. For someone just starting out with sleep aids, this would be a great choice. If you feel you aren’t getting what you need from it, take advantage of the return policy and get one with more melatonin.
Final Verdict
Make no mistake about it, this a great product for someone looking to improve their sleep at night. Although I have found better products that give you more bang for your buck, I would definitely suggest this to beginners.
The low amount of melatonin is nice for those that want to avoid becoming dependent on it. This will work well as an enhancer that teaches your body healthy habits when sleeping. If you do find that you love this product and want more melatonin, it is sold separately for cheap.
I still believe adding chamomile or lemon balm extracts would make this product a little better. Overall, I would recommend Genius Sleep Aid to someone getting their feet wet with sleep aids.