Now, sleep supplements and sleeping tablets tend to be different. You won’t get prescribed sleep supplements by your GP, because they tend to be made from natural minerals and ingredients that support the body’s natural sleeping processes rather than heavy duty sedatives.

Instead, the two big ingredients to look out for, according to Dr Karina Patel, director of the London Sleep Centre, are:

Magnesium

“Magnesium is the big sleep mineral as it can activate something called your parasympathetic nervous system,” says Dr Patel. “When you’re asleep, you want to try to be as much in the parasympathetic nervous system zone as possible as this will help you stay calm and relaxed. Magnesium can also regulate certain neurotransmitters, which send signals to your brain to help you relax.”

5-HTP

5-HTP is a compound that increases the amount of serotonin in the brain. That excess serotonin gets converted into melatonin (the stuff that makes you tired) when your eyes detect darkness.

“Serotonin is associated with things like anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders, which are all within one bubble of problems. By working on the serotonin levels, it benefits all of those things,” she says. If you struggle with late night spiralling, then 5-HTP might help to soothe those anxious thoughts.

Do sleep supplements actually work? An expert explains which ingredients to look out for