Overthinkers like me would know how hard it is to fall asleep at night. From the next day’s breakfast to work deadlines, I find my brain worrying continuously about situations beforehand when I’m in bed staring at the ceiling. As such, feeling tired almost every day has been the norm for me.
As an attempt to resolve my sleeping issue, I’ve tried different methods like using a sleeping guide app, and applying essential oils before bedtime. While those work to a certain extent, I wanted to see long term results. So over the period of one week, I was introduced to Avalon’s Passion Flower Sleep Gummies to see if my sleeping patterns and chronic insomnia would improve.
Ever since I stepped into the working industry in 2018, taking more than an hour to fall asleep was nothing new for me. On days when I felt more stressed, I would even wake up in the middle of the night for no reason. Sometimes I managed to fall back asleep, but on other days, I wasn’t so lucky.
For the first night of my week-long trial, I took two sleep gummies, 30 minutes before my sleeping time as instructed. Like standard gummies, they had a chewy texture similar to pastilles, tasted slightly sweet, and came in the shape of stars.
Besides being a non-GMO product, the sleep gummies are also free from sugar, gelatin, allergen, melatonin, and are suitable for vegans. I don’t think they’re considered a healthy snack before bed per se, but hey, let me pretend.
Perhaps because I was just starting out the routine, I wasn’t able to feel any drastic difference from the first night ‒ I still fell asleep only about an hour after lying in bed.
As mentioned earlier, essential oils only work on me to a certain extent as the fragrances can sometimes be too overwhelming. Unlike those, the sleep gummies gave off a subtle scent that was more calming and pleasant. Think lightly-scented diffusers which emit an aroma that boost your mood.
I realised this was due to the gummies’ ingredients like Passion Flower extract, which has calming properties that relax brain activities. Also on the ingredient list is Lemon Balm extract, a powerful antioxidant that is used medically for sleep and restlessness.
On the second night, I felt more relaxed, and found myself thinking significantly less about the next day’s work.
After the third night, I was surprised the next morning to realise I had fallen asleep less than an hour after lying on my bed the night before. While I still took more than 30 minutes to doze off into dreamland, I was definitely thinking and worrying less.
Apart from that new change, I also found it easier for me to fall back asleep when I woke up in the middle of the night for a pee break.
As someone with sensitive and acne-prone skin, having poor sleep usually means an impending breakout.
Ever since I started the gummies, however, I noticed how my acne breakouts lessened. With a seemingly better sleep cycle at night, my skin condition also improved slightly with less obvious dark circles and eye bags. While the changes were minimal – and initially assumed to be psychological – my colleague’s compliment that I looked “refreshed” the next day did affirm my thoughts.
Night 5 was a pleasant surprise as I woke up only when my alarm rang the next morning ‒ which meant I was able to sleep for 8 hours without waking up in the middle of the night. The last time I recalled falling asleep so peacefully was when I was out on a full-day hiking trail overseas, before I knocked out that night.
As ingredients like GABA and L-Theanine are used in the sleeping gummies, they perhaps helped to ease my anxiety and initiate a healthier sleeping pattern which was starting to take effect.
Blame it on a food coma or the warm weather, but on most days around 3pm, I would find it hard to stay awake and concentrate on work. But since I was sleeping more, and sleeping with quality, I felt much more refreshed throughout my day. It wasn’t a radical change but I could definitely focus on work more easily.
Plus, I was less grumpy in the morning, and my mood improved significantly during the day.
After a whole week of consuming the sleep gummies at night, my new sleep cycle provided me with more energy to get things done throughout the day. I even attended a ballet class without feeling tired afterwards, when usually I would be dozing off on the night bus home.
At the end of the week, I could tell that my sleeping problems improved slowly, yet steadily.
I really liked how the sleep gummies were true to their name, as they literally provided me with more sleep and helped me to fall asleep faster, reducing time taken from an hour to 30 minutes. While I still woke up in the middle of the night sometimes, I was glad that the frequency dropped.
For someone like me who has been struggling with sleeping for several years, I was amazed that the sleep gummies actually worked. Not only do they taste great and make a cute nightly snack, but they were also fuss-free, and provided a pleasing, calming scent for bedtime.
Melatonin aka sleep hormones is mostly prescribed for those who have trouble falling asleep. However, long term intake of melatonin can have side effects on the body, and the best way is to find an alternate solution.
Enter Avalon’s Passion Flower Sleep Gummies, Singapore’s first 5-HTP sleep gummies, which only use natural extracts that assist relaxation in the form of chewy bites that we’re all too familiar with.
For the unacquainted, 5-HTP is a necessary building block to boost serotonin levels, which in turn converts into melatonin. Rather than consuming melatonin directly, 5-HTP is a better sleeping aid as your body will learn to produce the building blocks naturally.
Apart from the ingredients mentioned earlier ‒ Passion Flower and Lemon Balm extract, GABA, and L-Theanine ‒ the sleep gummies include Vitamin B6 which helps the body regulate amino acid tryptophan levels. With that, natural melatonin production is enhanced, and you’ll move closer to bidding farewell to restless nights.
Note that the sleep gummies are also non-groggy and has no reliance after effects, so you won’t have to worry about feeling lethargic after waking up.
For those who have trouble falling asleep, Avalon’s Passion Flower Sleep Gummies are worth a shot to see if they help you achieve more peaceful sleep as they did for me.
Currently retailing at an introductory price of $23.90 per bottle (U.P $29.90), the Passion Flower Sleep Gummies are available on Avalon’s official website. ZULA readers will receive an additional $3 discount with the promotional code, ZULA3, when they purchase the Avalon Dreamers Bundle Set. The code will be valid until 22 April 2022.
Apart from these perks, Avalon is also holding a giveaway where 3 winners will walk home with a grand prize each – a Avalon Dreamers Bundle Set worth $100. Don’t be disappointed if you’re not chosen as 30 participants will also receive $10 off the Avalon Dreamers Bundle Set.
To participate, you have to first fill up your details on Avalon’s website. Next, share Avalon’s giveaway post on either your Instagram story, tagging ZULA and Avalon’s official Instagram, or your Facebook timeline which is set to public. To up your chances of winning, make sure to also tag your friends on the giveaway post.
This post is sponsored by Avalon.
Photography by Loo Jie Ling.
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