Rethinking How Sleep Support Is Made

We started RestEase because we believed sleep support could be gentler and better, from the ingredients we choose to the way every blend is formulated.

That belief became The RestEase Standard: formulas without melatonin, ingredients chosen with care, and a promise to never treat today's standard as the finish line.

Evidence review

The evidence behind our formula

RestEase is a melatonin free formulation of six ingredients: ashwagandha root extract, magnesium glycinate, L-theanine, reishi mushroom extract, chamomile flower extract, and zinc glycinate. This review summarizes the published human research on each ingredient, with outcomes spanning sleep quality, relaxation, stress response, and nighttime physiology. The quantity and quality of evidence differ by ingredient and are graded accordingly.

Sleep quality

Human trials of all six ingredients have measured sleep outcomes, most commonly subjective sleep quality, insomnia severity, and sleep onset latency.

Stress response

Ashwagandha has been evaluated in randomized controlled trials measuring perceived stress, anxiety, and sleep related outcomes.

Relaxation

Magnesium, L-theanine, and chamomile have been investigated for their roles in relaxation and nervous system function.

Recovery and physiological regulation

Reishi and zinc have been studied in relation to fatigue, physiological regulation, and general well being.

Summary of findings

How evidence levels are graded
Strong (3 / 3)
Multiple human clinical studies, or a meta-analysis of randomized trials, with generally consistent findings.
Moderate (2 / 3)
Human randomized controlled trials or systematic reviews reporting sleep, relaxation, or stress outcomes, or placebo controlled trials on closely related outcomes such as fatigue.
Emerging (1 / 3)
Observational human data, combination studies, or mechanistic research. Direct clinical trials on sleep are still limited.

Ashwagandha has the most extensive sleep evidence of the six ingredients.1,2

A 2026 randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial in 200 adults measured sleep objectively by actigraphy. After eight weeks, 600 mg per day of root extract shortened sleep onset latency by 14.6 minutes, compared with 7.2 minutes for placebo.

These findings are consistent with a 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis of five randomized, placebo controlled trials (n ≈ 400 adults), in which ashwagandha root extract produced a small but statistically significant improvement in overall sleep compared with placebo, with larger effects at 600 mg per day or more and over eight weeks or longer.

Ashwagandha rootWithania somnifera

−14.6 min

faster sleep onset at eight weeks, vs −7.2 min with placebo (2026 RCT, n = 200)1,2

  1. Meta-analysisHighest
  2. Randomized trials
  3. Observational
  4. Mechanistic

WHY THIS MATTERS

Psychological stress and impaired sleep are closely linked. Ashwagandha has been evaluated for outcomes in both domains, including sleep quality, sleep onset, and perceived stress.*

Magnesium bisglycinate modestly reduced insomnia severity in a 2025 randomized trial.3,4

In a 2025 double blind, placebo controlled trial, 155 adults reporting poor sleep took 250 mg of elemental magnesium as bisglycinate, or placebo, nightly for four weeks. Insomnia Severity Index scores fell by 3.9 points with magnesium versus 2.3 with placebo (p = 0.049), a small effect.

This is the same glycinate form used in RestEase. An earlier 2021 meta-analysis of three trials in older adults found that oral magnesium may shorten sleep onset latency, although the certainty of that evidence was rated low.

Magnesium glycinate

n = 155

adults in a 2025 placebo controlled trial of magnesium bisglycinate3,4

  1. Meta-analysisHighest
  2. Randomized trials
  3. Observational
  4. Mechanistic

WHY THIS MATTERS

Magnesium is an essential mineral and a cofactor in more than 300 enzymatic reactions, including those that support normal nerve and muscle function.*

L-theanine has been associated with improved sleep quality in a 2025 meta-analysis.5

A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (18 studies, n = 897) found that L-theanine improved overall sleep quality (SMD 0.43), shortened sleep onset latency (SMD 0.15), and reduced daytime dysfunction (SMD 0.33).

The authors noted that few trials tested L-theanine on its own, and that the optimal dose and duration remain to be established.

L-theanine

18 RCTs

n = 897, pooled in a 2025 meta-analysis5

  1. Meta-analysisHighest
  2. Randomized trials
  3. Observational
  4. Mechanistic

WHY THIS MATTERS

Unlike sedative compounds, L-theanine is associated with a state of relaxed alertness, which makes it well suited to an evening wind down routine.*

Chamomile has been evaluated for subjective sleep quality across 10 clinical trials.6

A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis of 10 clinical trials (n = 772) found that chamomile improved sleep quality scores (PSQI weighted mean difference −1.88), with the most consistent benefit for nighttime awakenings. Heterogeneity between trials was high.

No improvement was observed in total sleep duration, sleep efficiency, or daytime functioning.

Chamomile flowerMatricaria chamomilla

10 trials

n = 772, pooled in a 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis6

  1. Meta-analysisHighest
  2. Randomized trials
  3. Observational
  4. Mechanistic

WHY THIS MATTERS

The evidence most consistently supports fewer nighttime awakenings and better subjective sleep quality, rather than effects on diagnosed sleep disorders.*

Reishi has been evaluated for fatigue and, more recently, chronic insomnia.7,8

In a randomized trial presented at SLEEP 2026, 218 adults with chronic insomnia took 980 mg of reishi extract or 5 mg of melatonin nightly for eight weeks. Insomnia Severity Index scores fell by 8.7 points with reishi versus 5.6 with melatonin. These results have not yet been published in a peer reviewed journal.

Earlier, a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial of 132 adults with neurasthenia found that a Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide extract taken for eight weeks reduced fatigue and improved well being relative to placebo.

Reishi mushroomGanoderma lucidum

n = 132

adults in an eight week placebo controlled trial7,8

  1. Meta-analysis
  2. Randomized trialsHighest
  3. Observational
  4. Mechanistic

WHY THIS MATTERS

Fatigue, recovery, and sleep quality are physiologically interrelated. Reishi also has a long history of use in East Asian traditional practice.*

Zinc supplementation has been associated with improved sleep quality in adults.9

A 2024 systematic review of eight randomized controlled trials found that zinc supplementation, at 10 to 73 mg per day for 4 to 48 weeks, improved sleep quality in adults in most of the included studies. No significant effect was found on diagnosed sleep disorders.

The authors called for further trials that account for dietary zinc intake and baseline zinc status.

Zinc glycinate

8 RCTs

included in a 2024 systematic review9

  1. Meta-analysis
  2. Randomized trialsHighest
  3. Observational
  4. Mechanistic

WHY THIS MATTERS

Zinc is an essential trace element required for neurotransmission, enzymatic activity, and numerous other physiological processes.*

Evidence summary

Evidence summary by ingredient
IngredientEvidence levelBest supporting evidenceAmount studied
Ashwagandha Strong 2026 RCT with actigraphy (n = 200); 2021 meta-analysis of 5 RCTs (n ≈ 400) 600 mg/day root extract
Magnesium Moderate 2025 RCT of magnesium bisglycinate (n = 155); 2021 meta-analysis 250 mg/day elemental, as bisglycinate
L-theanine Moderate 2025 meta-analysis of 18 RCTs (n = 897) Varied across trials
Chamomile Moderate 2024 meta-analysis of 10 trials (n = 772) Varied across trials
Reishi Moderate 2026 insomnia RCT (n = 218, conference data); placebo controlled RCT on fatigue (n = 132) 980 mg/day extract (2026 trial)
Zinc Moderate 2024 systematic review of 8 RCTs 10 to 73 mg/day

Doses reflect those administered in the cited studies and do not constitute dosage recommendations. RCT = randomized controlled trial; n = number of participants.

References
  1. Cheah KL, Norhayati MN, Husniati Yaacob L, Abdul Rahman R. Effect of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract on sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2021;16(9):e0257843.
  2. Movva N, Salve J, Wankhede K, Thakare V, Langade D. Comparative evaluation of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) root extract and melatonin for improving sleep quality in adults: a prospective, randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study. Clocks Sleep. 2026;8(2):15.
  3. Schuster J, Cycelskij I, Lopresti A, Hahn A. Magnesium bisglycinate supplementation in healthy adults reporting poor sleep: a randomized, placebo controlled trial. Nat Sci Sleep. 2025;17:2027–2040.
  4. Mah J, Pitre T. Oral magnesium supplementation for insomnia in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2021.
  5. Bulman A, D’Cunha NM, Marx W, Turner M, McKune A, Naumovski N. The effects of L-theanine consumption on sleep outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Med Rev. 2025;81:102076.
  6. Kazemi A, Shojaei-Zarghani S, Eskandarzadeh P, Hashempur MH. Effects of chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) on sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. Complement Ther Med. 2024;84:103071.
  7. Tang W, et al. A randomized, double blind and placebo controlled study of a Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharide extract in neurasthenia. J Med Food. 2005.
  8. Xie C. Comparing reishi mushroom versus melatonin for chronic insomnia. Abstract presented at SLEEP 2026, June 2026. Not yet peer reviewed.
  9. Shahraki Jazinaki M, Gheflati A, Shadmand Foumani Moghadam MR, et al. Effects of zinc supplementation on sleep quality in humans: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Health Sci Rep. 2024;7(10):e70019.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Findings summarized here pertain to the individual ingredients and the outcomes measured in published studies; they have not been evaluated in RestEase as a finished product.

The Five Stages of Sleep and Where RestEase Fits In

RestEase works with your body's natural sleep rhythm — results build over time.

Stage 1

Sleep Onset

(Hypnagogic State)

Beta waves shift to Alpha, breathing slows, muscle tone drops. You're drifting off, not yet asleep.

Sleep Onset
N1
Stage 2

N1

(True Light Sleep)

Theta waves, muscles quiet, eye movement stops. Lasts only minutes.

Stage 3

N2

(Deeper Light Sleep)

Heart rate and temperature drop; sleep spindles and K-complexes appear. ~50% of total sleep time; key for memory consolidation.

N2
N3
Stage 4

N3

(Deep Sleep)

Delta waves dominate. Blood pressure drops, muscles fully relax. Most physically restorative stage.

Stage 5

REM

(Rapid Eye Movement)

Brain activity spikes near-waking. Vivid dreaming, muscle paralysis. Vital for emotional regulation and creative learning.

REM