Relaxium is a sleep brand that claims it can help users fall asleep faster, sleep longer, and wake up more refreshed. The brand's website claims that the supplement is "clinically studied."
But is Relaxium actually proven to work in clinical studies? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? Why was the brand sued? And what was our Product Tester's honest experience trying Relaxium for a month?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we share our concerns about the clinical research backing Relaxium.
We'll also analyze the ingredients in Relaxium, share our Product Tester's insights after trying this supplement for 30 days, and explain why the company was sued.
Key takeaways:
- Relaxium's own study found the supplement did not improve sleep
- Our Product Tester tried Relaxium and experienced no benefits
- We do not currently recommend Relaxium
Questionable Clinical Study on Relaxium
Relaxium claims that their supplement is clinically studied.
However, the "clinical trial" backing their supplement does not appear to be published in any peer-reviewed journals like the research we cite on Illuminate Health.
It's just a PDF posted to their website which is sponsored by American Behavioral Research Institute; the same company that manufactures Relaxium.
It's not particularly convincing when a supplement manufacturer sponsors a study proving their own product works, and we recommend that consumers entirely disregard such clinical trials, and only consider research published in peer-reviewed journals.
We're not the only ones who find this business practice questionable.
According to the Arkansas Times, Relaxium was sued in a class-action lawsuit in 2022 related to some of its clinical claims, and has since settled.
The above-linked article documents that Relaxium's own study found that the supplement did not improve sleep.
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in RELAXIUM Sleep are shown below:
Magnesium has been clinically shown to be effective for sleep, but may be underdosed in Relaxium.
A 2021 meta-review on magnesium supplementation for sleep found that it was effective, but the lowest dose in all of the examined studies was 320 milligrams (mg) daily, or 3.2x the amount in Relaxium.
L-tryptophan is an amino acid that can be effective for sleep, but a medical review published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research suggests its effective dose is over 1,000 mg, while the amount in Relaxium is only 500 mg.
GABA is included at a dose of 100 mg.
This compound is a neurotransmitter that’s directly involved with sleep function. Clinical research has shown that GABA supplementation can improve sleep duration and reduce nighttime wakefulness, and the dose in Relaxium appears to be at the low end of the effective range.
Chamomile is included at 75 mg, which may also be underdosed.
A medical review published in the Phytotherapy Research journal analyzed results from six clinical trials on chamomile and sleep, and the typical dosage was around 400 mg.
Passionflower was shown in a 2011 clinical trial to improve sleep quality.
Melatonin is one of the most well-studied natural sleep aids, and as we documented in our review of Dr. Teal's Sleep Spray, it's clinically proven to work.
The 5 mg dose in Relaxium is an effective dose.
Overall, we consider Relaxium somewhat likely to be effective for improving sleep quality and duration, although we consider a majority of its active ingredients to be underdosed.
All of the active ingredients in Relaxium appear to have research backing.
One benefit of this supplement is that it's free of any harmful additive ingredients.
We Tested Relaxium
One of our product testers named Joshua Martinez tried Relaxium for 30 days. Here's his experience:
Using Relaxium was no different than any other supplement capsule product. The package came sealed, and none of the capsules were damaged during transit.
There was no distinguishable taste when taking Relaxium.
I tried this product off-and-on comparing a normal night's rest with a night's rest after taking this supplement, and didn’t notice any difference in sleep quality.
I expected this product to make me drowsy and ready to sleep, but as long as I stayed out of bed I didn’t experience these effects.
I did not experience any side effects while using Relaxium.
I would not purchase this product over a generic melatonin product. Even though this isn’t an expensive product, I would rather save and get a higher dosage of generic melatonin from the grocery store.
Overall, I would rate Relaxium 2/10, and I do not plan on purchasing it in the future.
Does Relaxium Cause Side Effects?
There are no ingredients in Relaxium's formulation that stand out to us as likely to cause side effects.
Melatonin may cause slight daytime drowsiness according to a 2016 medical review.
Valerian may have a slight stimulating effect in a minority of users, and cause restlessness, according to a 2020 meta-analysis.
The clinical trial on Relaxium funded by the manufacturer that we cited in the first section states the following:
"Adverse events reported for Relaxium were drowsiness/sleepiness, headache, uneasy stomach, and waking up during normal sleep patterns."
The percentage of trial participants who experienced these effects does not appear to be reported.
Relaxium vs. Popular Sleep Supps
Here's how Relaxium compares to other popular sleep supplements in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
Olly Sleep
Contains refined, added sugar, which is clinically shown to have negative health consequences when consumed in excess.
Many Americans already consume too much added sugar in their diet, so we generally recommend avoiding added sugar in supplements (unless it's from an unrefined source and included at a moderate dose).
Winner: Relaxium
Peptiva
Contains an inactive ingredient which is banned in the EU over toxicity concerns, as we documented in our Peptiva review article.
Relaxium has no ingredients we consider questionable, so we give the brand the edge from a health perspective.
Winner: Relaxium
Inositol
This single-ingredient supplement is clinically shown to support optimal sleep quality, so we give inositol the edge from a potential efficacy perspective, given the results of Relaxium's clinical trial.
Winner: Inositol
Our Clean Sleep Picks
Ritual BioSeries Melatonin is our top premium sleep supplement.
It provides an effective dose of melatonin, which is clinically shown to improve sleep quality, and which is arguably the best-studied compound for sleep support.
Nolah Weighted Bamboo Blanket is a great option for consumers who prefer non-supplement solutions for sleep. Weighted blankets are clinically shown to improve sleep quality in both older adults and in children, and early research suggests they may also reduce anxiety.
Both of the products recommended in this section are free of ingredients or materials that we consider to be unhealthy.
Relaxium Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Contains research-backed ingredients
- Some active ingredients appear effectively dosed
- Zero unhealthy additive ingredients
- Healthier than some competitors
- Unlikely to cause side effects in healthy adults
Cons:
-
Most active ingredients are underdosed in our opinion
- Sued over false advertising and settled
- Questionable clinical and health claims
- Our Product Tester didn't experience any benefits
