Sleeping well is one of the most essential things we can do for optimal health, recovery, and overall well-being. Yet for many of us, a good night’s sleep can feel as far from reality as a dream.

Estimates show that 47 percent of people in the United States currently take something to help them with sleep. This is concerning, as sleep is our body’s most significant tool for recovery, mental clarity, and long-term health. Getting poor sleep is not just an inconvenience — it can wreck our health.

Not getting enough of the right kind of sleep can lead to cognitive impairment, mood issues, weakened immune function, fat gain, metabolic issues, increased cardiac risk, hormone issues, poor exercise recovery, and accelerated signs of aging. There is no such thing as optimal health without optimal sleep, no matter how dialed in your exercise and nutrition might be.

But because many of us struggle to get enough — whether in terms of quantity or quality or both — we may seek out tools for support. Many first turn to over-the-counter sleep aids, and while there is a time and place for those, I find many are unaware that these options typically work by sedating us. This doesn’t improve sleep physiology or optimize good sleep architecture, which are required to feel and perform at our best.

In addition to prioritizing good sleep hygiene practices (more on those below), there are a few supplement options that I frequently recommend to clients, including  one I’m particularly enthusiastic about — LTH Dream. This multi-magnesium sleep-support supplement can also be part of a nightly wind-down routine, another impactful habit experts tout for supporting sleep.

A Closer Look at LTH Dream

It Starts With Magnesium

The No. 1 nutrient many of us need to focus on for optimal sleep is magnesium. Magnesium deficiencies or suboptimal levels are highly prevalent, which can have a variety of health effects, including on insulin regulation.

When magnesium levels are suboptimal, your body can’t regulate blood sugar well. And if your body doesn’t regulate blood sugar well, the ups and downs you may experience during the night can impact the quality of your sleep.

Magnesium is crucial for physiological relaxation, too. It not only helps muscles and nerves function and relax, but it is also intimately involved in mental health and the ability to regulate and unwind.

Repleting magnesium alone can often be the ticket to sleeping better, though the form of the mineral you take is important. The most absorbable forms are chelated, meaning they’re wrapped in amino acids, and these can be significantly more beneficial for sleep than some of the cheaper forms of magnesium.

LTH Dream stands out with the inclusion of three different forms of magnesium:

• Magnesium taurate: Combines magnesium with taurine to help calm the nervous system, support GABA activity, and ease the transition into restful sleep.
• Magtein® magnesium L-threonate: A patented form of magnesium developed at MIT that’s uniquely able to cross the blood-brain barrier. It’s been shown in clinical studies to enhance deep sleep and REM sleep, reduce nighttime awakenings, and support mental clarity upon waking.
• Magnesium bisglycinate: A gentle, chelated form of magnesium paired with glycine to promote relaxation and help reduce sleep latency (the time it takes to fall asleep).

Note: All forms of magnesium used in LTH Dream — and the entire LTH supplement line — are chelated.

Targeted Ingredients Give it a Boost

LTH Dream is specifically formulated to promote deep rest and recovery for the brain and body, as well as to help build resilience, support a healthy cortisol rhythm, and optimize cognitive health. In addition to the multiple forms of magnesium in therapeutic doses, these other ingredients are also worth highlighting:

• Sensoril® ashwagandha: A standardized, clinically studied adaptogen (adaptogens are a category of ingredients that can support a healthier stress response). Sourcing for adaptogens is important, and this form is known to be both tested and trusted for quality. It helps reduce cortisol and support sleep onset and quality.
• L-theanine: A calming amino acid, L-theanine promotes alpha brain waves for mental relaxation without drowsiness. It can often work synergistically with magnesium to help reduce mental chatter, ease tension, and support better focus and stress resilience the next day.
• Phosphatidylserine: This is a vital phospholipid that is found in cell membranes of mammals and supports healthy brain cell communication; it plays a key role in memory, focus, and cognitive performance. For many, it can also act like a pump on the breaks for your HPA axis, or adrenal system, for stress.

LTH Dream is melatonin-free, non-habit forming, and is naturally flavored and sweetened; it’s available in mixed berry and piña colada flavors. Like all other LTH supplements, it undergoes extensive testing to ensure what’s on the label is what’s in the bottle.

How to Use LTH Dream

LTH Dream was designed to support those who have trouble staying asleep, don’t feel rested upon waking, prioritize their athletic performance and repair, or have interrupted sleep they can’t control (such as if you have young kids, are a caregiver, or do shift work). Since it’s not artificially sedating and instead supports healthier physiological sleep patterns, most can still rouse if and when they need to.

LTH Dream comes in a powder form. Mix one level scoop into 10 to 12 ounces of water — we recommend whisking, shaking, or using a frother — within an hour or so before going to bed. To make it feel like a nighttime mocktail experience, I like to pour mine into a fancy glass and garnish with a piece of fruit.

We always recommend checking with your physician before starting any type of new supplementation; LTH Dream may not be suitable for children, those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or those taking certain medications (such as sleep medications, antibiotics, sedatives, or Alzheimer’s medications).

What Are Some Helpful Steps in a Nightly Sleep Routine?

These are some simple habits I recommend that can make a difference in your body’s readiness for bedtime:

• Start in the morning. Your body’s circadian clock runs on 24-hour cycles, and if you’re able to prioritize getting at least 10 minutes of sunshine first thing in the morning, it can go a long way toward helping your body know when “daytime” starts in order to better understand “nighttime.”
• Keep a regular schedule. Pick a bedtime and waketime you can be consistent with across weekdays and weekends. Ideally, these times will allow you to get seven to nine hours of rest per night.
• Stop caffeine intake 10 to 12 hours before bed. The half-life of caffeine in healthy adults is up to seven hours. This means that if you drink a cup of coffee at 3 p.m., 50 percent of it could be in your system at 10 p.m.
• Shut off electronics one to two hours before bed. Limit exposure to the blue light that emits from your devices. Their light mimics sunlight and the stimulation it can cause.
• Implement a nightly ritual. Having consistent bedtime routine can signal to your body that it’s to wind down. For instance, LTH Dream can serve as a night cap. Pair it with washing your face, brushing your teeth, and changing into your pajamas and you’ve got a simple ritual that can help you prepare for sleep.

(To hear more from Samantha McKinney on how to safely supplement to support sleep, listen to her Life Time Talks podcast episode, “Why Supplementation for Sleep?”)

If you’ve reached a plateau in your exercise performance and recovery efforts, supplementation can be a useful tool to help spark new results. According to nutrition experts, two supplements that can make a difference in these areas are pre-workout and amino acids. Although they have different benefits — pre-workout supports performance while amino acids support recovery — the two can work together to boost both the input and output of your workouts.

LTH Pump Pre-Workout and LTH Rally Amino Recovery are the go-to choices for Life Time nutrition and fitness experts. The exceptional quality of the ingredients and the effectiveness of the formulations, along with the rigorous testing standards, set them apart from other options on the market. (Both supplements are NSF Certified for Sport®. Learn more: “What Is NSF Testing for Supplements?”)

We asked Paul Kriegler, RD, CPT, CISSN, senior director of product development for LTH nutritionals at Life Time, and Samantha McKinney, RD, CPT, director of LTH at Life Time, to outline the benefits of these two supplements and offer guidance around adding them to your fitness routine.

LTH Pump Pre-Workout

What It Is: LTH Pump Pre-Workout is designed to help ignite intensity and give you a bit of a boost before your workout. “The LTH Pump Pre-Workout supplement is formulated with ingredients that help stimulate blood flow, the dilation of blood vessels, and cellular energy production to promote acute exercise performance,” Kriegler explains. “Vitamin B6, B12, and other targeted ingredients support endurance, stamina, and focus when you’re exercising. Over time, when used several times per week for multiple weeks, these ingredients also help to increase exercise capacity, strength, and power.”

Why You Might Use It: If you are looking to amplify your workout intensity, build your stamina, or dial in your focus — especially on days when you want to exercise but aren’t feeling motivated — supplementing with a well-formulated pre-workout could be a good option for you, says McKinney.

“I often recommend pre-workout supplementation to clients who are looking to enhance their strength-training workouts, improve endurance, or maximize results,” McKinney explains. “Pre-workout doesn’t provide many calories, measuring at only five to 10 calories per serving, but it does deliver targeted ingredients that help the body use energy, support blood flow, and support your nervous system, as well as aid in motivation and focus.”

How to Use It: McKinney suggests using pre-workout roughly 30 minutes before a strength-training workout or higher-endurance activity. “If you’re newer to using pre-workout, I suggest starting with one scoop (a half serving) of the LTH Pump Pre-Workout powder mixed with 8 to 10 ounces of water. You can always add more water or powder if needed once you see how your body responds to it,” McKinney says. “If you have a lower tolerance to caffeine, this is also the amount I’d suggest, or opting instead for the caffeine-free version of LTH Pump Pre-Workout.”

“For best results, aim to use pre-workout at least four days per week for one month or longer,” Kriegler advises. “Beta-alanine — an ingredient in pre-workout — requires consistent use to build up carnosine levels in the muscle cells. So, using it any less than that won’t allow it to accumulate correctly to give you the best results.” (Note: Beta-alanine may cause some tingling on the skin, but this is normal and often fades over time with consistent use.)

LTH Pump Pre-Workout comes in tropical breeze and dark cherry flavors, with grape and blueberry watermelon coming soon. There are caffeinated and non-caffeinated versions, so you can incorporate based on your preferences and workout timing (if you don’t want caffeine for workouts later in the day, for example).

LTH Rally Amino Recovery

What It Is: Amino acids are important protein-building blocks that can help the body build lean muscle and recover effectively from exercise, according to McKinney. LTH Rally Amino Recovery is a blend of all nine essential amino acids, including the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) leucine, isoleucine, and valine.

“You can’t build muscles out of nothing,” McKinney says. “I like to encourage my clients to think of essential amino acids as the raw material building blocks for lean tissue and repair after a workout. They support muscle protein synthesis, which helps build shape and tone as well as reduce soreness. They also help the body hold onto muscle when in a caloric deficit.” (Learn more: “Why Aminos for Recovery?”)

“Delivering amino acids to your body through a dedicated supplement allows them to be utilized with a higher efficiency than whole-food protein or protein powders,” Kriegler adds.

Why You Might Use It: This supplement is beneficial for those who exercise regularly, seek body-composition changes, or experience soreness after workouts. It’s also helpful for those who struggle to meet their daily protein goals, lose muscle mass, suffer from gut issues, or have trouble digesting whole protein or protein powders, according to McKinney.

“Those who consistently supplement with amino acids often report less muscle soreness, quicker recovery, and notable improvements to physique and lean body mass,” says McKinney.

“Essential amino acids may also help stimulate leptin levels, which is a hormone that increases feelings of satiety,” she adds. “The LTH Rally Amino Recovery blend can also help support optimal blood-sugar levels and contains both L-threonine and L-cysteine, which can play a helpful role in joint health.”

How to Use It: McKinney recommends using LTH Rally Amino Recovery immediately before, during, or after exercise, mixing a serving of it into about 8 to 10 ounces of water. You can also customize your dose by using one serving per 100 pounds of body weight, she says.

“I personally like to mix up a serving in my water bottle and drink it throughout my workout,” McKinney shares. (Learn more: “How Do I Use LTH Rally Amino Recovery?”) LTH Rally Amino Recovery comes in cherry limeade or lemon lime flavors and contains 10 calories per serving.

Should I Use Both Supplements?

These two LTH supplements are formulated to complement each other, and McKinney recommends using both pre-workout and amino acids to enhance your workout performance and recovery. “They are not duplicative,” she says. “They provide complementary benefits to your overall workout nutrition strategy.

“While a well-formulated pre-workout might not be necessary the way that having adequate essential amino acids is, using both can absolutely be helpful and can make a meaningful difference,” she adds.

With consistent use, LTH Pump Pre-Workout can offer a comprehensive boost for the brain and body to get the most out of your workout time and effort. “Its ingredients have been shown to help increase performance, muscle stamina, and endurance, help people work out harder for longer, and improve intensity and focus during exercise,” McKinney says.

LTH Rally Amino Recovery, on the other hand, provides a comprehensive blend of essential amino acids in a research-backed dose and ratio to support healthy muscle strength, repair, rebuilding, and more following exercise. “Using it consistently during your workouts is a great and easy way to provide your body with the necessary nutrition to make the most out of your workout recovery,” says McKinney.

And when used together? “Users of both products often report an enhanced wave of smooth energy (without jitters) to help increase workout volume and intensity, while also being able to come back stronger and more recovered for their next session — often with less soreness,” says McKinney.

The molecule of darkness. The hormone of rest and rejuvenation. The ultimate multitasker. These are just some of the ways nutrition scientist Deanna Minich, PhD, CNS, IFMCP, describes melatonin.

“When most people think of melatonin, they think of sleep,” says Minich. “They are unaware of its many other functions.”

Melatonin is a crucial part of the sleep cycle, but its role does not end there, she notes. “It’s a potent antioxidant, it regulates the mitochondria, it can stimulate the immune system, and it’s a circadian signal.”

And there’s more. Melatonin helps control temperature, blood pressure, and the gut microbiome. It also supports neurogenesis and protects nerve cells, which help repair and detoxify the brain.

“Melatonin is called nature’s most versatile biological signal,” Minich says.

Melatonin is a hormone found throughout nature, made by plants, animals, fungi, and even bacteria. In humans, most circulating melatonin is produced in the pineal gland from the amino acid tryptophan. The pineal gland responds to evening darkness by releasing melatonin into the bloodstream, telling the body it’s time for sleep.

On average, the pineal gland generates between 0.1 and 0.9 milligrams of melatonin per day. The gut mucosa contains about 400 times more, but most of it stays within the gastrointestinal tract. There it helps protect the gut lining, reduce inflammation, and regulate gut motility and the microbiome.

Melatonin is also synthesized in the eyes, skin, and various other glands and organs. At these sites, it helps modulate the immune system, repair tissue, and prevent oxidative stress and inflammation.

Our bodies start producing melatonin when we’re about 3 months old, with levels ramping up from infancy to adolescence and peaking ­before puberty. Production then declines and can drop significantly by the time we reach our 50s.

“This is when we find ourselves in ‘melatonipause’ — a term I love because it syncs up with the decline of so many other hormones,” Minich says.

In addition to aging, melatonin production is influenced by illness, diet, and environmental factors such as exposure to artificial blue light at night. Some medications and a lack of exposure to sunlight can also impact levels.