I am not a powders person. Protein powders, smoothie additives, workout supplements—hard pass. I might drink some electrolytes if I’ve run 13 miles, but in most items I drink, I like a clean-looking ingredient label that contains items I can readily identify as food. But when I was sampling mushroom coffees and coffee alternatives, many of which arrive in an instant powdered form, I got a bag of Clevr Blends Sleeptime Latte. The bag is a blend of magnesium glycinate, adaptogens like ashwagandha and reishi, and an herbal mix of passionflower, valerian root, and hops. Not to go full wellness influencer, but I have slept more deeply and soundly ever since I started drinking it.
My experience with the latte has gone like this: 30 to 60 minutes before I’m planning to head up for bed, and after I’m done with everything I need to accomplish for the day, I mix one up and drink it. Within 15 minutes, I start to feel noticeably more relaxed. Within 10 minutes of lying down, I’ve dropped off to sleep. And then, unless one of my kids decides they need me at 2 a.m., I stay that way until 6 or 6:30 in the morning—my normal wake-up time. According to the Garmin watch I wear almost constantly, my average sleep score has gone from “fair” to “good.”
I spoke with Kristy Del Coro, a registered dietitian and culinary nutritionist, to find out if this is all in my head, and if it’s not, why I might get more restful sleep after having one of these lattes. She listed a few ingredients in the mix with research behind them to support their links with better sleep: magnesium bisglycinate, valerian root extract powder, L-theanine, passionflower extract, and hops (yes, as in the beer ingredient). Magnesium in particular plays a role in regulating the neurotransmitters and hormones that modulate sleep, and, Del Coro noted, it's something many Americans don't get enough of in their diets.
Whizzing a mug of hot water and a light brown powder isn’t the only way to get these ingredients into your body. Del Coro points out that pumpkin seeds, almonds, and spinach are all good sources of magnesium, and green tea provides L-theanine, but the Clevr latte is certainly an easy way to consume them all at once.
That’s even more true because, unlike other wellness-focused foods and drinks I’ve tried for work, I like the way the Sleeptime Latte tastes. The flavor is like a very mellow, nutty hot cocoa, which it gets from the mix of oatmilk, coconut milk, chicory, and carob. It does use monkfruit—an ingredient of dread in all of our protein powder taste tests—but the off-putting flavors that come with it are crowded out by the creaminess and earthiness of everything else.
I’ve started using it several nights a week as my evening drink, replacing the glass of wine, the beer, or the cocktail I’d often have after putting my kids to bed. Del Coro says that may be helping as well. “Alcohol may help you fall asleep faster, but it leads to more interrupted sleep and suppresses REM sleep.” Anecdotally, I can say I sleep better after a latte than I do on other nights, regardless of whether or not I’ve had any alcohol.
I eat and drink, first and foremost, for the enjoyment of it, so I’m unlikely to add more supplements or adaptogens to my diet, but I’m glad I stumbled on this one. I’m sleeping better, one sip at a time.
What we're drinking when we're not getting ready for bed
- Coffee subscriptions that will send you the coolest beans
- Our favorite non-alcoholic cans and bottles
- The matcha our daily matcha drinkers on staff keep coming back to