Can't sleep? What Singapore and Japan actually sell

It is 3am. You are tired, wide awake and looking at bottles that all seem to promise the same thing.

They do not. Singapore and Japan classify sleep products very differently, and the small print matters more than the sleepy person on the box.

The short answer

• Singapore: Melatonin can be bought over the counter as a health supplement. Circadin is the prescription route.
• Japan: Melatonin is treated as a pharmaceutical ingredient, not an ordinary health-food ingredient.
• Japanese sleep foods: Some carry specific function claims, but the government does not individually review or approve those products.

Singapore has two melatonin routes

HSA's current Health Supplements Guidelines name melatonin products among health supplements. HealthHub also says melatonin may be bought over the counter, while Circadin is supplied through a doctor's prescription.

The difference is the product category. An over-the-counter bottle is sold as a health supplement. Circadin is a medicine used with medical guidance.

Health supplements do not receive HSA approval before reaching the shelf. The company selling them is responsible for safety, quality and labelling. HSA sets restrictions, checks products after sale and can order recalls.

Japan draws the line elsewhere

Japan's health ministry describes melatonin as an ingredient used exclusively as a pharmaceutical ingredient there. It has also flagged melatonin found in products presented as health foods as an unapproved-drug problem.

That does not mean Japan has no sleep-support products. It means the health-food aisle uses different ingredients and a system called Foods with Function Claims.

Four Japanese examples

• Asahi Nenaito: 200mg of L-theanine. Its submitted claim focuses on sleep quality by reducing tiredness and sleepiness on waking.
• Ajinomoto Glyna: 3g of glycine per stick. Its claim covers deeper sleep, how rested sleep feels and how you feel the next day.
• Kobayashi Nightmin Nemuru Chikara: Crocetin, with a claim about waking less during the night, deeper sleep and less tiredness or sleepiness on waking.
• Kewpie Rilare: Two compounds from rafuma, with a narrower claim about sleep depth and satisfaction on waking.

These are foods carrying company-submitted claims, not sleeping pills. The company sends its safety and evidence information to Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency before sale, but the agency does not review each product individually. The company remains responsible for the claim.

Read the label in 20 seconds

1. Check the category. Is it a health supplement, a medicine or a Japanese Food with Function Claim?
2. Find the ingredient and dose. Do not compare two products only by the word “sleep”.
3. Read the exact claim. “Supports sleep quality” is not the same promise as “puts you to sleep”.
4. Check the warnings. HealthHub lists nausea, dizziness and drowsiness among melatonin's possible side effects and advises against mixing it with alcohol because of excessive sleepiness.

If you take medication or have an ongoing health condition, check with a doctor or pharmacist first. If poor sleep keeps happening or affects your day, stop shopping for a stronger promise and speak to a doctor.

If you are looking at a Japanese product

We import from Japan, but we do not currently stock a sleep product. Send us the exact product name on TG: @bazumart and we can check the maker's current label, Japanese notification and availability before quoting anything.