What Supplements Help with Late Nights and Fatigue? A 2026 Guide to Checking Anti-Fatigue Claims
JHFC consumer verification guide Published: November 6, 2026
People who often stay up late, feel tired and low on energy, and are thinking about buying supplements tend to ask three questions: what do you recommend, is NMN useful for younger people, and which product is better. This association does not list brands and does not comment on the effects of any ingredient. This guide covers one thing only: how to check whether claims such as "relieves fatigue," "refreshing," or "anti-fatigue" on a product have any basis. The conclusion first: if fatigue and low energy are long-term, see a doctor first to find the cause before considering supplements.
Rule out medical causes first, then learn to check claims
If you have long-term fatigue or low energy, see a doctor first to find the cause. Supplements are not medicines and are not a substitute for medical care. If you take medication, have a chronic illness, are pregnant, or are breastfeeding, consult a doctor or pharmacist before buying.
When buying a product marketed for "relieving fatigue," the first thing to check is not the advertising but what category the product falls into. On mainland China, health foods carry the "blue hat" health food logo plus a registration number or filing number, which you can check in the special food information database of China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR). The permitted health function list includes "relieving physical fatigue." To see whether a specific product is approved for this function, check the "health function" field on the blue hat approval certificate or filing certificate. A product without the blue hat logo is an ordinary food and must not claim health functions.
Products from Japan need to be looked at separately. Foods with Function Claims (FFC) are filed with the Consumer Affairs Agency (CAA) by notification (届出); this is a filing, not an approval. The specific functional statement is whatever is stated in the notification. You can search by product name or notification number in the CAA's notification search for Foods with Function Claims (機能性表示食品の届出情報検索) on the CAA website. Foods for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) are individually approved by the CAA. Japan has no legal category called "health foods." Products sold as "health foods" are legally just foods, and they cannot make drug-like treatment claims.
Words like "refreshing," "anti-fatigue," or "restores energy" on an ordinary food label or an online store page do not mean the product has a health function. If a product has no blue hat logo and does not appear in the Japanese FFC notification database, but the marketing repeatedly uses these terms, go back to the previous question: what category is it? For products containing caffeine or similar ingredients, also check whether the ingredient list states caffeine and whether the precautions include unsuitable groups and reminders about the recommended daily intake. A product that says only "natural energy boost" without listing ingredients and precautions is giving incomplete information.
Verification checklist
Use the table below as a checklist.
| Item to check | Where to look | What adequate information looks like | Warning signs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mainland China health food function | Registration or filing number next to the blue hat logo; the special food information database | The "health function" field in the search result lists a function from the permitted list, such as "relieving physical fatigue," and matches the product claim | No blue hat logo but health functions are advertised; page only uses terms like "refreshing" or "anti-fatigue" and no approval or filing record can be found |
| Japanese Foods with Function Claims | The CAA's notification search for Foods with Function Claims (機能性表示食品の届出情報検索) | You can find the notification number, product name, functional statement, and supporting materials | Product only states "imported from Japan" or "made in Japan" with no notification number; treats Foods for Specified Health Uses and Foods with Function Claims as the same thing |
| Claims on ordinary Japanese "health foods" | Packaging, online store product page | Does not make drug-like treatment claims, does not exaggerate or mislead | Words such as "treat," "cure," or "eliminate the root cause" appear |
| Telling ordinary food from health food | Whether the label has the blue hat logo | Only products with the blue hat logo are health foods; products without it are ordinary foods and must not claim health functions | Ordinary food label or product page says "restores energy" or "relieves physical fatigue" |
| Import method | Chinese label and statement of import method | Prepackaged food imported through general trade has a Chinese label; cross-border e-commerce retail imports are treated as personal-use items, may have no Chinese label, and the platform must provide a risk notice | Product page does not state the import method; cross-border goods are resold in large quantities |
| Online store operator | Business license and other information displayed on the store home page or product page | The operator name matches the license, and after-sales service and invoices can be checked | No business license shown; operator name does not match the payee |
| Products containing caffeine or similar ingredients | Ingredient list and precautions on the label | States whether the product contains caffeine, unsuitable groups, and reminders about the recommended daily intake | Only says "refreshing"; does not state caffeine content and has no precautions |
| NMN finished-product content | Product label and test report (certificate of analysis) | States how many milligrams of NMN each capsule/tablet or daily serving contains; test report includes lot number, test method, and whether the sample is raw material or finished product | Only gives "raw material purity" with no finished-product content; uses purity to replace finished-product content |
Late nights and NMN products: only look at whether the label is clear
This guide does not evaluate whether NMN is useful for younger people who often stay up late. Whether NMN can be used as an ordinary food ingredient in mainland China depends on the new food ingredient announcements published by China's National Health Commission (NHC). Readers can check those announcements themselves; do not decide on your own.
If you do buy an NMN product, what you can check is the label and the test report (certificate of analysis). NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide), NR (nicotinamide riboside), niacin, and nicotinamide are all called NAD+ precursors in biochemistry, but they are different chemical substances. They should be listed separately on the label, not lumped together. NMN raw material purity usually refers to test results for the raw material itself and is not the same as the amount per capsule/tablet in the finished product. For finished products, look at how many milligrams each capsule/tablet or daily serving contains. Purity is usually measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or similar methods. The test report should state the test method, whether the sample is raw material or finished product, and the lot number. Besides purity, raw material testing may also include related substances, heavy metals, and microorganisms.
Common misconceptions
- Misconception: "I stay up late and feel tired, so I can just buy an imported 'anti-fatigue' food." What to know: ordinary foods cannot claim health functions. For Japanese Foods with Function Claims, check the CAA database for the notification content and supporting materials.
- Misconception: "The blue hat logo means it can treat fatigue." What to know: the blue hat logo only means the product is approved for a health function on the permitted list, such as "relieving physical fatigue." It does not mean the product treats fatigue or any disease.
- Misconception: "Higher NMN purity is better." What to know: purity is a raw material test result, not the amount of NMN per capsule/tablet in the finished product. Also check the milligrams per capsule/tablet or per daily serving, the test report lot, and the sample type.
- Misconception: "All Japanese health foods are government-approved." What to know: Japan has no legal category called "health foods." Foods for Specified Health Uses are approved; Foods with Function Claims are filed by notification. They are not the same thing.
- Misconception: "If a cross-border e-commerce product has no Chinese label, it is fake." What to know: cross-border e-commerce retail imports are treated as personal-use items and may have no Chinese label. The platform must provide a risk notice, and these products generally cannot be resold.
Related JHFC standards
- JHFC-A-005 Content Labeling per Recommended Daily Intake Standard: Used to check whether the label clearly states the amount per daily serving, rather than relying only on the product name.
- JHFC-S-001 NMN Quality and Labeling Standard: Used to see how NMN raw material, finished product content, and the test report should match up.
- JHFC-A-008 Cautionary Statement and Concomitant Use Precaution Labeling Standard: For products containing caffeine or similar ingredients, use this standard to check what cautions and precautions about taking them with other products or medicines should say.
- JHFC-A-009 Information Disclosure Standard for Imported Health Foods: Use this standard to check item by item what information imported health foods should disclose.
Scope of this guide
This guide only explains how to verify information. It does not evaluate the effects of any ingredient or product, and it does not recommend or certify any specific product. For questions like "what can I take to relieve fatigue?", this association's answer is: first ask a doctor to find the cause of long-term fatigue, then use the checklist above to check the product's claims. If you take medication, have a chronic illness, are pregnant, or are breastfeeding, consult a doctor or pharmacist before buying.
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