Ask me how I am and the response you’ll probably get is: ‘tired’. Not ‘I need an early night’ tired, but the kind of tired where eight hours of sleep somehow still isn't enough.

Between work, exercise and trying to maintain some semblance of a social life, I often feel like I’m running on empty. And frankly, there's only so much a flat white can do. While coffee gives me a temporary boost, it also leaves me feeling jittery and anxious if I overdo it.

So when I started seeing wearable vitamin patches everywhere, promising more energy and better focus simply by sticking them to your skin, I was intrigued.

Patches are one of the biggest trends in wellness right now, with advocates claiming they are more convenient than traditional supplements and can help support everything from energy levels to sleep.

But do they really work? As someone who’s always looking for natural ways to feel less tired, I decided to put them to the test and wear vitamin patches for a month.

What are vitamin patches – and how are they supposed to work?

Patches are a common way to deliver various hormones and substances to the body through the skin. You've probably heard of HRT (hormone replacement therapy) used to treat menopause symptoms and nicotine patches.

Vitamin patches are designed to work in the same way, delivering vitamins to the body as an alternative to capsules and pills.

Why are wellness patches suddenly everywhere?

Patches are a fun and convenient alternative to traditional supplement products. For people who don't like to take tablets, or forget, sticking on a patch might feel like an easier option. Plus, with the rise of products like Starface blemish stickers, it makes sense that patches are taking off – they're a bold, colourful way to spruce up your wellness routine.

I tried vitamin patches every day for a month to see if they boosted my energy

To help with my eternal tiredness, I decided to try the Energy Patches from The What Supp Co for a month. The brand was founded by the former Beauty and Health Editor of British Vogue, Kelly Gilbert and their patches supposedly help with fatigue and focus.

Did I notice any difference in my energy, focus or stress levels?

Initially, I wore a patch every day for a week. It wasn't a particularly low-energy week – I was ovulating and well-rested, so it was difficult to tell how much impact the patches were having on my energy levels, which were unusually high.

The following week, I came down with a cold – exactly the kind of situation where I normally struggle to get through the day. While the patches didn't perform miracles, I did notice I felt more alert when I wore one. Even seeing the patch on my wrist served as a reminder that I was doing something positive for my wellbeing.

For the final fortnight, I was putting a patch on my wrist whenever I woke up feeling worse for wear. I try not to drink coffee until mid-morning, so the patches were my first port of call on tired days.

On the days I wore a patch, I generally felt more energised than usual. The difference wasn't dramatic, but I often noticed a lift in energy before I'd even had my morning coffee. Given that the patches contain caffeine, that wasn't entirely surprising – but it was noticeable enough that I kept reaching for them on tired mornings.

Saying that, they weren't a fix-all. There were numerous days when it felt like nothing could redeem my lack of sleep, PMS symptoms and hangovers and although I was glad to have something new in my toolkit to help with that, they didn't magically fill me with beans.

Do vitamin patches actually work? What the experts say

While my experience was largely positive, I wanted to know whether the science backed up what I was feeling – and it turns out, there's very little research on the effectiveness of vitamin patches so far.

According to nutritional therapist Cara Shaw, nutritionist at BlueIron, the research we do have is a mixed bag.

‘Whilst there is some research showing improvements in micronutrient levels, the population types and the type of research methods present as limitations and make it difficult to extrapolate to wider populations,’ she explains, adding that a lot of the studies were small or done on people with specific health conditions.

‘It's possible that some of the benefits people report from vitamin patches are influenced by placebo effects,’ Shaw adds. ‘We know that research shows that placebo responses can produce meaningful improvements in subjective symptoms, particularly symptoms like fatigue.’

Are vitamin patches better than supplements?

Patches are being posed as an alternative to vitamins that come in capsule formats. But there's currently not enough research to encourage you to swap them out, particularly if you have deficiencies.

‘We don't know whether the patch can reliably increase nutrient levels in the body, as currently the evidence for this remains limited compared with traditional oral supplements,’ Shaw explains.

WhatSupp founder Kelly Gilbert says that one of the key issues with pills is that people don't take them, and patches might be a good option if this is the case for you.

‘We all have pots of pills sitting in our cupboards hurtling to their expiry date,’ she says. ‘The What Supp Co. patches are vibrantly coloured and even have aromatherapy layered on too, so you can smell them as the vitamins get to work.’

The verdict: gimmick or genuinely useful?

After a month of testing, I can see why vitamin patches are having a moment.

Did they completely transform my energy levels? I'll be honest and say no. They weren't powerful enough to overcome a poor night's sleep, PMS fatigue or a lingering cold. But on days when I felt a bit sluggish, I often noticed a subtle boost in alertness and focus after applying one.

What surprised me most was how easy they were to use – and how much I enjoyed wearing them. They're fun to wear, and they're a good conversation starter, which sounds superficial, but genuinely made me more likely to reach for them. Unlike supplements that sit untouched in the back of my cupboard, they're easier to incorporate into my morning routine than using pills, especially given that I don't take any other medication.

That said, the lack of clinical research and science isn't strong enough for me to view them as a replacement for traditional supplements, particularly if you're managing a diagnosed deficiency. But if you're generally healthy and curious about new ways to support your energy levels, I think they're worth trying – just keep your expectations realistic.