Summary
Highlights
A study in Sleep and Biological Rhythms found that 3 grams of glycine supplementation improved subjective and objective markers of sleep, especially enhancing REM sleep and memory consolidation. It helps people get into restorative sleep more quickly and leads to better daytime wakefulness and memory.
Many people fall asleep easily but wake up in the middle of the night and struggle to return to sleep, often due to anxiety or microarousals that trigger metabolism. This phenomenon has neurological explanations.
Glycine's primary mechanism for improving sleep is its impact on body temperature. It redirects blood flow to the extremities, cooling the core body temperature. Rodent studies showed it impacts the NMDA receptor and suprachiasmatic nucleus, both crucial for sleep and blood flow regulation, indicating it calms anxiety areas in the brain.
Research in the Journal of Complementary and Alternative Therapy demonstrated that 3 grams of glycine significantly reduced episodes of nighttime urination (nocturia), urgency, and the total amount of urination. For those who still needed to urinate, it increased the time until they had to, by suppressing the micturition reflex and affecting neurological control of the bladder.
The optimal dosage for glycine is 3 grams, supported by various studies. A product called Versos Evening Being combines 3 grams of glycine with other beneficial ingredients: 28mg of saffron for calming and staying asleep, magnesium L-Threonate for brain calming, and L-theanine for additional cooling effect.
Creatine, partly made from glycine, helps reduce the amount of sleep required and prevents microarousals during the night. Glycine prevents the depletion of creatine, which helps maintain ATP levels, thus preventing the body from waking you up to produce more energy.
Negative emotions before bed severely impact sleep quality. Glycine can blunt emotional responses, making it easier to detach from stressful events. Studies, even in fish, show glycine can decrease circulating cortisol. By affecting the NMDA receptor, glycine helps disassociate from negative emotions and their physiological fight-or-flight responses, leading to calmer sleep.
Take a minimum of 3 grams of glycine about an hour before bed. This timing allows it to fully kick in, offering a cooling effect and improving sleep onset latency, helping you fall asleep faster.