A Biohacker's Guide to Sleep Supplements

Mar 11, 2024

∙ Paid

We live in an age under constant assault - a barrage of blue light, overstimulation, and toxins from every angle. Our natural sleep chemistry doesn't stand a chance against this onslaught of modern offenders. The very things that make life convenient are simultaneously disrupting our circadian rhythms and depriving us of restorative slumber.

But no need to worry as we have chemistry on our side. Today we’re going to go over the best sleep supplements, how they work, and how they can be used to improve sleep.

Before we begin, here’s a quick ‘Sleep Glossary’ to better understand the context of each supplement and its effect on sleep

A bodybuilder wearing a night cap and pajamas, laying restfully in bed, depicted in a 90s cartoon style. He's smiling with his eyes closed, creating a peaceful and content expression. The bedroom scene is cozy, with the moon shining through the window, casting a gentle light. The style should reflect the vibrant and exaggerated characteristics typical of 90s cartoons, emphasizing the bodybuilder's muscular build in a whimsical, exaggerated manner.

You every night after learning how to effectively supplement for sleep enhancement.

Terms to Know

Light Sleep - The initial phases of sleep where you can be easily awakened. It includes the transition from wakefulness to sleep. Not too many benefits to be found in light sleep, hence more light sleep = worse sleep quality.

Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep: During REM sleep, your brain is highly active and your eyes move rapidly, hence the name. This is the stage when you experience vivid dreams. REM sleep is crucial for cognitive functions like memory consolidation and emotional regulation.

Slow-Wave Sleep (SWS) or Deep Sleep: The most physically restorative stage. Your breathing and heartrate slow down, blood pressure drops, and your body releases growth hormones for cell repair and rejuvenation. Sufficient deep sleep is vital for feeling rested and energized.

Sleep Latency/Onset:

The time takes you to transition from awake to sleeping after getting into bed. A shorter sleep latency, around 10-20 minutes, is considered optimal.

Sleep Quality:

Sleep quality takes several factors into account and is a bit of a subjective measurement. High-quality sleep includes falling asleep relatively quickly, getting enough of the various sleep stages, sleeping continuously without fragmentation, and waking feeling refreshed.

Inhibitory: Something that decrease neuronal firing and activity in the brain and central nervous system. It has a calming, sedative effect.

Excitatory: Something that is increasing neuronal firing and activity. Stimulates the brain and central nervous system to be more active and alert.

GABA (gamma-Aminobutyric acid): The primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. It helps reduce neuronal excitability and promotes relaxation, sleep, and calming effects.

Glutamate: The major excitatory neurotransmitter. It increases neuronal activity and is involved in learning, memory, and the wake cycle.

Serotonin: The neurotransmitter that regulates mood, sleep, appetite, and other functions. It promotes feelings of wellbeing and happiness. Serotonin also plays a role in melatonin production for sleep cycles.

Melatonin: The hormone produced by the pineal gland that regulates the body's circadian rhythms and sleep-wake cycles. Melatonin levels increase at night to induce sleepiness.

Dopamine: A neurotransmitter that plays a key role in motivation, reward, pleasure, and movement. It is involved in regulating emotions, learning, and motor control. Dopamine is also important for sleep regulation by promoting wakefulness.

Norepinephrine (Noradrenaline): A neurotransmitter that increases arousal, attention, and promotes vigilance and alertness. Norepinephrine signaling helps mobilize the brain and body for action, especially in stress responses.

Epinephrine (Adrenaline): A neurotransmitter involved in the fight-or-flight response. It increases heart rate, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels by activating the sympathetic nervous system. Epinephrine boosts energy and prepares the body to handle stressful or dangerous situations.

Histamine: functions as a neurotransmitter and is also involved in immune responses and regulating physiological processes in the body. Promotes wakefulness and attention. Increased histamine levels make it harder to fall asleep.

Acetylcholine: Neurostransmitter involved in sleep regulation, learning, memory, attention, and movement control. It acts by binding to muscarinic and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Acetylcholine levels rise significantly during REM sleep, promoting and regulating this crucial stage for memory consolidation and cognitive processing. However, acetylcholine also facilitates wakefulness and vigilance when awake, requiring a balanced modulation for healthy sleep-wake cycles.

Agonist: An agonist is a substance that binds to a specific receptor and triggers a response in the cell, often mimicking the action of a naturally occurring substance. For example, a GABA agonist would bind to GABA receptors and produce inhibitory effects on the nervous system, similar but not identical to GABA.

Antagonist: An antagonist is a substance that binds to a receptor but does not activate it. Instead, it blocks or dampens the action of the receptor.

Positive Allosteric Modulator: A positive allosteric modulator (PAM) is a substance that binds to a receptor and increases the receptor's response to the agonist.