[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":278},["ShallowReactive",2],{"supplement-valerian":3,"supplement-article-titles":238},{"supplement":4,"related":74},{"slug":5,"name":6,"aliases":7,"categories":11,"tagline":13,"evidenceGrade":14,"evidenceSummary":15,"dose":16,"timing":22,"mechanism":23,"description":24,"effects":25,"safety":39,"sideEffects":40,"interactions":45,"references":49,"relatedCalculators":62,"relatedArticles":65,"relatedSupplements":69,"lastVerified":73},"valerian","Valerian Root",[8,9,10],"valeriana officinalis","valerian extract","all-heal",[12],"sleep","The most-used herbal sleep aid in the world, resting on a trial literature so heterogeneous that meta-analyses cannot agree on whether it works.","C","Meta-analyses split: subjective sleep quality often improves, objective measures usually do not, and trial quality is poor with enormous variation in extract preparation. The most-cited review concluded the evidence is inconclusive.",{"low":17,"high":18,"unit":19,"label":20,"frequency":21},300,600,"mg","300-600 mg of root extract","once, 30-120 minutes before bed","30 minutes to 2 hours before bed. Unlike most sleep aids, valerian may work better after two weeks of nightly use than as a single dose","Valerian appears to act on the GABA system, though how is unsettled. Proposed contributors include valerenic acid modulating GABA-A receptors, inhibition of GABA breakdown and reuptake, and adenosine receptor activity. Which constituents matter is genuinely unknown, which is part of why extract standardisation is such a problem.","Valerian is the herbal sleep aid people reach for first, and after decades of study the fair conclusion is still a shrug — which is itself the interesting finding.\n\nThe trial record is genuinely contradictory. One frequently cited meta-analysis of sixteen studies concluded valerian improved sleep quality with no measurable side effects. A more rigorous systematic review, examining trial quality closely, concluded the evidence was inconclusive and that the better-designed studies tended toward null. Subjective ratings — \"did you sleep well?\" — improve more often than objective measures like polysomnography, which is a pattern that should always raise a placebo question with a sleep aid, since expectation is unusually powerful in this domain.\n\nA good explanation for the mess is that \"valerian\" is not a standardised thing. Valerenic acid content varies severalfold between products depending on species, plant part, harvest timing, drying, and extraction solvent. Trials have used aqueous extracts, ethanolic extracts, whole root powder, and combination products with hops or lemon balm, at doses from 300 to 900 mg. Pooling those into a single meta-analytic estimate is close to meaningless, and the field has never settled which constituent to standardise on because it does not know which one is active.\n\nThe practical picture is more forgiving. Valerian is safe in short-term use, non-habit-forming — a real advantage over benzodiazepines and z-drugs — and generally free of the morning grogginess that antihistamine sleep aids produce. Some people find it clearly helpful. Others get nothing. A minority experience the paradoxical reaction of feeling stimulated instead, which is well documented.\n\nIf you try it: pick a product standardised to valerenic acid, take 300-600 mg an hour before bed, and give it two weeks rather than judging on one night, since several trials suggest cumulative rather than acute effects. Be prepared for the smell, which is memorably unpleasant. And if it does nothing after a fortnight, that is a real answer — move on rather than doubling the dose.",[26,29,33,36],{"effect":27,"grade":14,"note":28},"Improves subjective sleep quality","meta-analyses disagree; better-designed trials trend null",{"effect":30,"grade":31,"note":32},"Improves objective sleep measures","D","polysomnography generally shows no significant change",{"effect":34,"grade":14,"note":35},"Reduces anxiety","small trials, often in combination products with hops or lemon balm",{"effect":37,"grade":14,"note":38},"Reduces time to fall asleep","reported inconsistently; may require two weeks of use","Short-term studies suggest good tolerability, and valerian is not known to cause dependence, but long-term safety beyond a few months is not well studied. Rare cases of liver injury have been reported, usually with combination products where attribution is uncertain. Avoid during pregnancy or breastfeeding unless a clinician advises otherwise. Paradoxical stimulation occurs in a minority of users.",[41,42,43,44],"Headache, dizziness, and GI upset","Morning grogginess in some users","Paradoxical excitability in a minority","A distinctly unpleasant odour",[46,47,48],"Additive sedation with alcohol, benzodiazepines, z-drugs, opioids, and antihistamines — do not stack sedatives.","May interact with drugs metabolised by CYP3A4.","Discontinue two weeks before surgery because of anaesthetic interaction.",[50,56],{"authors":51,"year":52,"title":53,"journal":54,"url":55},"Bent, S., et al.",2006,"Valerian for sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis","American Journal of Medicine","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1016\u002Fj.amjmed.2006.02.026",{"authors":57,"year":58,"title":59,"journal":60,"url":61},"Shinjyo, N., Waddell, G., & Green, J.",2020,"Valerian root in treating sleep problems and associated disorders — a systematic review and meta-analysis","Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1177\u002F2515690X20967323",[12,63,64],"epworth-sleepiness","gad-7",[66,67,68],"sleep-optimization","using-melatonin","caffeine-half-life-sleep",[70,71,72],"melatonin","glycine","l-theanine","2026-08",[75,136,191],{"slug":70,"name":76,"aliases":77,"categories":79,"tagline":80,"evidenceGrade":81,"evidenceSummary":82,"dose":83,"timing":88,"mechanism":89,"description":90,"effects":91,"safety":103,"sideEffects":104,"interactions":108,"references":111,"relatedCalculators":130,"relatedArticles":132,"relatedSupplements":133,"lastVerified":73},"Melatonin",[78],"N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine",[12],"Not a sleeping pill — a clock signal. Used correctly it shifts your circadian timing; used like a sedative it mostly disappoints.","B","Meta-analyses confirm reduced sleep latency and strong effects on circadian problems — jet lag, shift work, delayed sleep phase. The average latency improvement in ordinary insomnia is real but modest (~7 minutes).",{"low":84,"high":85,"unit":19,"label":86,"frequency":87},0.5,5,"0.5-5 mg; 0.5-1 mg is often as effective as more","30-60 minutes before target bedtime","30-60 minutes before your target bedtime; for shifting your clock earlier, small doses several hours before bed work better than large doses at bedtime","Melatonin is the hormone your pineal gland releases as light fades, signaling circadian night to every clock-bearing tissue. Supplemental melatonin acts on MT1\u002FMT2 receptors to phase-shift that clock and modestly lower alertness — a timing signal, not a hypnotic, which is why dose timing matters more than dose size.","Melatonin is the most misunderstood popular supplement, and the misunderstanding is baked into how it is sold. It sits on the shelf next to sleep aids, gets dosed like a sleep aid, and disappoints people who expected a sleep aid — because it is not one. Melatonin is the hormone your brain uses to announce that night has arrived. Supplementing it does not sedate you; it moves the announcement.\n\nRead that way, the evidence sorts cleanly. Where the problem is timing — jet lag, shift work, the delayed sleep phase of night owls — melatonin has some of the best data in sleep medicine, with a Cochrane review finding it remarkably effective for jet lag when taken at the destination bedtime. Where the problem is garden-variety insomnia, meta-analysis finds it shaves an average of about seven minutes off sleep latency: real, but a fraction of what prescription hypnotics or CBT-I deliver.\n\nDosing is where practice diverges furthest from evidence. Receptor studies and dose-response trials point to 0.5-1 mg as sufficient — often more effective than the 5-10 mg gummies that dominate the market, which can leave morning grogginess and spillover of elevated melatonin into the next day. More timing signal is not more sleep. Equally important is the quality-control problem: analyses of retail products have found actual content ranging from a fraction of the label to several times it, so third-party-tested brands matter more here than almost anywhere.\n\nSafety at low doses and reasonable durations looks good, with grogginess and vivid dreams the common complaints, though long-term nightly use in healthy adults is less studied than the sales volume implies. The best use is surgical: shift the clock when the clock is the problem, at the smallest dose that works — and treat chronic sleeplessness as the behavioral and light-exposure problem it usually is.",[92,96,98,101],{"effect":93,"grade":94,"note":95},"Reduces jet lag","A","Cochrane-reviewed; take at destination bedtime",{"effect":97,"grade":81},"Shifts circadian timing (delayed sleep phase, shift work)",{"effect":99,"grade":81,"note":100},"Shortens sleep latency in insomnia","average ~7 minutes — real but modest",{"effect":102,"grade":14},"Improves sleep maintenance through the night","Low toxicity at studied doses and durations; not habit-forming. Long-term nightly use is under-studied relative to its popularity, retail product content is unreliable without third-party testing, and children’s use should involve a pediatrician.",[105,106,107],"Morning grogginess at higher doses","Vivid dreams","Headache",[109,110],"Additive with sedatives and alcohol.","Can affect anticoagulant, anticonvulsant, immunosuppressant, and blood-pressure medication — check with a pharmacist if you take any of these.",[112,118,124],{"authors":113,"year":114,"title":115,"journal":116,"url":117},"Herxheimer, A., & Petrie, K. J.",2002,"Melatonin for the prevention and treatment of jet lag","Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1002\u002F14651858.CD001520",{"authors":119,"year":120,"title":121,"journal":122,"url":123},"Ferracioli-Oda, E., Qawasmi, A., & Bloch, M. H.",2013,"Meta-analysis: melatonin for the treatment of primary sleep disorders","PLoS ONE","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1371\u002Fjournal.pone.0063773",{"authors":125,"year":126,"title":127,"journal":128,"url":129},"Erland, L. A., & Saxena, P. K.",2017,"Melatonin natural health products and supplements: presence of serotonin and significant variability of melatonin content","Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.5664\u002Fjcsm.6462",[12,131,63],"caffeine-half-life",[67,66,68],[72,134,135],"magnesium-threonate","ashwagandha",{"slug":71,"name":137,"aliases":138,"categories":141,"tagline":142,"evidenceGrade":14,"evidenceSummary":143,"dose":144,"timing":149,"mechanism":150,"description":151,"effects":152,"safety":165,"sideEffects":166,"interactions":169,"references":172,"relatedCalculators":185,"relatedArticles":187,"relatedSupplements":188,"lastVerified":73},"Glycine",[139,140],"aminoacetic acid","glycin",[12],"Three grams before bed, tastes faintly sweet, costs almost nothing, and has a plausible mechanism for better sleep quality — on a thin trial base.","A small set of Japanese trials shows improved subjective sleep quality and reduced next-day fatigue, with a well-characterised thermoregulatory mechanism. The literature is limited in size and largely from one research group.",{"low":145,"high":145,"unit":146,"label":147,"frequency":148},3,"g","3 g before bed","once nightly, 30-60 minutes before sleep","30-60 minutes before bed — the effect works through a drop in core body temperature, which takes that long to develop","Glycine acts on NMDA receptors in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the brain's master clock, triggering peripheral vasodilation. That dumps heat through the hands and feet and lowers core body temperature — the same physiological drop that normally initiates sleep. It is also an inhibitory neurotransmitter in its own right at glycine receptors.","Glycine is the simplest amino acid there is, your body makes plenty of it, and it is one of the cheapest things in the supplement aisle. It also has a mechanism for sleep that is unusually well characterised for a compound this obscure.\n\nFalling asleep requires your core temperature to drop, and the body accomplishes that by dilating blood vessels in the hands and feet to radiate heat. Glycine appears to accelerate that process by acting on NMDA receptors in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Rodent work traced the pathway specifically: the sleep effect disappears when those receptors are blocked, and it comes with the expected measurable fall in core temperature. That is a considerably more concrete story than most sleep supplements can tell.\n\nThe human trials are where enthusiasm should moderate. A small series, mostly from Japanese researchers with commercial connections to glycine production, found that 3 g before bed improved subjective sleep quality in people with poor sleep, reduced next-day fatigue, and — in one study using polysomnography — shortened the time to fall asleep and to reach slow-wave sleep. Participants reported feeling more clear-headed the following day. The results are consistent in direction but the total number of people studied is modest, and independent replication is thin.\n\nWhat makes glycine worth including anyway is the risk-reward. It is a dietary amino acid, safe at doses far above 3 g, non-sedating, non-habit-forming, and costs a few cents a night. There is no morning hangover, unlike higher-dose melatonin, and no dependency question, unlike sleep medication. If it does nothing for you, you have lost very little.\n\nA note on collagen, since it comes up: collagen peptides are about a third glycine, so 10 g of collagen delivers roughly 3 g — which may explain a portion of the sleep benefit some people report from it. Glycine also pairs sensibly with magnesium glycinate, where the glycine is already half the molecule. Buy it as bulk powder; it dissolves easily and tastes mildly sweet.",[153,156,159,162],{"effect":154,"grade":14,"note":155},"Improves subjective sleep quality in poor sleepers","small trials, largely from one research group",{"effect":157,"grade":14,"note":158},"Reduces next-day fatigue after restricted sleep","consistent direction across the same small literature",{"effect":160,"grade":81,"note":161},"Lowers core body temperature to initiate sleep","the mechanism itself is well demonstrated",{"effect":163,"grade":14,"note":164},"Improves objective sleep architecture","one small polysomnography study","Very safe. Glycine is a normal dietary amino acid consumed in grams daily from protein, and trials have used far higher doses without issue. It is not sedating in the way hypnotics are, and there is no dependence or rebound. The one context requiring care is clozapine therapy, where glycine may reduce the drug's effectiveness.",[167,168],"Mild GI upset at doses well above 3 g","Occasional soft stools",[170,171],"May reduce the efficacy of clozapine.","Additive with other sleep aids — start low if combining.",[173,179],{"authors":174,"year":175,"title":176,"journal":177,"url":178},"Bannai, M., & Kawai, N.",2012,"New therapeutic strategy for amino acid medicine: glycine improves the quality of sleep","Journal of Pharmacological Sciences","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1254\u002Fjphs.11R04FM",{"authors":180,"year":181,"title":182,"journal":183,"url":184},"Kawai, N., et al.",2015,"The sleep-promoting and hypothermic effects of glycine are mediated by NMDA receptors in the suprachiasmatic nucleus","Neuropsychopharmacology","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1038\u002Fnpp.2014.326",[12,63,186],"pss-10",[66,67,68],[189,70,190],"magnesium-glycinate","collagen-peptides",{"slug":72,"name":192,"aliases":193,"categories":196,"tagline":198,"evidenceGrade":81,"evidenceSummary":199,"dose":200,"timing":204,"mechanism":205,"description":206,"effects":207,"safety":216,"sideEffects":217,"interactions":220,"references":221,"relatedCalculators":234,"relatedArticles":235,"relatedSupplements":236,"lastVerified":73},"L-Theanine",[194,195],"theanine","N-ethyl-L-glutamine",[197,12],"nootropic","The amino acid in green tea that takes the edge off stress — and off caffeine — without sedation.","Consistent placebo-controlled trials show reduced subjective stress and improved attention when combined with caffeine. Trials are numerous but mostly small and short.",{"low":201,"high":202,"unit":19,"frequency":203},100,400,"once daily; 100-200 mg alongside caffeine is the studied pairing","With your coffee for the pairing effect, or 30-60 minutes before bed for relaxation. It does not sedate, so daytime use is fine","L-theanine crosses the blood-brain barrier and increases alpha-wave activity associated with relaxed alertness. It modulates glutamate signaling and raises GABA, serotonin, and dopamine levels modestly — enough to blunt the sympathetic stress response without acting as a sedative.","L-theanine is the reason a cup of green tea feels different from a cup of coffee with the same caffeine. It is an amino acid nearly unique to tea leaves, and its signature effect is what researchers call relaxed alertness: alpha-brain-wave activity rises, subjective stress drops, and none of it comes with drowsiness or impaired performance.\n\nThe best-replicated use is the caffeine pairing. Multiple placebo-controlled trials of caffeine plus theanine — typically 100-200 mg of each — show improved attention-switching and reduced susceptibility to distraction compared with caffeine alone, alongside less jitter and a smaller blood-pressure bump. If caffeine gives you the output but also the edge, this is the cheapest fix with actual evidence behind it.\n\nOn its own, theanine’s case is solid but narrower. Randomized trials in adults under stress show reductions in subjective anxiety and stress-marker responses at 200-400 mg. The sleep evidence is thinner: theanine does not knock you out the way melatonin shifts your clock, but by quieting pre-sleep arousal it can shorten the wind-down, and small trials in adults and in children with ADHD report better subjective sleep quality.\n\nThe safety profile is about as clean as supplements get. No meaningful side effects have surfaced at studied doses, tolerance does not appear to build, and there is no withdrawal. That cleanliness is part of why it is popular — but keep the claim honest: theanine polishes the experience of being alert or winding down; it does not add horsepower on its own. Treat it as a modifier, best used to make caffeine more usable or evenings less wired.",[208,210,213],{"effect":209,"grade":81},"Improves attention when paired with caffeine",{"effect":211,"grade":81,"note":212},"Reduces subjective stress and anxiety","200-400 mg in acute-stress trials",{"effect":214,"grade":14,"note":215},"Improves sleep quality","via reduced pre-sleep arousal, not sedation","Exceptionally well tolerated at studied doses with no established toxicity, no tolerance build-up, and no withdrawal. Generally recognized as safe as a tea constituent consumed for centuries.",[218,219],"Occasional mild headache","Drowsiness at very high doses in sensitive users",[],[222,228],{"authors":223,"year":224,"title":225,"journal":226,"url":227},"Haskell, C. F., et al.",2008,"The effects of L-theanine, caffeine and their combination on cognition and mood","Biological Psychology","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1016\u002Fj.biopsycho.2007.09.008",{"authors":229,"year":230,"title":231,"journal":232,"url":233},"Hidese, S., et al.",2019,"Effects of L-theanine administration on stress-related symptoms and cognitive functions in healthy adults: a randomized controlled trial","Nutrients","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.3390\u002Fnu11102362",[131,12,186],[68,66],[237,70],"caffeine",{"\u002Fblog\u002Fa1c-blood-sugar-guide":239,"\u002Fblog\u002Fascvd-heart-risk-guide":240,"\u002Fblog\u002Fbiological-vs-chronological-age":241,"\u002Fblog\u002Fcaffeine-half-life-sleep":242,"\u002Fblog\u002Fcalorie-deficit-guide":243,"\u002Fblog\u002Fcode-plunge-healthspan":244,"\u002Fblog\u002Fexploring-biomarkers":245,"\u002Fblog\u002Ffish-oil":246,"\u002Fblog\u002Fftp-functional-threshold-power":247,"\u002Fblog\u002Fgarmin-instinct-e-vs-instinct-3-vs-fenix-e":248,"\u002Fblog\u002Fgrip-strength-longevity":249,"\u002Fblog\u002Fheart-rate-training-zones":250,"\u002Fblog\u002Fhow-strong-am-i":251,"\u002Fblog\u002Fhydration-and-performance":252,"\u002Fblog\u002Fintermittent-fasting-evidence":253,"\u002Fblog\u002Fmagnesiumthreonate":254,"\u002Fblog\u002Fmenstrual-cycle-vital-sign":255,"\u002Fblog\u002Fmetabolic-age-explained":256,"\u002Fblog\u002Fnutrition-basics":257,"\u002Fblog\u002Foura-ring-4-vs-whoop-5":258,"\u002Fblog\u002Fpeptides-what-the-evidence-actually-shows":259,"\u002Fblog\u002Fpregnancy-weight-gain-guide":260,"\u002Fblog\u002Fprotein-for-muscle-growth":261,"\u002Fblog\u002Frace-time-prediction":262,"\u002Fblog\u002Fringconn-gen-2-vs-oura-ring-4-vs-galaxy-ring":263,"\u002Fblog\u002Fsamsung-galaxy-watch-ultra-2-vs-apple-watch-ultra-4":264,"\u002Fblog\u002Fsarcopenia-muscle-loss":265,"\u002Fblog\u002Fsleep-optimization":266,"\u002Fblog\u002Fstrength-training-fundamentals":267,"\u002Fblog\u002Funderstanding-bmr-tdee":268,"\u002Fblog\u002Funderstanding-body-composition":269,"\u002Fblog\u002Fusing-melatonin":270,"\u002Fblog\u002Fvdot-running-training":271,"\u002Fblog\u002Fvitamind":272,"\u002Fblog\u002Fvo2-max-guide":273,"\u002Fblog\u002Fwearable-health-tracking":274,"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhoop-mg-vs-whoop-5":275,"\u002Fblog\u002Fwhoop-vs-garmin-cirqa-vs-fitbit-air-vs-amazfit-helio":276,"\u002Fblog\u002Fwilks-vs-dots-powerlifting":277},"A1C: What Your Three-Month Blood Sugar Average Actually Predicts","Your 10-Year Heart Attack Risk: Making Sense of Your ASCVD Score","Biological Age vs Chronological Age: What Really Matters","Caffeine Half-Life: Why Your Afternoon Coffee Is Still Working at Midnight","Calorie Deficit 101: The Science of Sustainable Weight Loss","Cold Plunge and Healthspan: What the Evidence Actually Supports","Biomarkers: The Numbers That Actually Predict Your Health","Fish Oil and Omega-3s: What the Evidence Actually Supports","Functional Threshold Power: Why Cyclists Define Themselves by One Number","Garmin Instinct E vs Instinct 3 vs Fenix E: What Each Step Up Buys","Grip Strength: The Simplest Longevity Test in Medicine","Heart Rate Zone Training: A Complete Guide","How Strong Am I, Actually? Reading Strength Standards Honestly","Hydration and Performance: How Much Water Do You Really Need?","Intermittent Fasting: What the Research Actually Says in 2026","Magnesium Threonate: The Form That Actually Reaches Your Brain","Your Menstrual Cycle Is a Vital Sign — Here Is What to Track","Metabolic Age: What Your Smart Scale Is Actually Telling You","Nutrition Basics: Building a Solid Diet Without Overthinking It","Oura Ring 4 vs Whoop 5: Two Screenless Wearables, Two Different Philosophies","Peptides: What the Evidence Actually Shows","Pregnancy Weight Gain: The Range That Matters More Than the Number","Protein for Muscle Growth: How Much Do You Really Need?","How Fast Could You Run a Marathon? The Honest Math of Race Prediction","RingConn Gen 2 vs Oura Ring 4 vs Galaxy Ring: The Subscription Math","Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 vs Apple Watch Ultra 4: Your Phone Already Chose","Sarcopenia Starts Earlier Than You Think","Sleep Architecture: Understanding Your Sleep Cycles","Strength Training Fundamentals: Progressive Overload and One-Rep Max","BMR vs TDEE: Understanding Your Metabolism","Understanding Body Composition: Beyond the Scale","Melatonin: What It Actually Does and How to Use It Right","VDOT: Running Its Most Accurate Intensity System","Vitamin D: The Deficiency You Probably Have","VO2 Max Explained: The Gold Standard of Cardiovascular Fitness","Making Sense of Your Wearable Data: From Metrics to Action","Whoop MG vs Whoop 5.0: Is the ECG Worth $120 a Year?","Garmin Cirqa vs Amazfit Helio Strap vs Fitbit Air vs Whoop 5","Wilks vs DOTS: The Math Behind Ranking Powerlifters Fairly",1791499029724]