How Peptides May Support Sleep

The apparent components considered essential for body transformation and successful health are a healthy diet, a good exercise regime, yoga and meditation, and mindfulness. But that’s not right. There is a massive piece of the health and wellness puzzle that most people ignore: sleeping. Yes, sleeping is an essential element of health but is often the fundamental part of our wellness regime sacrificed due to the efforts that we put on to manage our busy lives.

It is essential for all animals, even the tiny fruit flies. It probably helps lay down memories and allows the body to rest, recover, and heal from exertion throughout the day. Sleep deprivation causes the impairment of memory, attention, and coordination, which is similar to the effects of alcohol intoxication. Seizures and hallucinations can also occur if sleep is not restored. For thousands of years, torture and interrogation were done using the sleep deprivation technique.

Even mild sleep deprivation can hinder our focus and attentiveness causing “brain fog.” It can worsen mood disorders like depression and anxiety as well. Reducing it can significantly affect our health and wellness as well as overall performance during the day.
Many people complain of restless, poor or interrupted sleep due to different medical conditions such as aging and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea, poor sleeping hygiene, etc. During aging, changes occur in our sleeping cycles, with less time spent in REM sleep probably due to changes in different hormone levels, gradually reducing through middle age. Some of the well-founded examples are as follows:

During adolescence, the secretion of growth hormone is at its peak and begins to decline exponentially from young adulthood to middle age and slowly continues to drop in old age.

Melatonin is associated with our body clock, another term to describe our brain’s Circadian Rhythm (night-day cycle). It increases at night approximately two hours before the beginning of normal sleep and is responsible for sleepiness. The secretion of evening melatonin reduces with aging and may be associated with a significant amount of poor sleeping.

The adrenal gland secretes cortisol, a stress hormone, which increases arousal and helps the body deal with short-term stress situations. Cortisol is also associated with the Circadian rhythm and increased cortisol in the morning leads to sleeplessness. Chronically increased cortisol levels may be due to increased chronic stress, which adversely affects many body systems and hinders sleep.

The testosterone levels in men decrease progressively after 30 years of age, which causes more fragmented sleeping. The estrogen levels drop, and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels increase in women significantly during perimenopause and can cause difficulty in falling and staying asleep.

Peptide Solutions for a good sleeping

Peptides like GHRPs, CJC-1295/ Ipamorelin helps the pituitary in increasing the secretion of growth hormone and improve the quality of sleeping when taken at night.
SARMS peptides mimic the effects of the male hormone testosterone on receptors, improve sleeping quality, and improve mood and libido.

Some other novel peptides, such as Delta-Sleep-Inducing Peptide (DSIP), help with sleeping regulation over the long term.

The connection between Sermorelin and sleeping is still subjective to further study as many aspects are hitherto unknown. An important aspect of the study is to explore the function and regulation of sleeping and the influence of Sermorelin towards improving the condition of sleeping.

Temazepam and other benzodiazepines are sleeping pills that can be beneficial in some short-term situations of insomnia but are not significant for long-term usage as they result in independence and are often needed in higher doses as the tolerance develops over time.

Numerous simple measures can be taken for Good Sleep Hygiene:

– After 2 pm caffeine (tea/coffee/cola beverages/energy drinks) should be avoided
– Alcohol seems to help fall asleep, but it distorts the architecture and worsens obstructive sleep apnoea, so it should be avoided at night.
– Have a regular “sleeping routine,” and a fixed bedtime and wake time should be followed every day.
– Exercising during the daytime, especially in sunlight, can help in optimizing the melatonin secretion and Circadian Rhythm.
– The light of the computer and smartphone screens can affect melatonin secretion, and such activities keep the mind too active for sleep, so they should be avoided for 1-2 hours before sleep.
– Bedroom should be kept dark, and a cool room temperature should be maintained.

Disclaimer: The products mentioned are not for human or animal consumption. All the information shared in this article is for educational purposes only.