Wanted to strike up a sleep-aid discussion as that will be my next supplement purchase. Any preferences out there, and/or any advice for which I should get? Preferably looking for one more focusing on making sure I fall asleep quick, and stay in deep sleep for my entire rest
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Amino PM has a natural sleep feel - Flavors aren’t great, but not horrible. - Pleasant dreams
Fade Out has a medicine induced sleep - Flavors are a little more tasty - Wake up medicine groggy sometimes
Amino PM wins normally for me, but if you need that extra kick to fall asleep - Fade Out might be a better option.
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You’ve already hinted at it in your initial post, but it’s important to note that there are certain supplements that help you fall asleep and supplements that help you get restful sleep.
I’d look into things like melatonin, valerian root, and GABA to become relaxed and sleepy. To stay asleep and get some deep rest, things like phenibut (used WISELY and RESOURCEFULLY) and ashwagandha (Sensoril) can be used. Hope this helped.
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Ran a tub of Refuge which was way to strong for my liking, even at a half-serving. Great sleep but bad sleep hangovers.
Using MHP Recovery PM right now and it’s actually very enjoyable. Solid sleep with little problem getting out of bed
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There’s just so many ingredients that can help, it takes experimentation.
You have the “herbs” (valerian, hops, lemon balm, lavender), then you have the “chemical compounds” (melatonin, phenibut, GABA, 5-HTP, glycine, magnesium).
I think the best stack is some kind of mix there, and it’s probably unique to you.
I’m boring and do well enough with a 200mg magnesium citrate tab. Falling asleep definitely not a problem for me lately!
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Benadryl works wonders.
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Kava and Holy basil tinctures worked great for me. Kava is pretty underrated imo
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Personally, I’ve never had any side effects from Phenibut in sleep aids (Hypnos from C&P and Fade Out from RedCon1), my biggest issue with common sleep aid supplements is their large doses of melatonin. Melatonin at high doses makes me so groggy in the AM, it’s something I really prefer to microdose.
I’m really interested in trying Legion’s sleep aid, Luna or something like that, for its appropriate melatonin dosage (for me). I hesitate though, because reviews on it are very mixed.
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Pharmafreak GH Freak is the best I have ever used.
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Okay, maybe not. 
@Brawn, my wife swears by benedryl…knocks her right the f* out. Doesn’t do crap for me. It does make me more tired, but doesn’t help me sleep; so I’m stuck in some weird state where I feel like I should fall asleep, but can’t.
I’m playing around with 5-HTP, which seems to work okay. 150-200 mg about an hour before bed seems to help. Also found it helps with curbing my desire to drink booze.
However, if I have an intense workout in the afternoon (finishing up about 4 hours before bed time), nothing helps. I just have to ride it out waiting to fall asleep.
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Yep. Benadryl works great and its cheap. I don’t use it all the time but when I do need it works.
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Also don’t forget about some non-supplemental things (outside of training):
- No blue light! Stop looking at your phone before bed, and on laptop/PC use f.lux or redshift or similar app
- Darkness. Blackout curtains are awesome
- White noise may help. But less good in case you need to watch out for intruders!
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ZMA works well for me. Although being that it gets dark at 5pm here in MN winters, I have zero trouble falling asleep right now. In the summer I take O.N. ZMA pills about 30min before targeted sleep time and conk right out till morning.
Make sure you allow at least 7 hours of sleep though! Otherwise be prepared to be a little out of it in the AM.
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Be careful with habitually using anticholinergic drugs like benadryl. Chronic use of benadryl and its ilk have been shown to liken your chances of developing dementia and other cognitive diseases.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2091745 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/common-anticholinergic-drugs-like-benadryl-linked-increased-dementia-risk-201501287667
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Have had f.lux on my Macbook for 3 years now and will never go back. Can’t believe it’s free, very useful app.
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I don’t use it everyday, just those rare days I can’t sleep. But Benadryl is one of the most effective ways to sleep and its definitely the cheapest. You can get hundreds of tablets of these things for just a few bucks!
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I started taking Valyrian Root as a stand-alone, about 2 months ago.
My sleep has been incredible - and I’ve had sleep issues since I was 16.
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Supp wise here are my current favorites and take it from a guy who suffers from severe sleep apnea. Stupid mask can be annoying but useful. I typically watch out for the dose of melatonin.
- Sedative by glaxon (ice melon flavor rocks)
- Amino PM
- Blade PM
- Genius sleep aid (this one’s more of a lull you to sleep slowly vs knock you out. Feels more natural but all depends)
I react well to phenibut and GABA. I cycle my sleep aids meaning I only take them night before a workout so I get 2-3 days of normal falling asleep. Works well as I haven’t developed any weird reliance on ingredients.
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The 5% sleep aid is one I have on hand when a good nights sleep is an absolute must.