Since I got my Zeo I’ve been experimenting with loads of different supplements (not drugs, I haven’t needed to go that far yet) to help with my sleep. ‘Sleep’ itself is quite a broad topic and so needs to be broken down into sub categories that you feel need to be improved. Examples are –

Time taken to fall to sleep

More – REM / Deep sleep

Reducing over all sleep time whilst still being well rested

Reducing the number of wakes during the night

Waking up at the correct point of the sleep cycle as to not feel groggy

Whilst I do intend on posting some data on how I have effected some of the points above with supplements, firstly I just wanted to post my supplement stack for sleep and explain a few of the supplements to give you a better understanding of why I take them.

GABA

Gamma-Aminobutyric acid is a naturally occurring neuro-inhibitory transmitter. Whilst that might sound quite scary I assure you it really isn’t. It dramatically calms you when taken as it has a key role in regulating neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system [1]. I take GABA along with the other things in this list about 30 minutes before my bedtime.

Magnesium

Magnesium aids in calming the nerves and relaxing the muscles, which in turn can help individuals to fall asleep. Similarly, a deficiency of the mineral is sometimes responsible for the nervousness that prevents sleep.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/28480-magnesium-aid-sleeping/#ixzz22q13Ng4Q

Potassium

Potassium works very closely in the body with Magnesium, so if you’re supplementing with one, you should probably supplement with the other. It may also help if you suffer from leg cramps during the night [2]

L-Arginine / L-Ornithine

Although Ornithine is considered to be a protein that puts the body into a relaxed state when taken away from other proteins, the main reason I take it at night is to potentially increase the level of HGH released [3] and to improve the amount of deep sleep I get.

Vitamin D

Now although I take Vitamin D in the mornings and primarily because of the million and one other benefits it has for us hackers, it deserves a place on this list. You get vitamin D naturally from the sun hitting your skin, because of this vitamin D is inextricably linked to our natural body clock. I have tested taking my vitamin D after waking vs before bed as have many other hackers and I found that I had a much better sleep when it was taken in the morning.

So here are just a few examples of supplements you can take to directly / indirectly hack your sleep. Dave Aspray has a great blog post on supplements for sleep hacking so for some further reading you can check it out here – http://www.bulletproofexec.com/sleep-hacking-part-3-falling-asleep-fast-with-biochemistry/

Citations

[1] Watanabe M, Maemura K, Kanbara K, Tamayama T, Hayasaki H (2002). “GABA and GABA receptors in the central nervous system and other organs”. Int. Rev. Cytol.. International Review of Cytology 213: 1–47. doi:10.1016/S0074-7696(02)13011-7. ISBN 978-0-12-364617-0. PMID 11837891.

[2] http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00200

[3] J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Apr;24(4):1082-90. Arginine and ornithine supplementation increases growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 serum levels after heavy-resistance exercise in strength-trained athletes.Zajac A, Poprzecki S, Zebrowska A, Chalimoniuk M, Langfort J.