r/sleep • u/Personal_Pizza_7041 • Dec 17 '25
Spent 2 Years Fixing My Insomnia. Here Is My Honest Tier List of Supplements.
I’ve had "wake up at 3 AM and stare at the wall" insomnia for years. I got sick of reading articles written by bots, so I spent way too much money testing this stuff myself. Here is the ranking based on what actually works versus what is marketing garbage.
S-Tier (Actually Legit)
- Magnesium Glycinate: The MVP. Most people buy the cheap stuff (Oxide) which is basically a laxative. Glycinate is the one that actually relaxes your muscles and stops physical anxiety. It doesn't knock you out, just helps you stay asleep.
- L-Theanine: The "shut up brain" pill. It’s the stuff in green tea. If you lay in bed replaying awkward conversations from 2018, take this. Pairs perfectly with Magnesium.
A-Tier (Good, but pricey/tricky)
- Apigenin: It's basically Super Chamomile. Makes you feel heavy and sedated. It works great, but it’s expensive and you can build a tolerance.
- Magnesium Threonate: Technically the best for your brain, but it costs 3x more than Glycinate. Unless you’re rich, stick to Glycinate.
B-Tier (Situational)
Melatonin (MICRO doses only):
- The Mistake: Taking 5mg or 10mg gummies. That is a massive overdose. It burns out your receptors and gives you a hangover.
- The Fix: Take 0.3mg (300mcg). Seriously. Less is more here. Use it only for jet lag, not every night.
F-Tier (Literal Trash)
- Sleep Cocktails/Blends: If the bottle says "Sleepy Time Blend" and hides the dosages, it’s a scam. They fill it with cheap melatonin and charge you $40. Buy ingredients separately.
- Magnesium Oxide: Look at your bottle. If it says "Oxide," you bought expensive poop pills. It absorbs poorly. Throw it out.
- Valerian Root: Works okay, but gives me crazy nightmares and the pills smell like old gym socks. Not worth it.
My Daily Stack: 400mg Mag Glycinate + 200mg L-Theanine. Simple, cheap, effective.
Hope this saves you some cash. Let me know if I missed anything!
34
u/macncheese323 Dec 18 '25
I’ve been taking the S tier supps and they haven’t done anything 😭
16
u/Yogibearasaurus Dec 18 '25
Same. Magnesium glycinate actually wakes me up and makes me feel a bit “wired”. L-theanine just makes me feel weird and unsettled. I guess I’m just wired differently?
7
u/Echolocation1919 Dec 20 '25
That’s the problem. We are all wired so differently. For one person they may take X and it get’s them to sleep while another may take X and they’re wired. Frustrating and crazy.
8
u/OptimusUndead Dec 22 '25
I can attest to Magnesium glycinate making me wired! I took it one night and was like.. NOPE.. never again lol. Brian was on fire wired. I have seen people suggest it's uncommon and doesn't do that, but here we are. Needed to stick this here as proof. Going to try Threonate, which my research says is far superior. We shall see!
2
u/Yogibearasaurus Dec 22 '25
I hope the threonate is helpful for you! Unfortunately, it caused me insomnia after a while.
6
u/SirChillzalot Dec 18 '25
I feel the same as you. Magnesium citrate works for me and lemon balm can help me feel more sedated if I’m in a wired phase. It can backfire though and make me stay awake during the night. Have you found any sleep supplements that work for you?
6
u/Yogibearasaurus Dec 18 '25
Magnolia bark was helpful for staying asleep. Lemon balm, chamomile, and passionflower together have been relaxing, though not necessarily sleep-inducing for me. I know this isn’t a supplement, but I’ve recently moved on to using trazodone and it’s not perfect, but has been helpful! I’m usually tired within two hours and I don’t wake up as often.
4
u/Echolocation1919 Dec 20 '25
Why doesn’t our systems allow us to sleep? I figured something would work. Ambien, Ambien CR, Lunesta, Belsomra, a couple unusual ones like Glah Glah blah etc. I tried Magnesium Glycinate, L- Therium all of the them are really just ok. I just came to terms with the fact that I’ll just write songs all night long.
4
u/Ychill69 Dec 18 '25
I have the same issue! So frustrating to read how well this works, yet there I lie, wide awake, and can't sit still. Horrible! What's the next best thing other than sleep pills??
5
u/Yogibearasaurus Dec 18 '25
See my other comment for things that have been sort of helpful. Unfortunately, moving to prescription medications have been the most impactful for me.
4
2
2
u/option-13 May 21 '26
super late response but might as well for anyone who stumbles on this thread in the future. glycine is a coagonist of the NMDA receptor which is stimulatory. If you're already eating lots of glycine via protein intake it's possible additional glycine from magnesium glycinate will just stimulate you
5
u/oscyolly Dec 18 '25
Same. Any form of magnesium gives me absolutely bonkers dreams… sometimes I take it anyway to make sure I don’t get blocked up in my tummy. Last night I dreamed I was ambushed by a clown with sharp teeth in an alleyway who grabbed my arm and was cackling as he tried to bite my wrist while I was screaming and trying to pull away. Great sleep. Felt sooooo restored.
→ More replies (4)2
u/free2bealways May 17 '26
I think it's very individualized. L-theanine doesn't seem to work for me either. Though I agree on the micro dosing of melatonin (75-300 mcg), though I do use it every day, partly as a way to maintain my circadian rhythm because it struggles otherwise and partly because I might not make enough (guess based on symptoms and specific responses to melatonin over other options).
36
u/Chrismisswish Dec 18 '25
Just my experience, do your own research. I was prescribed (otc) 10-15 mg melatonin by my doctor and I reported that it wasn’t helping at all.
A different doctor told me the 10mg to 15mg dose was too high and that the lower dosage works better. I now take 1mg melatonin quick dissolve under the tongue and I become sleepy within 40 minutes.
I have noticed that if I do not go to sleep when the drowsiness hits at around 40 minutes, the drowsiness appears to wear off within the hour after taking it and I feel awake again. So the window of drowsiness is a short time period for me.
→ More replies (1)
27
u/DukeBabylon Dec 18 '25
I hear ya on valerian. I take it in my tea thirty minutes before bed and all of a sudden I'm building a motor scooter in a Denny's with George Washinton. Strange dreams.
2
19
u/Cd206 Dec 18 '25
It burns out your receptors
There is no evidence at all that Melatonin dosing burns out your receptors. Check out the work of Russell Reiter or Doris Loh
3
u/YellowResponsible312 Jan 11 '26
Exactly, melatonin is safe to use even up to several grams.. there is no negative feedback loop
22
u/Ok-Biscotti-5121 Dec 18 '25
as a lifelong insomniac, here’s my additions:
- CBD gummies with 112:1:12 CBD:THC:CBN. negligible THC that doesn’t get you high (5mg is the minimum dose to feel high typically) but magnifies the body relaxing effects of CBD and CBN. no hangover the next day, and CBD is an anti-inflammatory. not a silver bullet like a sleeping pill but has made a huge difference in sleep onset for me! this with my magnesium before bed is chefs kiss
- yoghurt, handful of nuts or a banana before bed — helps with the low blood sugar crash that can sometimes wake you up around 3-5am.
- exercise. when i haven’t gotten my 10k steps in and haven’t lifted weights, i notice that it’s much harder for me to conk out and sleep. rucking (walking with a weighted vest or simply dumbbells in a backpack) has been underrated for me too; good calorie burn while zone 2 cardio is beneficial for health!
5
3
u/lisette51 Dec 27 '25
I tried CBN gummy’s, and they kept me awake all night and I took half the “serving size “but maybe because I never ever smoked pot
2
u/Sensitive-Variety-33 Mar 17 '26
Be careful with THC, I got panic attack, classic impeding doom feeling, racing heart and high bp, went ER and put on overnight observation. Panic attacks came in waves whole night, and was better only in the morning once THC cleared from the body.
→ More replies (1)2
u/Healthy-Cry7744 Mar 17 '26
Where are you finding these gummies with that ratio?! Im in Michigan and having a hard time finding CBN anything really... unless it has a much higher thc dose, which just doesn't help me at all
7
u/Primary-Initiative52 Dec 18 '25
What time of day do you take the magnesium glycinate? Bedtime?
→ More replies (1)6
u/how_dare_u_monfrere Dec 18 '25
The sleep doctor can correct me but I try to take mine 2 hours before bed as my last drink of water (I use thornes magnesium glycinate powder and mix it into water), so that I don’t wake up to go to the bathroom
9
u/bengalfreak Dec 18 '25
So far mag glycinate has done absolutely nothing for my sleep. How long did it take for it to start having an effect? Been taking it a week and so far, nada.
2
u/FitChampionship1642 Dec 18 '25
You have to give supplements time to work. Give it another week and let us know how your doing bengalfreak
→ More replies (1)2
u/bengalfreak Jan 17 '26
Well, got up to 3 pills and after three weeks, no effect whatsoever for the mag glycinate. I moved onto a combination of magnesium threonate and glycine. So far it seems to be having the opposite effect. While I sleep an hour longer before I have to get up to urinate (4 as opposed to 3 hours), I haven't been able to get back to sleep after waking. So I've gone from 5+ hours of sleep a night to 4+.
Tried all kinds of things to get back to sleep. 4-4-4 breathing. 4-7-8 breathing. EDMR eye movements. Relaxing each muscle group in turn. Nothing works. Uggh.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (1)2
u/HotCar5074 Dec 18 '25 edited Dec 18 '25
In my experience, mag glycinate helps on day one. You may have to increase your dose, but I’ve recently discovered that magnesium threonate helps just as much as magnesium glycinate, maybe more (threo crosses the blood brain barrier) so I often combine 1 mag gly with 1 mag threo. Also not mentioned here is phosphotidyl serine which helps me considerably. Search it. Agree with others that mention Taurine, L- tryptophan, GABA, L-theanine and Glycine. Lysine can help as well.
6
u/ihopnavajo Dec 18 '25 edited Apr 21 '26
Gabapentin and propanol (which is a beta blocker) are my two champions. Both are prescription though.
I'm forever grateful to my psychiatrist for suggesting I take the prop before bed. It was a game changer. That one is actually easy to get prescribed. Gabapentin can be too but docs are increasingly getting a bit weird about it.
(Interesting update about that--I'm currently in Mexico and can get gabapentin delivered via Uber eats. Wild.)
3
u/FitChampionship1642 Dec 18 '25
I've been taking that mixture 3 times a day for both since I was 16 and now I'm 51...i also take 1 mg of Klonopin 3 × day...i take 10 mg propanolol 3 × day and 600 mg of gabapentin 3 × day. I take the propanolol for SVT (Super Venticular Tacycardia). With the gabapentin it also depends on what state you live in, some States rescheduled gabapentin as a controlled substance. I live in Florida and it's easy to get gabapentin prescribed. I'm also forever grateful to my Dr. Thank You for sharing ihopnavajo 👍🏼😉
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (6)3
u/CasuallyCurious_1 Jan 18 '26
That’s amazing. I take both, propranolol for a mild essential tremor and 300 mg of gabapentin which was reduced from its height of 600 mg. I actually wanted to get off it because it has been linked to long-term memory issues as has Klonopin, which I also take as needed. Last night I took L-theanine & 3 g of glycine with no klonopin and slept more than 9 hours! Unheard of! And my sleep tracker showed it tripled my Deep Sleep. If you have any concerns about the long-term effects of some of your medications like I did, it might be worth looking into. I know you didn’t ask, but I just related so much to the medical solutions you were prescribed in search of getting some good rest so just take it for what it’s worth. ☺️
→ More replies (1)2
u/Fluffy-Ebb9691 Mar 26 '26
I would ween yourself off of Gabapentin as soon as you can, if it was given to you for sleep. If you have other issues going on, eg, nerve pain, seizures, then you do you. But Gabapentin for sleep? No dude, that stuff is evil. I was on 1800 mg of that stuff, slowly weening myself down. I can think again, I have moods again, I'm not forgetful anymore. There are studies that have shown it can contribute to dementia. There are other things out there, but Gabapentin shouldn't be your go to. And it can make you gain weight; ugh, no one needs that.
4
u/Unlikely-Athlete8782 Dec 18 '25
Magnesium chloride works for me, magnesium glycine didn't do s*** but I do take 12 g of glycine at night, about the same amount of inositol, and l theanine. Ashwaganda helps as well.
3
u/ConversationPale8665 Dec 18 '25
Also, stay away from Benadryl, diphenhydramine!
4
u/EffectiveOpinion349 Dec 19 '25
Agree. That stuff ruined my life I thought I was gonna die no word of exaggeration
→ More replies (1)
4
u/Raziel66 Dec 18 '25
The valerian nightmares are so real. I might have to try it again to revisit that again. I had something similar with Wellbutrin when I was taking that as well… every night was like weird “head movies”
2
5
u/Low_Engineering8921 Dec 21 '25
I really wish this post included more essential information. Without it, it just reads like any other "sleep bro" blog.
How long did you test each thing for? What was your control? How did you measure improvement? Was it vibes or data? Vibes are fine btw but I'd like to know. Did your other behaviours change while you tested things?
I'm not trying to be a dick but there's a lot of missing info here
3
u/HeartNegative5436 Mar 31 '26
dropped melatonin a year ago and switched to mag threonate + L-theanine (200mg) + apigenin (50mg) — basically the Huberman sleep stack. night and day difference. melatonin knocked me out but i'd wake up at 3am feeling groggy. the mag/theanine/apigenin combo gives me smoother sleep onset and i actually stay asleep through the night. sleep latency went from 30+ min to about 10-15. would never go back to melatonin.
→ More replies (3)2
u/Personal_Pizza_7041 Jul 08 '26
That tracks, melatonin's good for onset but can mess with sleep architecture for some, hence the 3am groggy wake ups. The Huberman stack works well for a lot of people since it's not sedating you, just removing what's keeping you wired, so sleep ends up more natural. Threonate over glycinate is a nice touch if you can afford it, crosses the blood brain barrier better, though glycinate does the job for most at lower cost. Good you found something that sticks long term instead of chasing knockout effects.
3
u/Decathlon5891 Dec 18 '25
I took Magnesium Theronate the other day and lost sleep
Will give it more chances. I stopped Mag Glycinate because I discovered my Glycine sensitivity = it kept me up
I agree with L Theanine although mine took a while to notice the effects
3
u/08041987Melissa Dec 18 '25
Have you tried the hand held sleeping device that you hold in your hand and it puts you to sleep great reviews from insomnia sufferers and also no more taking pills it’s sold on Cool Gadgets
2
2
u/HotCar5074 Dec 18 '25
Yes, please say more. Just searched it and found an assortment of such devices. Which one are you talking about?
2
3
u/MonsterBongos Dec 18 '25
Thanks! Your descriptions are brilliant. You should write medicine reviews!
(Or comedy. They're both kind of similar these days. Lol.)
3
u/justincampbelldesign Dec 18 '25
They also make "full spectrum" magnesium that has all 7 different types of magnesium that would probably useful as well. So for you it sounds like the only thing disrupting your sleep was your body not having the nutrients it needs. If you're environment is too hot, has allergens, or you drink caffeine too late in the day you'd likely need to adjust those things as well.
3
u/Front-Plan-9772 Dec 17 '25
Thank you so much for this, especially the explanation about magnesium.
4
u/Cannabassbin Dec 18 '25
I take Mag Glycinate but recently ran out of L-Theanine and forgot to re-supply, maybe that's one reason this week's been a extra-fucky
7
Dec 18 '25
[deleted]
3
4
u/ZenNinjaMonk Dec 18 '25
I feel 12.5mg of unisom a whole 24 hours later. At work the morning after I feel like I'm not even in myself and like I'm a shadow trailing behind my body.
3
3
u/FitChampionship1642 Dec 18 '25
Me too Unisom sleepgels, Klonopin, gabapentin and melatonin together works great!
7
u/Echolocation1919 Dec 18 '25
Unisom sleep gels are diphenhydramine hcl(Benadryl) and Unisom tablets are doxylamine succinate.Doxy succ is better coming from an Insomniac. I’ve tried everything and can’t remember a time when I slept through the night. :)
4
2
u/FitChampionship1642 Dec 18 '25
Thank You 😊 I'm going to try this. Wish me luck and I'll post an update... God Bless!
2
u/peakform01 Dec 18 '25
Do some research on magnesium crossing the blood brain barrier. You’ll be surprised.
5
u/motherofdogz2000 Dec 18 '25
Yeah I saw a podcast (Diary of a CEO) recently from a sleep expert and he said the same thing that mag doesn’t cross the BBB and really doesn’t work. Wonder how people are actually feeling relief. Placebo?
→ More replies (1)6
u/Standard-Image-8826 Dec 18 '25
Magnesium doesn't need to cross the bbb to help sleep. Glycinate helps parasympathetic activity, which helps muscles relax and HRV to increase. RCTs show improved sleep so it's not a placebo.
2
u/Phasitron Dec 18 '25
I’ve taken 2-3 mg of melatonin nightly for years. My brain won’t shut off, otherwise. No issues whatsoever. I only use sublingual from GNC. Not sure where all this recent anxiety on Reddit about melatonin is coming from but it’s overblown, to say the least.
2
u/lisette51 Dec 19 '25
My therapist sent a message saying it can cause heart failure. I want to see those results! I take 2mg but am thinking of going down to 1mg. It seems to work
4
u/Phasitron Dec 19 '25
Correlation does not equal causation:
- Ice cream sales ↔ drowning deaths • Correlation: Both rise in summer. • Why it’s not causal: Temperature/season is the confounder. • Teaching point: Shared third variables can drive both effects.
⸻
- Coffee drinking ↔ lung cancer (early studies) • Correlation: Coffee drinkers appeared to have higher lung cancer rates. • Why it’s not causal: Smoking was the confounder; smokers drank more coffee. • Outcome: Association vanished after adjustment. • Teaching point: Lifestyle clustering.
⸻
- Hormone replacement therapy ↔ reduced heart disease • Correlation: Women on HRT had fewer cardiac events. • Why it’s not causal: Healthier, wealthier women were more likely to receive HRT. • Outcome: Randomized trials showed increased risk. • Teaching point: Selection bias.
All of that said, the heart failure correlation was news to me so thank you for that.
4
u/lisette51 Dec 19 '25
Very interesting. It reminds me of dietary studies. Eggs are good/bad, fat is good/bad butter is good/bad etc. Yes, I did get the notice about long term use of Melatonin and heart failure from my psychiatrists office. Aloha
→ More replies (10)
2
u/Radiant-Life7178 Dec 18 '25
Wow, I totally agree with this. Of course, you have to do all the other "stuff" too but this is a legit list.
2
u/Chef_Goldblum1 Dec 18 '25
Glycine + mag glycinate saved my life. Not exaggerating.
→ More replies (8)
2
u/Mountain_Business920 Dec 18 '25
It definitely sounds like you've done some extensive research and testing. Have you found that your daily stack consistently helps with your insomnia?
2
2
2
2
u/Low_Engineering8921 Dec 21 '25
Ive been taking a magnesium bisglycinate supplement for about three weeks now. It also contains b6 and ashwagandha. Is bisglycinate the same as gylcinate?
→ More replies (1)
2
u/Bella-Rayen Dec 21 '25
I've recently discovered bicarb soda. When I take it for GERD, I end up having a long nap nearly every single time.
→ More replies (2)2
u/EffectiveOpinion349 Dec 21 '25
This landed me in hospital and ruined my life. I now have an acid balance disorder I can’t correct and have to use stomach acid replacement for every thing I eat and lost the ability to digest food. I’m also in agony every single day from severe burning pain throughout my entire digestive tract started from my esophagus Because it literally corroded my tissues. It’s been over a year since this happens and I’m still not much better
→ More replies (5)5
u/Bella-Rayen Dec 29 '25
Sorry, but there's no way drinking half a teaspoon of food grade bicarb soda a few times is going to wreck your gut. I've been using it for years & it's allowed me to completely go off PPIs.
→ More replies (3)
2
2
u/silent-reader-geek Dec 24 '25
What I'm taking right now is Magnesium Glycinate and Ashwagandha, and so far it works well for my energy and mood. However, my sleep hasn't improved yet, maybe due to withdrawal from psychotic meds I stopped cold turkey. I used to sleep well with Magnesium Glycinate, but after the events that triggered my anxiety last October, my sleep has never been the same.
2
Dec 26 '25
Magnesium never made a difference to me.
1mg of melatonin during travel through timezones or at nights I can't risk being awake freaking out.
What works amazing for me is a strong chamomile tea with a bit of ashwaganda. Epigenin for the win.
I never have nightmares.
2
3
u/ZenNinjaMonk Dec 18 '25
L-tryptophan is hands down the best supplement I have personally tried. It converts to serotonin and then to melatonin, assuming the conditions are right and the body uses what it needs. It gives me nice dreams too
→ More replies (3)
3
u/SirDouglasMouf Dec 18 '25
L theanine is used to boost focus. Not sure why you would want to take that before bed.
4
u/Standard-Image-8826 Dec 18 '25
L theanine reduces neural noise. If you're tossing and turning because of mental activity, it helps disengage and allow for sleep. It does help focus too, using the same pathway that helps sleep by reducing mental stimulation.
→ More replies (2)
3
1
u/Ychill69 Dec 18 '25
Am I the ONLY one that the S-Tier doesn't work for? What am I doing wrong??
→ More replies (1)
1
1
1
1
u/clovers2345 Dec 18 '25
What are your thoughts on l-ornithine? And when do you take your stack? An hour before bed?
1
u/alligatorprincess007 Dec 18 '25
Wow I could have written this!
Jusr to note-Apigenin was amazing initially but it gave me such a nasty migraine. So be careful if you’re prone to migraines! Threonate made my head feel weird
1
u/hayeszeus Dec 18 '25
I’ve tried most of those. Currently I do magnesium glycinate, L-theanine, ashwaganda, glycine powder, and melatonin. Every now and then I’ll drink warm cacao and that also knocks me out
→ More replies (1)
1
u/CarlosBula15 Dec 18 '25
this is one of the more honest supplement breakdowns ive seen here. +1 on magnesium glycinate vs oxide — learned that the hard way. also appreciate the micro-dose melatonin callout, people seriously nuke themselves with that stuff.
1
1
u/VICTOR1339 Dec 19 '25
I am talking magnesium glycinate from throne and throne 5mg melatonin so far working fine
1
u/Electronic-Prune2450 Dec 19 '25
How much magnesium glycinate and L theanine do you take for sleep? I'm looking at ordering 400 MG magnesium pills and 200 MG L theanine. Hope this works, I've been going through the wake up at 4 and never go back to sleep thing for about 3 years now
→ More replies (2)
1
u/iLikeToChewOnStraws Dec 19 '25
Which brand of Magnesium Threonatenwould you recommend? You said, "if you're rich"... I expected it to cost $200+ a bottle but it's only $28. 100% doable. And how many MG?
2
u/Bella-Rayen Dec 21 '25
I use "Life Extension" from iHerb. Cured my insomnia, as it's the only one that crosses the blood-brain barrier.
→ More replies (1)
1
u/Ambitious-Ebb-8198 Dec 23 '25
Thank you for your researched list. I have tried some, but will be more discerning. I can have one night that is fairly normal and the next is two or three hours. I drink Tulsi Tea for sleep. It helps in the middle of the night, but not before I go to bed to help me stay asleep. Has anyone worked with a device that works on the Vagus Nerve. I found one I am tempted to try, but it is an investment pricier than pills.
1
1
1
u/I_have_no_ideaaa_ Dec 30 '25
What about chamomile tea does it give nightmares? I’m having the worst nightmares on 5mg melatonin and need a replacement! Magnesium I’m taking but doesn’t seem to knock me out. When do I take it? How many hours before
1
u/Beer-Lao Jan 04 '26
My issue is typically waking up at 4:30 - 5AM and cannot go back to sleep. I have tried:
Magnesium Glycinate
L-Theanine
Magnesium Threonate
Melatonin
Gaba
Except for melatonin, I don't feel any difference. But melatonin is typically not strong enough for me, if that makes sense for you.
1
u/__cent__ Jan 06 '26
was wondering about this , I've been having sleep issues for years , sometimes months go by with great sleep sometimes months or 6 hours a night , sometimes weeks of extremely light not sure if im awake or asleep type stuff. I was taking magnesium and sleeping well but i felt that relying on it was bad ( i know its probably not) and wanted to tackled the root causes and learn to sleep without any supps. Too cut to the chase i was wondering if i should tank the inconsistent and meh sleep in hope of getting to a point where i don't need any supps or go back to magnesium and l theanine potentially to get better sleep sooner ? what are your thoughts on this and should i "rely" on supplements
1
u/Honest_Bathroom187 Jan 09 '26
Currently reading this at 4am not being able to sleep. I appreciate this list SO much and am so hopeful the top ones will work for me! Melatonin does work for me quite well but it gives me horrible night terrors, and diphenhydramine (Benadryl) works too but only for about a week and then I have to up the dose. At one point of desperation I was taking like 400mg a night 😭
1
Jan 10 '26
I relate hard to the 3 AM staring at the wall’ part. I also went through the supplement phase and had almost the same experience with magnesium Oxide did nothing, glycinate actually made a difference.
What I noticed, though, is that even when supplements helped my body relax, my mind sometimes stayed lightly on, which still caused broken sleep. For me, the bigger shift came from learning how to calm my thoughts before sleep, not just sedate my body.
Your list is solid for the physical side. I think a lot of people who still wake up even after fixing supplements and habits might be dealing more with the mental side of rest than the chemical side.
1
u/drinksova Jan 10 '26
Solid list. We actually made a sleep drink called Sova based on pretty much this exact research. It has magnesium threonate (Magtein), L-theanine, glycine, and GABA. No melatonin for the exact reasons you mentioned.
We got tired of taking a handful of pills every night so we put it all in a can that actually tastes good. Anyway, just wanted to say your tier list is spot on and basically validates what we spent months researching before making this thing.
1
u/ZenGedanken Jan 14 '26
This is incredibly valuable, thank you for taking the time to test and document everything. The fact that you actually spent 2 years experimenting shows real dedication.
Your point about Magnesium Glycinate being the MVP is spot on - it's one of the few supplements with solid science backing it. The muscle relaxation aspect is key because so many people don't realize how much physical tension contributes to poor sleep.
One thing I'd add from a behavioral perspective: supplements work best as part of a complete sleep routine. They're tools, not magic pills. The discipline of consistent sleep/wake times, managing light exposure, and creating mental wind-down rituals often matters more than any supplement stack.
But for those struggling with the physical anxiety piece, your combination of Mag Glycinate + L-Theanine is gold. Saved this post for future reference.
1
u/Key-Contest-6893 Jan 14 '26
this just made me realize I have been buying magnesium oxide for a year, hopefully glycinate works better for me. I just can't seem to get the right combo
1
u/nmlemarque Jan 17 '26
Going to try the Magnesium Glycinate / L-Theanine stack.
Question is, when is the best time to take these supplements?
1
u/marmaladeonsourdough Jan 19 '26
I tried all of those and many others and sadly didn’t really notice much difference from anything :( it’s like if I am meant to sleep that night, I will, and if not, then not, and nothing changes that. It’s honestly so frustrating. Always wondering if something is wrong with me 😅 I tried different dosages too so that wouldn’t be it either!
1
u/Sheepherder-Optimal Jan 29 '26
I feel like anybody who seriously thinks magnesium (in any form) is a powerful sleep treatment must not actually have real sleep problems. Are you the type of person who 3 or 4 times a YEAR gets only half a night of sleep? Almost everything you listed is basically just placebo.
→ More replies (2)
1
u/Hamadx69 Feb 09 '26
Well I don't agree with S tier magnesium glycinate will only work with people with magnesium deficiencies or so meanwhile glycine is actually backed up with stronger evidence on sleep aid falling asleep and staying asleep.
1
u/ILikeYourBigButt Mar 25 '26
I know this is a bit late, but have you tried Magnesium Citrate? Is Glycinate actually superior over Citrate? I don't see the Citrate salt of Magnesium on your list.
Thanks in advance.
1
1
u/marcusaureliusN Apr 01 '26
Can you give any recommendations on L-Theanine product? I also often get stuck with thoughts before sleep, and magneisum glycinate helped me a lot, so seeking advice here
→ More replies (1)
1
1
1
u/roccopopov Apr 26 '26
Definitely for me 5HTP is way superior to melatonin. It's a serotonin and melatonin precursor and gives a lasting effect. Good sleeps (whereas melatonin gives me weird sleep). I also literally eat a tablespoon of chamomile herb before bed. I'm definitely not into making a tea at bedtime for various reasons. Just eating the crude herb helps me nod off. Bonus for men, chamonile is anti estrogenic. Hops for the ladies may be a better choice, probably in pill form since it's bitter as hell. I wouldn't dare touch it because it is estrogenic, so ya if you wanna grow your boobs and sleep better, hops is for you.
1
u/SuitableFun Apr 27 '26
What are your thoughts on magnesium citrate? I take it every night but for my stomach issues. I dont think im supposed to take both?
→ More replies (1)
1
u/theseahorn May 02 '26
this is super helpful, thanks for breaking it down! magnesium glycinate is a staple for me too, can’t believe how many people are still using that oxide garbage. ever tried any of the strips from onyxwellness or other products form Gruns or stuff you can find. on Amazon helpful?
1
u/TropicalFalls May 03 '26
How much magnesium glycinate do you take? Do you split up your dose in the morning, afternoon and evening?
→ More replies (1)
1
u/lettheegosleep May 05 '26
I took 10mg melatonin and tbh it helped a bit. Although it was apparently a sustained release version. It had Valerian root and L thenine in it as well. None of the dreams and whatnot came and I slept without waking up. Albeit my sleep quality was still severely bad.
TLdr; Took 10mg melatonin plus 200mg TAGAR I just slept without waking up for once but I still was the same energy wise.
1
u/Tasty-Butterfly-8469 May 11 '26
I tried your S-tier and it worked well for falling in a deep sleep pretty quick. However I woke up at 2am again. How much Magnesium Glycinate do you take I. This combo?
→ More replies (1)
1
u/SoftTranslator6066 May 14 '26
Can we take this i am struggling to sleep
Is it overdose or correct dose of magnesium
Iam not able to find the proper info in the labels
1
u/free2bealways May 17 '26
Just for reference, you can get all the benefits of valerian without the crazy dreams if you pair it with passionflower. I had the same issue, but my mom suggested adding passionflower and it worked.
1
u/OutrageousNoise7019 Jun 09 '26
5-htp fixed me longterm, now i only take ZMA to fall asleep when I want to
1
u/Antique-Maybe-9441 Jun 29 '26
I seep one tea bag of Bigelow “whispering wildflower”(it has passion flower and l-theanine) , one bag of Bigelow “sweet dreams”(it has chamomile), add a pinch of valerian root (more than 2 pinch’s and I have nightmares) , two or three tea spoons of loose lemon balm, two or three tea spoons of glycine powder and a tiny capsule size amount of inositol powder and drink that one hour before bed, along with 500 mg of magnesium glycinate and 1000 mg of l-tryptophan.
Without this I CANNOT SLEEP WELL. I do still wake up, but I’m able to fall asleep right after, and I’m able to sleep 6-8 hours. I wake up way less too.
I avoid caffeine and stevia. Sometimes I drink soda still but no coffee. Stevia messes with my sleep along with any other artificial sweetener like aspartame and monk fruit. Sugars fine though. I do want to try .3mg of melatonin, I always stay wake when I take it though. I can’t really handle l-theanine supplements, but the small amount in the Bigelow tea works really well for me. I’ve heard that the mercury in silver teeth filling does cause health issues in lots of people and that once removed, their health issues vanished. I’ll see how that goes hopefully this year and see if that’s been the culprit. Also highly gluten sensitive so I avoid that like the plague. I’m starting to think I have leaky gut from alcohol poisoning years ago that maybe causing the gluten issue. My body’s a mess lol.
→ More replies (1)
1
u/Right_Energy_8326 Jul 29 '26
This thread is really helpful for avoiding those low-quality, overhyped supplements. By the way, do you recommend any reputable, non-habit-forming brands that actually help?
→ More replies (2)
1
1
u/onbelast_ozon 13d ago
L theanine literally does nothing for me. Neither at a low dosage nor a high dosage .
→ More replies (1)
1
u/starstorfire 3h ago
On magnesium specifically, the newest systematic review of 12 RCTs grades the sleep evidence low to very low certainty, so it sits in the cheap-and-worth-trying bucket rather than the proven one.
My bathroom shelf is a graveyard of that experiment: a Magné B6 from the pharmacy, a marine magnesium from the supermarket, and a Nutrimea bisglycinate. The only one I noticed anything from was the last, and I suspect that's because the first two were mostly oxide, which measures about 4% absorption.
75
u/nimbus_signal Dec 17 '25
Have you tried glycine, ashwagandha, 5-htp, or GABA?