Glycine

Glycine is a simple amino acid, but its benefits are truly extraordinary, especially for sleep.

Taking Glycine before bed has been shown to help people fall asleep faster, increase sleep quality, reduce daytime sleepiness the next day, and even improve cognitive function the next day.

It does this in many ways. First of all, Glycine has been shown to lower your body temperature. Good quality sleep and our body temperature are closely related - the faster you can cool down, the quicker you’ll fall asleep. Glycine drops your body temperature by dilating your blood vessels, preparing your body to quickly transition into deeper sleep.

Glycine has also been shown to be responsible for the inhibition of somatic motor neurons during REM sleep. That’s a bunch of nerd-speak that means Glycine helps to paralyze your muscles so you don’t kick your significant other off the bed.