Summary
Robert Chesky and Dr. Eric Trexler (Stronger by Science) dig into the most promising sleep supplements backed by research, including their mechanisms and practical dosing. They also cover TeaCrine (theacrine) as a caffeine alternative, the importance of foundational sleep hygiene before reaching for supplements, and how to critically evaluate supplement research even as a non-scientist.
Key Points
- Fix sleep hygiene (dark room, consistent schedule, no screens) before adding any sleep supplement.
- Magnesium glycinate (200-400mg) and melatonin (0.3-1mg) have the most consistent evidence for improving sleep onset.
- TeaCrine (theacrine) provides smooth energy without the tolerance buildup or sleep disruption of caffeine.
- Ashwagandha may improve sleep quality indirectly by lowering cortisol, but direct sleep evidence is still building.
- L-theanine (200mg) promotes relaxation without sedation and pairs well with caffeine during the day for calm focus.
- Always check supplement research for conflicts of interest, sample size, and whether the study used the same dose and form you'd take.
Key Moments
Melatonin is effective for sleep but dosing matters
Eric Trexler takes a middle-ground stance on melatonin, noting it is effective for reducing sleep latency and increasing total sleep time, but people have gotten too aggressive with dosing.
"And my perspective on melatonin is kind of middle of the road, which means that everybody hates it,"
Magnesium glycinate chosen for dual sleep benefits
Trexler chose magnesium glycinate for a sleep formula because glycine independently enhances sleep quality by helping regulate the natural drop in body temperature at night.
"I felt pretty strongly that magnesium glycinate would be a really strong choice. And the reason for that is there's some research showing that glycine independently with nothing to do with magnesium does seem to enhance sleep quality."
Sleep supplements offer more bang for your buck than performance supps
Trexler argues that sleep supplements provide far greater daily impact than performance supplements like creatine, since sleep quality affects everything about the following day.
"But with sleep supplements, you know, this is an area where, like, right now, do I take creatine? Now, should I? Probably. But, you know, I'm just like whatever. It's not that big of a deal. Whenever I really crank my training back up, I'll probably throw it in the mix. But the sleep stuff, I take every night."
Sleep hygiene comes before supplements
Trexler emphasizes that if sleep is poor, the first step is fixing basic sleep hygiene violations rather than reaching for supplements.
"If you're sleeping really poorly, your first move is not supplements. Your first move is, am I violating any of these really basic sleep hygiene recommendations? And most people are,"
