Sleep

Sleep peptides are compounds studied for effects on sleep onset, sleep architecture, and recovery from disrupted sleep. The category is small and dominated by one compound.

DSIP (delta sleep-inducing peptide) is a nine-amino-acid peptide isolated from rabbit brain in 1977 by Schoenenberger and Monnier. Named for its ability to induce delta-wave sleep in EEG recordings in early animal experiments. The clinical literature is limited and dates mostly from the 1980s and 1990s. Small open-label studies reported subjective sleep improvement and modest effects on chronic pain. No randomized controlled trial has demonstrated a clinically meaningful sleep effect at the level expected for a regulator-approved sleep drug.

Other entries with secondary sleep effects include Selank (anxiolytic with reported sleep effects in Russian clinical literature), Epitalon (the Khavinson pineal peptide with reported melatonin-related effects in animal work), and the GH secretagogues ipamorelin and MK-677, which can increase slow-wave sleep duration as a downstream effect of GH pulse augmentation.

The evidence picture across this category is uneven. DSIP has the longest history and the weakest controlled-trial dataset. The GH secretagogue sleep effect is real but secondary to GH pharmacology and carries the whole secretagogue side-effect profile.

DSIP is not FDA-approved for sleep or any other indication. Sold as a research chemical in the United States and the European Union. Selank is prescription-only in Russia and unlicensed elsewhere. The GH secretagogues are on the WADA prohibited list and are not approved for sleep indications.