I think valerian root extract is underrated. It is very useful in getting back to sleep if you wake up in the middle of the night.
4 Likes
Vlasko
#68
It’s a controlled substance in the US. Remember to check your country’s laws before ordering a drug from India.
2 Likes
SNK
#69
I don’t think they will even ship it to USA. I tried to buy something that I was not aware it was controlled substance and all the Indian guys I asked said no we can’t ship it.
2 Likes
Davin8r
#70
I take Quviviq (daridorexant) with good results. Even though it’s brand-only and not covered by my insurance, I’m still able to get it for $25/month (with prescription, of course) from a mail order pharmacy in the USA called KnippRx. I still have issues waking up earlier in the morning than I’d like (especially with the recent daylight savings time change), but it’s made a big difference in my overall quality of sleep with no morning grogginess or other side effects.
3 Likes
SNK
#71
What dose do you take if you don’t mind me asking?
Alex
#74
And sure enough it is. Good to know.
stealle
#75
That’s the first I’ve heard of that. Will you please provide a source for that info?
LaraPo
#76
1 Like
stealle
#77
Great question! I wish I knew the answer. My thoughts are… There are many things that either “enhance” or “inhibit” mTOR. Glycine is an amino acid. Leucine, arginine, and methionine are also amino acids that signal or enhance mTOR. Protein (complex of amino acids) intake in general enhances mTOR. Some believe high protein intake promotes aging while others insist high protein intake is beneficial to stay muscular and fit while aging. We can probably all agree that we need some protein in our diet. And we can only be so concerned about, getting what we believe to be the optimal amount of protein, enhancing mTOR. Resistance training activates mTOR. I think we can all agree that resistance training is more beneficial to health and longevity than not.
I don’t know the answer. I hope someone does and will chime in. Currently, I take glycine (in gly/nac). I also take taurine. While glycine may be enhancing mTOR (I’m guessing it is a weak enhancer), some of the benefits of glynac are increased glutathione, increased mitochondrial function, and potentially increased healthspan and lifespan. I don’t think glynac does this because of its effect on mTOR. Please correct me if I’m wrong. Taurine has many benefits. But is it cancelled out because I do things that enhance mTOR like resistance training, eat high protein, or…. take glycine.m??? I guess I don’t know. I do take Taurine on an empty stomach so it has less competition for absorption. But, I’ve been taking it with glynac so maybe I should look at that. I’m already struggling with what supplements to take on an empty stomach or with food or in the AM or PM or what vitamins to take separately because they compete. Same with minerals many compete for absorption so I take them at different times.
I don’t think activating mTOR is always bad. Most of us are on an intermittent or pulsed dosing schedule of rapamycin. It’s so powerful that mTOR will be inhibited for a period of time when we dose regardless of what we are doing or supplementing.
Having said all of that, I’ll add glycine and taurine to the list of things I obsess about. 
LaraPo
#78
I have been trying different doses and time for tryptophan for better sleeping. If I take approx 100mg immediately before going to bed, my deep sleep stage doubles and happens at the beginning of my sleep.
3 Likes
Tim
#79
@Walter_Brown, many studies have been done on cognitive behavioral therapy as a treatment for many disorders, including insomnia. It’s effectiveness as a sleep aid is almost indisputable.
2 Likes
Tim
#80
@Alex, unfortunately you won’t find anything that knocks you out like mirtazapine except for maybe quetiapine, which is also an anticholinergic. I’d try CBT, which is said to be effective even for chronic insomnia.
1 Like
And maybe a thousand times more costly. 
1 Like
Tim
#82
For Alex, yes, but not for us geezers.
Actually, most people need no more than seven or eight sessions. May be worth a grand or two.
No. You should not take Glycine and Taurine together. They both utilize the same receptor (along with beta-alanine). Glycine will always monopolize the receptor hence it is named the glycine receptor.
If you take glycine and taurine together, your body will absorb the glycine first and you may waste the taurine that is not absorbed. They should be taken about 4 hours apart for the benefits of both to be fully realized. Beta-alanine will also block taurine but is also blocked by glycine. So taking all 3 together is not a good idea either.
10 Likes
invivo
#84
any issue with magnesium glycinate and taurine?
Magnesium glycinate is magnesium plus glycine. So probably the same issue as glycine and taurine.
I have been using Zaleplon as required over the past 10 years or so. It is absolutely great for getting you off to sleep [in < 5 min.], but has a very short half life and I occasionaly need a second 5mg tablet half way through the night. It is a sedative hypnotic like xanax, but I always wake up alert, and can drive with no drowsiness the next day. I’ve had no side effects and just use maybe 100 x 5mg capsules/year.
Here’s an older article:
“Efficacy studies show that zaleplon is a suitable hypnotic for sleep initiation purposes. However, because of its short half-life, zaleplon is less effective in sleep maintenance when compared with other hypnotics. Nevertheless, zaleplon does increase total sleep time. No rebound effects are observed after treatment discontinuation.
The use of zaleplon is relatively safe. Adverse effects are mild and of short duration. No important interactions have been reported, and there is no evidence of abuse potential. Relative to benzodiazepine hypnotics [like Xanex], the biggest advantage of zaleplon is that current evidence suggests it does not produce residual next-day effects. As early as four hours after intake of zaleplon, no effects on cognitive, memory, psychomotor performance, and the ability to drive a car have been reported.”
4 Likes
SNK
#87
Is it addictive? And does it make you dependent on it? I know of someone that got addicted to Xanax and it is one of the worst things. Apparently, they self-medicated on it, and didn’t go with doctor’s suggestions.
I don’t find Zaleplon to be addictive other than it’s good to know it’s available, especially useful when I go to bed early because I want or need to get up early. Or when I have some worry going around in my head that won’t stop. Zaleplon is the greatest!