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Best Peptides for Sleep, Ranked by Human Evidence

Sleep peptides ranked by human trials: DSIP and MK-677 have small sleep-lab studies. CJC-1295, ipamorelin, BPC-157 and GHK-Cu have none on sleep.

Sebastian Hunter, Founder and EditorWritten bySebastian Hunter, Founder and EditorI'm a 42-year-old senior advisor and distance runner who came to peptides as a sceptic. I'm not a doctor: I read the research, run my own experiment and keep honest notes. Read full bio

The short version

I found no peptide approved for sleep. DSIP has the most human sleep trials, all small and decades old, and its one randomised trial in insomniacs found weak effects. MK-677, which is not technically a peptide, increased deep and REM sleep in one small sleep-lab study. The growth-hormone peptides sold for sleep, such as CJC-1295, ipamorelin and sermorelin, have no sleep studies of their own. Their close relatives pushed sleep in different directions.

  • DSIP: one 16-person randomised trial in insomniacs found weak effects and no change in how well people felt they slept.
  • MK-677 increased deep and REM sleep in one small study, and raised blood sugar in a 2-year trial.
  • GHRH, the hormone sermorelin and CJC-1295 copy, deepened sleep in young men and worsened it in young women.
  • I found no human sleep study of ipamorelin, CJC-1295, pinealon, BPC-157 or GHK-Cu.

I found no peptide approved for sleep, and the human sleep data are small and old. DSIP has the most trials, and its best one found weak effects. MK-677, sold alongside peptides but not one itself, produced the clearest sleep-lab result, in a placebo-controlled study of 8 young adults.

The ranking below orders compounds by how much human sleep data they have and how good it is. A higher rank means better evidence, not that a compound will help you sleep, and every study here was small. For energy, see peptides for energy.

Peptides for sleep compared

RankCompoundHuman evidence on sleepWhat was measuredUS legal statusOur page
1DSIP1 randomised trial in 16 insomniacs; a summary of 5 intravenous studiesSleep efficiency and time to fall asleep in a sleep labResearch chemicalDSIP guide
2MK-677 (not a peptide)1 placebo-controlled sleep-lab study, 8 young adults, plus 6 older adultsDeep (stage IV) and REM sleepResearch chemicalMK-677
3Sermorelin, tesamorelin, CJC-1295None on these products; small intravenous studies of the parent hormone, GHRHDeep sleep up in men; a smaller effect in older adults; less REM and deep sleep in young womenSermorelin: no approved product; tesamorelin: prescription drug for HIV-related belly fat; CJC-1295: research chemicalSermorelin
4Ipamorelin and the GHRPsIpamorelin: none. One-night intravenous studies of GHRP-6, GHRP-2 and hexarelin in small groups of healthy volunteersLight, deep and REM sleepResearch chemicalsIpamorelin
5EpitalonMelatonin studies in older adults; no sleep measure reportedNight-time melatoninResearch chemicalEpitalon
6Pinealon, SelankNone on sleepNothing on sleepResearch chemicalsPinealon
7BPC-157, GHK-CuNone in people; one mouse study of GHKNothing on sleep in peopleResearch chemical; GHK-Cu: cosmeticBPC-157

1. DSIP: the most sleep trials, and weak results

DSIP, delta sleep-inducing peptide, was named in the 1970s for a hoped-for role in deep sleep. A 1983 summary of five double-blind intravenous studies reported that four injections normalised disturbed sleep in insomniacs, without giving participant numbers Schneider-Helmert 1983 - Schneider-Helmert D, Schoenenberger GA. Effects of DSIP in man. Multifunctional psychophysiological properties besides induction of natural sleep. Neuropsychobiology. 1983;9(4):197-206., in the references below.

The one randomised trial in insomniacs gave 16 patients intravenous DSIP or placebo in the afternoon before 3 nights in a sleep lab. DSIP was linked to higher sleep efficiency and falling asleep faster. The authors judged these effects weak and partly due to a chance change in the placebo group. How well people felt they slept did not change, and the authors concluded DSIP was unlikely to help chronic insomnia much Bes 1992 - Bes F, Hofman W, Schuur J et al. Effects of delta sleep-inducing peptide on sleep of chronic insomniac patients. A double-blind study. Neuropsychobiology. 1992;26(4):193-7., in the references below.

The human sleep studies I found all gave DSIP by vein. None tested the under-the-skin bedtime injections it is sold for. DSIP is a research chemical. More: the DSIP guide and DSIP dosage.

2. MK-677: more deep and REM sleep in one small study

MK-677 (ibutamoren) is sold with peptides, but it is a non-peptide pill that mimics the hunger hormone ghrelin. In a sleep-lab study, 8 young adults took 5 mg, 25 mg or placebo at bedtime for 7 days each, in random order. On 25 mg, deep (stage IV) sleep lasted about 50% longer and REM sleep more than 20% longer than on placebo. Six older adults, who had no placebo period, had nearly 50% more REM sleep on treatment Copinschi 1997 - Copinschi G, Leproult R, Van Onderbergen A et al. Prolonged oral treatment with MK-677, a novel growth hormone secretagogue, improves sleep quality in man. Neuroendocrinology. 1997;66(4):278-86., in the references below.

I found no study that repeated it. MK-677 also has known costs: in a 2-year trial in 65 older adults, fasting blood sugar rose and insulin sensitivity fell Nass 2008 - Nass R, Pezzoli SS, Oliveri MC et al. Effects of an oral ghrelin mimetic on body composition and clinical outcomes in healthy older adults: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149(9):601-11., in the references below. FDA lists it as a significant safety risk for compounding because of possible congestive heart failure in some patients. MK-677 is a research chemical. More: MK-677.

3. Sermorelin, tesamorelin and CJC-1295: no sleep studies of their own

All three copy or extend GHRH, the brain hormone that tells the pituitary to release growth hormone. I found no sleep study of any of the three products. The sleep data come from GHRH itself, given by vein in small sleep-lab studies:

Those were laboratory doses by vein, so they say little about an injection under the skin. Andrew Huberman said on his podcast in April 2024 that sermorelin seemed to reduce his REM sleep, so he almost completely stopped taking it (Huberman Lab). That is one person’s experience, not a study.

No FDA-approved sermorelin product is on the market, and DailyMed lists no sermorelin label. Tesamorelin is a prescription drug approved to reduce excess belly fat in adults with HIV-related lipodystrophy, and its label does not mention sleep. CJC-1295 is a research chemical. More: sermorelin, tesamorelin and CJC-1295.

4. Ipamorelin and the GHRPs: mixed effects on sleep

Ipamorelin belongs to the ghrelin-mimicking peptides, the growth hormone-releasing peptides (GHRPs). I found no sleep study of ipamorelin itself. Its relatives were each given by vein over one night to small groups of healthy volunteers. All raised growth hormone, but sleep went in different directions:

So “more growth hormone at night means better sleep” is not a safe assumption. All four are research chemicals. More: ipamorelin, GHRP-6, GHRP-2 and hexarelin.

5. Epitalon: melatonin studies, not sleep studies

Epithalamin is a peptide extract of the pineal gland. Epitalon is a synthetic four-amino-acid peptide modelled on it. Both raised night-time melatonin in older people whose levels were low. In people with normal levels, melatonin tended to fall Korkushko 2004 - Korkushko OV, Khavinson VKh, Shatilo VB et al. Effect of peptide preparation epithalamin on circadian rhythm of epiphyseal melatonin-producing function in elderly people. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2004;137(4):389-91., in the references below Korkushko 2007 - Korkushko OV, Lapin BA, Goncharova ND et al. [Normalizing effect of the pineal gland peptides on the daily melatonin rhythm in old monkeys and elderly people]. Adv Gerontol. 2007;20(1):74-85., in the references below. Both studies come from the same research group, and neither abstract reports a sleep measure. Epitalon is a research chemical. More: epitalon.

6. Pinealon and Selank: no sleep trials

I found no sleep trial of pinealon. Andrew Huberman said in October 2024 that pinealon, taken occasionally, improved his sleep (Huberman Lab). In June 2026 he said he does not take it regularly (Huberman Lab).

The Selank trials I found measured anxiety, not sleep. In one trial of 70 patients with anxiety disorders, adding Selank to the benzodiazepine phenazepam reduced phenazepam’s side effects, including sedation and longer sleep Medvedev 2015 - Medvedev VE, Tereshchenko ON, Kost NV et al. [Optimization of the treatment of anxiety disorders with selank]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2015;115(6):33-40., in the references below. Both are research chemicals. More: pinealon and Selank.

7. BPC-157 and GHK-Cu: no human sleep data

A PubMed search on 3 October 2026 found no study of BPC-157 and sleep. For GHK, the only related study is in mice: injected GHK prevented the learning problems that followed sleep deprivation, without measuring sleep itself Rosenfeld 2023 - Rosenfeld M, Nickel K, Ladiges W. GHK peptide prevents sleep-deprived learning impairment in aging mice. Aging Pathobiol Ther. 2023;5(1):33-35., in the references below. More: BPC-157 and GHK-Cu.

Common questions

What peptides will help with sleep?

I found none approved for sleep, and the human data are small. DSIP has the most sleep trials, and its one randomised trial in 16 insomniacs found weak effects. MK-677, which is not technically a peptide, increased deep and REM sleep in one small sleep-lab study. The peptides most often sold for sleep, CJC-1295 and ipamorelin, have no sleep studies of their own.

Does BPC-157 help with sleep?

I found no evidence either way. A PubMed search on 3 October 2026 found no study of BPC-157 and sleep in people or animals. Without a study, a claim that it improves sleep cannot be separated from placebo or from recovering from an injury. BPC-157 is a research chemical, not approved for human use.

Does GHK-Cu help sleep?

I found no human study of GHK-Cu and sleep. The only related study is in mice: injected GHK prevented the learning problems that followed two days of sleep deprivation. It did not measure sleep itself, and a mouse result is not evidence for people.

Which peptides should you take at night?

This site does not recommend taking any of them. Common protocols time DSIP and the growth-hormone peptides for bedtime, which is a habit rather than a tested finding. The MK-677 sleep study gave it at bedtime, while its 2-year trial gave it in the morning. The DSIP insomnia trial gave DSIP by vein in the afternoon. The dosage pages for each compound show the common protocols, labelled as common practice, not trial-established.

Do growth hormone peptides improve sleep?

It depends on the compound, and the products sold for sleep are untested. In sleep-lab studies, the natural hormone GHRH deepened sleep in young men but worsened it in young women. GHRP-6 increased light sleep, GHRP-2 had no effect and hexarelin reduced deep sleep. CJC-1295, ipamorelin and sermorelin have no sleep studies of their own.

Are there peptides for sleep and anxiety?

Selank is sold for both, but the trials I found measured anxiety, not sleep. In one trial where Selank was added to phenazepam, a benzodiazepine, patients had fewer phenazepam side effects, including sedation and longer sleep. I found no trial that tested Selank or any other peptide for sleep in anxious people.

When is the best time to take BPC-157?

FDA's July 2026 review found no human data on how BPC-157 is absorbed or cleared after an injection or a pill. I found no study comparing times of day. Timing advice online is not based on a measured human number. BPC-157 is a research chemical, not approved for human use.

References (23 sources)

Bibliographic detail is fetched from PubMed, not written by me - so a citation here cannot drift from the paper it names. Study design comes from PubMed's own tags rather than my judgement.

  1. 1.Bes F, Hofman W, Schuur J et al. Effects of delta sleep-inducing peptide on sleep of chronic insomniac patients. A double-blind study. Neuropsychobiology. 1992;26(4):193-7.Randomised trialPMID 1299794
  2. 2.Schneider-Helmert D, Schoenenberger GA. Effects of DSIP in man. Multifunctional psychophysiological properties besides induction of natural sleep. Neuropsychobiology. 1983;9(4):197-206.Clinical trialPMID 6689058
  3. 3.Copinschi G, Leproult R, Van Onderbergen A et al. Prolonged oral treatment with MK-677, a novel growth hormone secretagogue, improves sleep quality in man. Neuroendocrinology. 1997;66(4):278-86.Clinical trialPMID 9349662
  4. 4.Nass R, Pezzoli SS, Oliveri MC et al. Effects of an oral ghrelin mimetic on body composition and clinical outcomes in healthy older adults: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149(9):601-11.Randomised trialPMID 18981485full text
  5. 5.Steiger A, Guldner J, Hemmeter U et al. Effects of growth hormone-releasing hormone and somatostatin on sleep EEG and nocturnal hormone secretion in male controls. Neuroendocrinology. 1992;56(4):566-73.Clinical trialPMID 1361964
  6. 6.Guldner J, Schier T, Friess E et al. Reduced efficacy of growth hormone-releasing hormone in modulating sleep endocrine activity in the elderly. Neurobiol Aging. 1997;18(5):491-5.Clinical trialPMID 9390775
  7. 7.Mathias S, Held K, Ising M et al. Systemic growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) impairs sleep in healthy young women. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2007;32(8-10):1021-7.Randomised trialPMID 17850984
  8. 8.Frieboes RM, Murck H, Maier P et al. Growth hormone-releasing peptide-6 stimulates sleep, growth hormone, ACTH and cortisol release in normal man. Neuroendocrinology. 1995;61(5):584-9.Randomised trialPMID 7617137
  9. 9.Moreno-Reyes R, Kerkhofs M, L'Hermite-Balériaux M et al. Evidence against a role for the growth hormone-releasing peptide axis in human slow-wave sleep regulation. Am J Physiol. 1998;274(5):E779-84.Randomised trialPMID 9612233
  10. 10.Frieboes RM, Antonijevic IA, Held K et al. Hexarelin decreases slow-wave sleep and stimulates the secretion of GH, ACTH, cortisol and prolactin during sleep in healthy volunteers. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2004;29(7):851-60.Clinical trialPMID 15177700
  11. 11.Korkushko OV, Khavinson VKh, Shatilo VB et al. Effect of peptide preparation epithalamin on circadian rhythm of epiphyseal melatonin-producing function in elderly people. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2004;137(4):389-91.Randomised trialPMID 15452611
  12. 12.Korkushko OV, Lapin BA, Goncharova ND et al. [Normalizing effect of the pineal gland peptides on the daily melatonin rhythm in old monkeys and elderly people]. Adv Gerontol. 2007;20(1):74-85.StudyPMID 17969590
  13. 13.Medvedev VE, Tereshchenko ON, Kost NV et al. [Optimization of the treatment of anxiety disorders with selank]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2015;115(6):33-40.Randomised trialPMID 26356395
  14. 14.Rosenfeld M, Nickel K, Ladiges W. GHK peptide prevents sleep-deprived learning impairment in aging mice. Aging Pathobiol Ther. 2023;5(1):33-35.StudyPMID 37035833full text
  15. 15.FDA - Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks (content current 22 April 2026). Ibutamoren mesylate is listed in category 2 for the potential for congestive heart failure in certain patients.- US Food and Drug Administrationregulatory
  16. 16.EGRIFTA WR (tesamorelin) label - indicated for the reduction of excess abdominal fat in HIV-infected adults with lipodystrophy. The label does not mention sleep.- DailyMed, US National Library of Medicinelabel
  17. 17.DailyMed SPL search for "sermorelin", queried 3 October 2026: zero drug labels listed.- DailyMed, US National Library of Medicinedatabase
  18. 18.Huberman Lab, 1 April 2024 - Benefits & Risks of Peptide Therapeutics for Physical & Mental Health (solo episode). Huberman says he took sermorelin on and off and almost completely stopped because it seemed to reduce his REM sleep.- Huberman Lab (episode page and transcript)other
  19. 19.Huberman Lab, 7 October 2024 - Dr. Craig Koniver: Peptide & Hormone Therapies for Health, Performance & Longevity. Huberman says pinealon, taken occasionally, improved his sleep.- Huberman Lab (episode page and transcript)other
  20. 20.Huberman Lab, 1 June 2026 - Peptides: The Science, Uses & Safety, with Dr. Abud Bakri. Huberman says he has tried pinealon a few times and does not take it regularly.- Huberman Lab (episode page and transcript)other
  21. 21.NCBI E-utilities esearch - ("BPC 157" OR "BPC-157") AND (sleep OR insomnia), queried 3 October 2026: one record, a general review of peptides in orthopaedics with no sleep study.- US National Library of Medicinedatabase
  22. 22.NCBI E-utilities esearch - (ipamorelin OR "CJC-1295" OR "CJC 1295") AND sleep, queried 3 October 2026: three records, all reviews or a user survey, no sleep study.- US National Library of Medicinedatabase
  23. 23.FDA briefing document for the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting, 23-24 July 2026 - evaluation of BPC-157. FDA found no human pharmacokinetic data for BPC-157 given by mouth, injection under the skin, nose or skin.- US Food and Drug Administrationregulatory

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