First, I am not a doctor. These supplements are available over-the-counter in the US, and work very well for me for the reason I am using them.
I came up with this combination back in 2010, and I’m certain I’m not unique in this stack – I believe it’s available as a single dose pill in vitamin/supplement shops all over the place. After a quick check on Duck Duck Go, there’s a few that have all but L-Tyrosine and a few that are combinations of the three amino acids, but none have all four.
This stack is designed not to be taken all at once. My order is 5-HTP, L-Tyrosine, and L-Theanine two hours before bedtime, and Melatonin when I go to bed, which is about thirty minutes before I intend to be asleep.
Why?
Melatonin – The Hormone of Darkness
Melatonin has a pretty \m/ metal \m/ nickname due to what it does. It’s role is specifically to communicate to the body that it’s getting dark and time to start winding down for sleep. It’s not a sedative, but a scheduling clerk, in a way. It helps you regulate your circadian rhythm (CR) and balance it back when it goes haywire (think long hours at work or long road/air trips). It is an endogenous hormone, which means it is produced in the body, specifically in the pineal gland. But it can also be taken as an exogenous supplement.
The Pineal Gland – The Grand Alchemist
The pineal gland is a pea-sized endocrine gland in your brain that oversees the production and secretion of melatonin. Not only that, but it’s also responsible for stress-reduction, mood management via use of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, reproductive function, and possibly being a sensory gland in and of itself, considering its sensitivity to both light/darkness and electromagnetic fields, and converts serotonin to melatonin when it gets darker outside.
5-HTP – A Passive-Aggressive Melatonin Booster
Imagine your serotonin levels as a castle made of interconnecting blocks. 5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan) would be the blocks of that castle. It serves as a direct precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter (which is actually created in the gut – interesting!). While serotonin is mostly mood-oriented, its also necessary for our CR’s balance because it is what the pineal gland converts into melatonin. So — 5-HTP serves as a precursor to serotonin, which serves as a precursor to melatonin. Having enough 5-HTP ensures the body has enough serotonin to support the CR as well as help manage mood and stress.
L-Theanine and L-Tyrosine in a Nutshell
L-Theanine is an amino acid that’s abundant in green tea, and is one of the reasons green tea is so relaxing to drink (and why I’ve been known to drink eight cups of it a day on occasion). It doesn’t cause drowsiness, so it’s often used to help with studying, reading, gaming, reading tarot cards, writing, et cetera. It also encourages neurotransmitters like GABA, serotonin, and dopamine to lower your stress and anxiety.
L-Tyrosine is a motivator among amino acids, acting as a precursor to catecholamine (CA) neurotransmitters, which include norepinephrine, epinephrine (aka adrenaline), and you guessed it: dopamine. So it works in tandem with the focused calm of L-Theanine and adds a layer of alertness and a more intelligent level of stress response.
No GABA?
While GABA is great for putting a stop to your brain overworking and paving the way for a calming, relaxed state that you need for sleep, I have personally found that it’s not a great addition to my personal sleep stack. The reason is because it’s the last straw in the mudslide that shuts me down a little too well, and I always wake up with a sleep hangover the next morning after I take it.
My Pre-Bed Routine: How I Take The Stack
Two hours before I am due to go to bed (about 6pm), I hear an alarm on my phone in the form of a soft run line from Mariah Carey. I take 5-HTP, L-Theanine, and L-Tyrosine with 8 ounces of water and a cup of chamomile or rose petal tea depending on my stress level. Rose Petal if I want a hug, chamomile if I just want to relax. I might even drink a cup of green tea if I’m already really tired, because I don’t want to risk falling asleep too early, and green tea has a decent amount of caffeine in it to keep me alert for those two hours.
The 5-HTP and the two Ls begin a process of supplying my body and mind with the bricks of the serotonin castle, the ability to calm down, focus up, and a little bit of a dopamine boost without overexciting me. With the combination of non-energy energy and assisted calming, I am able to focus on gaming, a sporting event, a movie, or whatever I’m doing for the next two hours.
My schedule doesn’t require me to go to bed too early, but my mind tends to blow a gasket after the sun goes down, so I try to get myself into a state of bed-readiness by around 8pm. So at about 7:15pm, I take my melatonin and spray the lavender spray on my pillow and lightly over my blankets. I also light a stick or two of incense and turn all the lights off, and also remove myself from any activities that include things in the living room or on the computer. I am usually seated in Mom’s recliner playing games that calm me (the paper kind), or I am writing ideas for some projects on a notepad, or playing/taking notes on my cell phone in night mode.
And when I do get into a state of bed-readiness, I then let myself wind down with an absolute bed time of no later than midnight depending on what I am doing. I prefer to be strict about this, since it keeps me on a schedule and I can predict the effectiveness of my morning routine (it’s more effective if I do it earlier, and I do enjoy waking up between 2 and 4am). I don’t fight the urge to go to bed, but I don’t force myself to go, either, as I’ve already begun removing the ability for my mind to spin out of control at night as it does.
That being said, I’ve found this historically to be a sleep powerhouse, and all I am doing is supplementing what my body already makes, and due to the overage of cortisol and other stress hormones, I’ve found this to be the best stack for my own needs. I also realized by dedicating two hours to a pre-bed routine, and two hours to a morning routine, I’ve secured twelve hours for taking care of my mind, body, and spirit. Nice.