Who this is for
This page is for the adult whose days are fine and whose nights are not: the founder asleep at midnight and awake, wired, at 3:40; the executive whose tracker shows four hours of deep sleep a week; the athlete who recovers slowly for no reason the log explains. You want a plan that works on the rhythm underneath, with a compound layer that supports it rather than sedates you.
A sleep protocol fits best when most of these are true:
- More than 30 minutes to fall asleep, or more than 30 minutes awake in the night, three or more nights a week.
- Deep sleep is under about an hour a night on the tracker, or HRV will not climb however easy you train.
- You are coming off travel, a launch, a newborn or a burnout, and the rhythm has not come back on its own.
- You will fix the wake time and the light first, do baseline labs, and keep a tracker or paper diary for the full cycle.
It is not a page for anyone with untreated sleep apnoea, a known pituitary or thyroid condition, active or recent cancer, pregnancy, breastfeeding or under 18 — those go to a physician first. Loud snoring with daytime sleepiness is a sleep-study question before it is a protocol question, and we will say so.
What a protocol for this goal usually contains
The compound layer in a sleep protocol is small and quiet, and it comes after the timing layer, never before it. No doses — those are written for you after your labs.
Compounds that are usually in the conversation
- CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin — the usual lead: a pulsatile growth-hormone signal taken at night, studied for sleep depth first and recovery second. Most people notice the sleep inside two weeks.
- Epithalon — a ten-day reset course, studied for sleep onset and circadian timing; the effect tends to persist for weeks after the course ends, so it is written in at the start for the researcher coming off travel or burnout.
- NAD+ — when the sleep problem is really an energy problem: steadier afternoons, a clearer head, better sleep quality as a side benefit.
Training
- Hard sessions finished at least three hours before bed — the most common self-inflicted sleep problem we see.
- Morning or midday training where life allows — it anchors the rhythm and brings the first light with it.
- Zone-2 two or three times a week; it improves deep sleep and HRV within a month on its own.
Nutrition
- Caffeine finished by early afternoon — a 4 p.m. coffee is still a quarter present at 2 a.m.
- Last meal two to three hours before bed, moderate — also required for the fasted timing of the nightly pen.
- Alcohol counted honestly: it speeds sleep onset and takes the deep sleep back later. Magnesium and glycine in the evening if tolerated; nothing else by default.
Sleep and recovery
- A fixed wake time, seven days a week, is the single strongest lever and the first thing we set. Bedtime follows it.
- Ten minutes of outdoor light within an hour of waking; dim, warm light in the last hour of the day.
- A cool, dark room, the phone elsewhere, naps capped at 20 minutes and done before 3 p.m.
Clinic and lab levers
- Baseline labs: thyroid (TSH, free T4), ferritin, vitamin D, HbA1c and fasting glucose, IGF-1 where a GH-axis compound is planned, a full blood count and cystatin C.
- Morning cortisol where the story suggests it; a sleep-study referral through your own physician where apnoea is possible. IGF-1 and fasting glucose repeated at week 6.
- A tracker or paper diary for the whole cycle: onset, wake-ups, deep sleep and HRV are the outcome measures, written into the check-ins.
What you'll feel — and when
| You'll notice | What to expect | From when |
|---|---|---|
| Falling asleep | Easier — onset under 20 minutes becomes the norm. Vivid dreams in the first days of a reset course are common and harmless. | Days 3–6 of a reset; weeks 1–2 otherwise |
| Night waking | Fewer and shorter; the 3 a.m. hour stops being a fixture. A warm flush after the nightly shot is common. | Weeks 1–2 |
| Deep sleep on the tracker | Up 30–60 minutes a night for most people who respond from a low baseline; HRV trending up alongside. | Weeks 2–4 |
| Afternoons | Steadier — the 3 p.m. fog lifts; coffee becomes a pleasure again rather than a tool. | Weeks 2–3 |
| Recovery | Less next-day soreness; readiness scores higher. | Weeks 2–4 |
| Mood and focus | Clearer, calmer, less reactive — usually reported by the people around you first. | Weeks 3–6 |
| Skin and composition | A slow side benefit of the GH-axis pairing — gradual, never sudden. | Weeks 6–12 |
| After a reset course | The sleep effect tends to persist 2–6 weeks after the ten days end; a slow drift back by week 12 is the signal the next course is due. | Weeks 2–12 |
Typical ranges from research settings and the researchers we write for — not promises. The compound cannot outrun a 1 a.m. bedtime and a 6 a.m. alarm, which is why the wake time and the light are fixed first.
How we build it for you
A sleep protocol is written from your actual nights — the intake asks for a week of tracker data or a diary.
- Intake. Fifteen minutes of honest answers in the Research Protocol Builder. Labs are optional here — upload later and we revise.
- Safety gate and baseline labs. The exclusion list first (pregnancy, active cancer, under 18, the compound-specific red flags), then the baseline panel your plan needs — kidney function as cystatin C, never creatinine alone.
- Human review. A writer drafts from your intake and labs; a reviewer checks every dose, lab threshold and interaction. Typically within 24 hours.
- Three documents. A short results version for your phone, the full clinical document with the week-by-week schedule and lab plan, and a physician copy for your own doctor.
- A free coach call on WhatsApp to walk it through and read your labs against the plan.
- Check-ins at week 2, mid-cycle and the end. Mid-cycle labs decide whether the dose holds, steps or stops.
We write the budget option first — the fewest pens that can honestly move the goal — and you upgrade at a check-in once the labs have earned it.
What it costs
The personal research protocol is €399, follow-up included: intake, human review, the three documents, the coach call, the check-ins and any revision when new labs arrive. No subscription.
Pens are not included: we do not sell, supply, source or ship any compound. The protocol lists the pens it assumes (300 clicks each). A sleep cycle usually runs on one nightly pen for twelve weeks, sometimes with a short ten-day reset course at the start.
Got an invite code or gift code from a coach? Enter it at the start of the intake and the protocol is on us — we are by invitation only, and the codes are how the invitation travels.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly does a sleep protocol work?
Faster than any other goal: timing changes work within days, a reset course shifts sleep onset in the first week, the nightly pairing is usually felt inside two weeks. Deep sleep and HRV on the tracker take two to four weeks to move clearly.
Is a sleep protocol a sedative?
No. Nothing in it knocks you out. The compounds are studied for sleep architecture and circadian timing and support the rhythm the timing layer sets. Needing sedation to sleep is a physician conversation first.
Do I need a sleep tracker?
It helps, but a paper diary works: time to bed, time asleep, wake-ups, time up. What we do not accept is "it feels better" alone — sleep is measurable, so we measure it.
What if I snore?
Loud snoring with daytime sleepiness is a sleep-study question first, and the review will say so. Untreated sleep apnoea is a hard stop; once diagnosed and managed by your physician, the protocol can be written around it.
Will the effect last after the cycle?
The timing and light habits last as long as you keep them, which is most of the result. The reset course tends to persist for weeks after it ends; the nightly pairing is tied to active use. The full document ends with a maintenance plan.
Ready to go from good to great?
Tell us when you fall asleep, when you wake, and what you have already tried. We write the sleep protocol around your nights, a reviewer checks it, and a coach walks you through it on WhatsApp — €399, follow-up included.
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