Verified July 2026 · Cited to primary sources
Peptides marketed for sleep and circadian support, graded by human evidence and legal status. The named "sleep peptide" (DSIP) is on the July 2026 PCAC docket, and the evidence across this category is old, small, or indirect.
Evidence for this goal
No peptide here has strong human sleep-efficacy data. Epitalon (Grade D) rests on small Russian studies. Sermorelin (Grade B) is better-evidenced overall and sometimes used for sleep and recovery, but it is a GH-axis peptide, not a dedicated sleep aid. The honest answer: sleep is the weakest-evidence peptide category.
How to read this comparison
Compounds are listed alphabetically, not ranked for this goal. The overall grade reflects the evidence described in each record. Evidence for one condition, population or product form does not establish benefit for every use. Affiliate availability never changes a grade.
A historical FDA survey of compounded drugs found 31% failed standard potency testing. What is actually in the vial is a separate question from whether the compound works, and a rubric like this exists to keep the two apart. See the full A to F methodology →
Evidence scope: DSIP does have human data, but it is old, small, and thin. The clinical work is from the late 1970s and 1980s: double-blind crossover infusions in six normal volunteers showing increased sleep, and open studies in a handful of severe insomniacs reporting normalized sleep. These are tiny samples, mostly uncontrolled or minimally controlled, using intravenous dosing that does not match how people use it today. A 2006 review concluded the hypothesis that DSIP is a sleep factor is extremely poorly documented and still weak, and that the peptide's natural occurrence and activity remain obscure. That combination, a few thin decades-old human signals with no modern confirmation, lands it at D rather than C.
Sources: Schneider-Helmert et al. 1981, Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther Toxicol - Acute and delayed effects of DSIP on human sleep behavior (double-blind crossover, six normal volunteers; sleep increased ~59% after IV DSIP vs placebo) · Kaeser 1984, Eur Neurol - A clinical trial with DSIP (open study, seven patients with severe insomnia; sleep reported normalized for 3-7 months in all but one) · Kovalzon & Strekalova 2006, J Neurochem - Delta sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP): a still unresolved riddle (review concluding the sleep-factor hypothesis is poorly documented and weak)
DSIP is a naturally occurring nonapeptide first isolated from rabbit brain during electrically induced sleep. It was proposed to promote delta-wave (slow-wave) sleep and to modulate stress, temperature, and pain, but its receptor, gene, and even its status as a true endogenous sleep factor have never been firmly established. The mechanism remains largely uncharacterized.
DSIP is the only one of the seven peptides the FDA panel reviewed in July 2026 that it declined to recommend, voting 6 to 7 (1 abstention) against adding it to the 503A list on July 24. That is advisory, not a ban, and the FDA has not acted. It is also one of the oldest sleep peptides and one of the least resolved. There are genuine small human studies suggesting it helped insomnia, which is more than most research peptides can claim, but the evidence is thin, decades old, and never replicated at modern standards, and the basic biology is still contested. Interesting history, weak proof. If you try it you are running a personal experiment on 1980s data.
See the evidence →Evidence scope: Grade D: small, low-quality Russian human studies plus animal work, no rigorous RCT (rule 5/4 boundary: evidence quality too low to clear the human-trial bar, so it sits at D).
Sources: FDA PCAC July 23-24, 2026 meeting (docket, July 24) · Federal Register FDA-2025-N-6895 (April 2026 503A reclassification)
Claimed to activate telomerase and regulate melatonin/circadian and pineal function. Marketed for longevity and anti-aging.
Epitalon is not FDA-approved and remains under FDA review. On July 24, 2026 the PCAC panel voted 7 to 4 (1 abstention) to recommend adding it to the 503A list for insomnia, but that is advisory and the FDA has not acted. Human evidence is Grade D: the longevity and anti-aging claims rest on small, low-quality Russian studies.
See the evidence →Evidence scope: MK-677 has real, multi-study human RCT data, well beyond anything the GHRPs have: a 2-year double-blind trial in older adults (Nass 2008) and randomized bone-turnover trials (Murphy 1999). It reliably raises GH and IGF-1 into a youthful range and modestly increases fat-free mass. But it is not FDA-approved, the 2-year trial showed no improvement in strength or function despite the lean-mass gain, and it measurably reduced insulin sensitivity and raised fasting glucose. Real human efficacy on a surrogate (FFM, IGF-1) but no approval and a meaningful metabolic downside puts it at C, the top of this group.
Sources: Nass 2008, Ann Intern Med, 2-year RCT of oral MK-677 in healthy older adults: increased fat-free mass and IGF-1 to youthful range, but raised fasting glucose and reduced insulin sensitivity · Murphy 1999, J Bone Miner Res, oral MK-677 increased markers of bone turnover in 187 elderly adults (randomized, placebo-controlled) · WADA Prohibited List, growth hormone secretagogues incl. ibutamoren (MK-677) banned at all times (S2.2.4)
Non-peptide agonist of the ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1a) that mimics ghrelin to drive sustained, roughly physiological increases in growth hormone and IGF-1. Because it is orally bioavailable and long-acting, one daily dose keeps GH/IGF-1 elevated, unlike the injectable peptide GHRPs. That same sustained GH/IGF-1 elevation is what drives its main downside: reduced insulin sensitivity and higher fasting glucose.
The most-studied and only orally-active option in this group, with genuine 2-year human RCT data behind it, which is why it grades C and not D. But the same trial that proves it works also shows the catch: modest lean-mass gain, no functional benefit, and worse insulin sensitivity. Not FDA-approved, research-only, and a poor idea for anyone with blood-sugar concerns.
See the evidence →Evidence scope: Grade B: previously FDA-approved (Geref) with human data for its approved indications, and still widely compounded (rule 3 fired: prior FDA approval backed by human trials). Withdrawn ~2008 for business reasons, not safety.
Sources: FDA 503A bulks list (fda.gov/media/94155/download) · Drugs@FDA: Geref (sermorelin) approval history · WADA Prohibited List (S2, GHRH analog)
Stimulates natural pituitary growth-hormone release as the shortest active GHRH(1-29) fragment. The "gentler," physiologic GH-axis peptide.
Sermorelin is legally compoundable (503A) thanks to its prior FDA approval as Geref. Human evidence is Grade B: real historical trial data. It is the best-evidenced GH-axis peptide with a legal supervised route today.
See the evidence →| Peptide | Overall grade | Legal & safety | Typical cost | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSIP (Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide) A nine-amino-acid peptide discovered in the 1970s and named for the deep-sleep brain waves it was thought to trigger. Small old human studies suggested it helped insomnia, but the underlying science stayed so thin that reviewers literally call it an unresolved riddle. | Grade D | See evidenceSee the evidence for DSIP (Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide) | |||
| Epitalon A longevity and anti-aging peptide built on small, low-quality Russian studies. The claims far outrun the evidence. | Grade D | See evidenceSee the evidence for Epitalon | |||
| MK-677 (Ibutamoren) The odd one out: MK-677 is not a peptide, it is an orally-active small-molecule ghrelin mimetic, which is why people take it as a daily capsule instead of an injection. It has the best human evidence in this group by far, including a 2-year randomized trial, but that trial is also the cautionary tale: it raised lean mass a little while measurably worsening insulin sensitivity and blood sugar. | Grade C | See evidenceSee the evidence for MK-677 (Ibutamoren) | |||
| Sermorelin The "gentler," formerly-FDA-approved GH-axis peptide. It's the best-evidenced option you can still legally get through a compounding pharmacy. | Grade B | See evidenceSee the evidence for Sermorelin |
Reading this table: Grades refer to each compound's stated evidence scope, not every use in this category. Legal status and Safety are separate badges; Verdict is the compound summary. Affiliate availability never changes a grade. Full methodology.
FAQ
Sleep is the weakest-evidence peptide category. No peptide here has strong human sleep-efficacy data. Epitalon (Grade D) rests on small Russian studies, and DSIP (the so-called "sleep peptide") is on the July 2026 PCAC docket with thin evidence. Sermorelin (Grade B) is better-evidenced overall but is a GH-axis peptide, not a dedicated sleep aid.
DSIP has old, small, and indirect human data, nothing that meets a modern efficacy bar. It is one of the seven peptides under FDA review at the July 23 to 24, 2026 PCAC meeting, and we don't consider its sleep benefits proven.
Sermorelin is legally compoundable through a 503A pharmacy, but it is a growth-hormone-axis peptide, not a dedicated sleep aid. The named sleep peptides (DSIP, Epitalon) have no legal supervised US route and are under or awaiting FDA review.
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