Poor sleep is the most reliably documented impairment to cognitive performance available — and the most commonly ignored one. This guide covers the evidence-ranked sequence for tonight: environmental interventions first (largest, fastest, free), timing changes second, then supplementation — Magnesium Glycinate, Glycine, L-Theanine, and the pre-formulated Performance Lab Sleep option — all within the NeuroEdge 90-60-30 wind-down protocol.
The sleep supplement market is saturated with plausible-sounding products and inconsistent evidence. This guide applies the same rigorous evidence-quality framework to sleep supplements that NeuroEdge applies to cognitive compounds: human RCTs with specific sleep outcomes, mechanistic coherence, and honest caveats. Tier 1 (Magnesium Glycinate and Glycine — both with direct RCT evidence), Tier 2 (L-Theanine, Ashwagandha KSM-66, Magtein®), and what doesn’t make the list (Valerian, 5-HTP, CBD) — with the reasoning for each exclusion.
Sleep onset requires three simultaneous conditions: sufficient adenosine (sleep pressure), correct circadian timing, and absence of arousal signals. Most sleep onset problems are caused by one or more being unmet. This guide covers the neuroscience, the paradoxical intention technique, stimulus control, cognitive shuffle, physiological sigh, the Glycine + L-Theanine + Magnesium Glycinate supplement sequence, and what makes sleep onset worse — including clock-watching and lying awake in bed.
