/ Kills / SLEEP KILL

#02 / INSOMNIAEducation · not medical advice

SLEEP KILL

“Die better at night.”

Foundations first The evidence Labs to discuss Questions for your clinician

// 01

The goal.

Fall asleep, stay asleep, wake up rested. Sleep is the window in which almost everything else on this site does its work.

No peptide fixes a room that is too hot, too bright or too loud, an airway that closes at night, or a 9 pm espresso.

// 02

Foundations first.

Light and timing

Bright light soon after waking and a consistent wake time — weekends included — anchor your body clock. See S.T.A.R.T.E.D.

The room

Cool, dark, quiet. Screens out of the last hour if you can manage it.

Caffeine and alcohol

Caffeine lingers for many hours. Alcohol helps you fall asleep and then fragments the second half of the night.

CBT-I

Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia is the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia in major medical guidelines, ahead of sleeping pills. It is available in person and through structured programmes.

Rule out sleep apnea

Loud snoring, gasping, morning headaches or daytime sleepiness need a sleep study. Untreated apnea is a cardiovascular risk, not just a tiredness problem.

The free version of all of this: S.T.A.R.T.E.D.

// 03

The compounds people ask about.

Pineal and “sleep peptides” come up constantly in longevity circles. The evidence behind them is thin and old, and it is worth knowing exactly how thin.

No doses, schedules, combinations or sources — by design.

Evidence · Small human studies

DSIP

Delta sleep-inducing peptide · emideltide

What it is

A nine-amino-acid peptide first isolated in 1977 from rabbits in an induced sleep state.

How it’s thought to work

Unclear. No dedicated receptor has been identified, and its role in normal sleep is not established.

What the research shows

—A small number of human studies, mostly from the 1980s, with mixed and inconsistent results on sleep.
—Research largely stopped after that; there are no modern controlled trials.

Risks and side effects

—Little safety information in humans. FDA cites possible immune reactions and says it lacks the information to know whether it causes harm.

Regulatory status

—Not approved by FDA for any use.
—FDA put it in “category 2” of its compounding policy — substances that may present significant safety risks. The nomination was later withdrawn, and in April 2026 FDA moved it to the “nominated but withdrawn” list on the same page, which still sets out its safety concerns. Withdrawal does not make it approved, and it does not place it in category 1 (the substances FDA is still evaluating for compounding).
—It was one of the peptides reviewed at FDA’s Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee in July 2026. The committee’s votes are recommendations only; as of 2 October 2026 FDA has not added it to the list of substances pharmacies may compound.

Sources

Evidence · Mostly animal and lab studies

Epitalon

Epithalon · AEDG peptide

What it is

A synthetic four-amino-acid peptide modelled on epithalamin, an extract of the pineal gland. It was developed by a research group in St Petersburg, Russia.

How it’s thought to work

Lab and animal studies report effects on telomerase activity in cell cultures and on melatonin rhythms in older animals.

What the research shows

—Most of the literature is animal and cell work, plus small human studies from the group that developed it.
—It has not been tested in rigorous, independently run trials. Read the literature as a signal, not proof.

Risks and side effects

—Long-term safety in humans is unknown. FDA cites possible immune reactions and impurities.
—Because it is described as growth-regulating, a history of cancer is a reason for caution.
—No data in pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Regulatory status

—Not approved by FDA for any use.
—FDA put it in “category 2” of its compounding policy — substances that may present significant safety risks. The nomination was later withdrawn, and in April 2026 FDA moved it to the “nominated but withdrawn” list on the same page, which still sets out its safety concerns. Withdrawal does not make it approved, and it does not place it in category 1 (the substances FDA is still evaluating for compounding).
—It was one of the peptides reviewed at FDA’s Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee in July 2026. The committee’s votes are recommendations only; as of 2 October 2026 FDA has not added it to the list of substances pharmacies may compound.

Sources

Evidence · Animal and lab studies only

Pinealon

EDR peptide

What it is

A synthetic three-amino-acid peptide from the same Russian research group’s “peptide bioregulator” programme.

How it’s thought to work

Proposed to act on gene expression in nerve cells; the evidence for this comes from cell and animal studies.

What the research shows

—Cell and animal studies, and a few small reports from the developing group. No independent controlled human trials.

Risks and side effects

—Human safety is essentially unstudied.

Regulatory status

—Not approved by FDA for any use.
—It does not appear on FDA’s published lists of substances nominated for compounding (checked against the 14 May 2026 list).

Sources

FDA · Bulk drug substances nominated for compounding under 503A, categories 1–3 (updated 14 May 2026) ↗

// 04

Labs to discuss.

Worth asking your clinician about before you change anything:

—Ferritin — low iron is linked to restless legs, which wrecks sleep.
—TSH and free T4 — thyroid problems disturb sleep in both directions.
—A home or lab sleep study if apnea is possible.
—A review of every medication and supplement you take; many affect sleep.

The full baseline panel →

// 05

Questions for your clinician.

01Could I have sleep apnea, and should I have a sleep study?
02Is CBT-I available to me, and how do I start?
03Could any of my current medications be affecting my sleep?
04What do we know — and not know — about the safety of the peptides people use for sleep?

// 06

Keep reading.

Proactive Health

The Labs To Run Before Your First Peptide

// 07

Related kills.

#01 / SLOW HEALING

RECOVERY KILL

“Recover like you borrowed the body.”

BPC-157TB-500GHK-Cu

FOUNDATIONS · EVIDENCE · LABSREAD →

#03 / ADIPOSE

FAT KILL

“Not a diet. A vendetta.”

TirzepatideRetatrutideAOD-9604

FOUNDATIONS · EVIDENCE · LABSREAD →

#04 / TIME

LONGEVITY KILL

“Outlive your enemies.”

EpitalonThymalinNAD+

FOUNDATIONS · EVIDENCE · LABSREAD →

// Education · not medical advice

Talk to a licensed clinician.

This is education, not medical advice. KILLER*.HEALTH does not publish doses, schedules or combinations, does not sell or recommend any compound, and does not tell you where to get one. Compounds described here that are not FDA-approved have not been shown to be safe or effective. Before starting, stopping or changing anything about your health, talk to a licensed clinician who knows your history.