Ever feel like your body just isn’t bouncing back like it used to? You might be missing out on a key player in your body’s nighttime repair crew. Healing isn’t some random event; it happens during a specific window when you’re asleep. This is when your body should be busy rebuilding tissues, clearing out brain gunk, and getting your hormones back in balance. But for many, this deep repair process just isn’t happening, leaving them feeling tired, achy, and foggy. The reason? They might be lacking a simple amino acid called glycine.
Glycine isn’t some kind of sleep aid or a stimulant. Think of it more like a biological signal that tells your nervous system it’s okay to relax and switch into repair mode. When your body gets enough glycine, it helps quiet down the nervous system, especially in the brain and spinal cord. This signal is super important because without it, your body might stay a little too alert, even when you’re trying to sleep. And if your body stays on high alert, it can’t do its best healing work.
Why Glycine Is Your Nighttime Healer
One of glycine’s most important jobs at night is helping to lower your core body temperature. This temperature drop is a natural signal that helps you fall asleep faster and get into those deep sleep stages. These stages are where the real magic happens: growth hormone is released, tissues get repaired, immune cells get a refresh, and inflammation goes down. If these deep sleep stages are cut short, your body’s ability to heal suffers across the board.
But glycine’s benefits don’t stop when you wake up. It also plays a role in REM sleep, which is vital for processing emotions, storing memories, and keeping your nervous system strong over time.
Key Takeaways
- Glycine is a neurotransmitter that calms the nervous system, signaling it’s safe to enter restorative sleep.
- It helps lower core body temperature, which is necessary for deep, healing sleep.
- Glycine supports collagen production, impacting joints, skin, and gut health.
- It’s a building block for glutathione, your body’s master antioxidant.
- Stress, caffeine, and poor sleep increase your body’s need for glycine.
Beyond Sleep: Glycine’s Wider Impact
Glycine is also a key ingredient for making glutathione, which is like your body’s number one antioxidant. Glutathione helps protect your cells from damage. If you don’t have enough glycine, your body’s ability to detoxify can slow down, leading to more oxidative stress and cell damage over time.
Plus, glycine is a building block for collagen. You know, that stuff that keeps your skin looking good and your joints moving smoothly? Glycine helps with that too. It’s important for repairing connective tissues, keeping your skin healthy, and even healing the lining of your gut. So, glycine quietly helps with inflammation, digestion, structural repair, and even how we age.
From a stress perspective, many of us are dealing with a lot. Glycine can help balance out some of the more “wired” neurotransmitters, which can help reduce that “tired but wired” feeling. It might also help with things like nighttime muscle tension, jaw clenching, restless legs, and even stress-related heart palpitations.
Why You Might Be Running Low on Glycine
Here’s the kicker: things like chronic stress, drinking too much caffeine, not sleeping well, ongoing inflammation, aging, and even just the general strain of modern life can actually increase your body’s demand for glycine. And unfortunately, the way many of us eat today doesn’t always provide enough of it. Over time, your body can end up with a glycine deficit, especially when it needs it the most for healing.
How to Use Glycine for Better Healing
So, how do you make sure you’re getting enough? Timing and dosage are important.
- When to take it: Glycine works best when taken at night, about 30 to 60 minutes before bed. This is when your body is naturally preparing for repair.
- How to take it: For the best absorption and to get those nervous system benefits, it’s ideal to take glycine on an empty or mostly empty stomach. Amino acids can compete with protein from food for absorption. If your stomach is sensitive, a very light snack is okay, but try to avoid taking it with a big meal, especially one high in protein.
- Dosage: It’s a good idea to start slow. Try taking about 1 to 2 grams for the first few nights. This lets your nervous system adjust comfortably. After a few nights, you can gradually increase it to 3 grams. Some people might find benefit from up to 5 grams if needed, but starting low helps avoid any overstimulation.
Glycine has a slightly sweet taste and mixes easily with water or tea. Most people tolerate it very well. The goal here isn’t to force sleep or cover up symptoms. It’s about giving your body a natural signal it needs to heal itself. When that signal is there, your nervous system can calm down, inflammation can decrease, repair can speed up, and your sleep can become deeper and more restorative.
Many people notice positive changes within a few days, sometimes even sooner. It’s not magic; it’s just allowing your body to do what it’s naturally designed to do. If you feel like you’re doing everything else right but your body still isn’t healing properly, glycine might just be the missing piece you need.
Source: Dr. Mandell