Sleep
Sleep Stack
DSIP works on sleep architecture, GHRP-2 works through the growth hormone pulse that deepens slow-wave sleep. Two separate routes into the same outcome.
At a glance
- Sold as
- Separate vials
- The evidence
- DSIP has three small human trials from the 1980s–90s, one double-blind with significant improvements in sleep efficiency and latency. But FDA's 2026 briefing records that all documented human exposure is intravenous (25–150 nmol/kg IV, 209 subjects, 1–15 days) and that no clinical studies were identified for the subcutaneous route people actually use. Our material cites no study specific to GHRP-2; the human sleep and GH data we hold is for GHRP-6. No study has looked at the combination.Combination-specific research is limited. Treat each compound’s evidence as separate unless a study of the combination itself is named here, and review the complete plan with a qualified clinician.
Running this stack, with the schedule, the vials it takes and a log of what you took, happens in the app: Claritide for iPhone.
Why people explore it
Common reasons for exploring it
- People with poor sleep quality rather than trouble falling asleep
- Athletes who need recovery sleep specifically
- Anyone who has tried melatonin and found it insufficient. Melatonin fixes timing, not depth
- High-stress, high-cortisol sleep disruption
Where clinician input matters
- Anyone taking benzodiazepines, CNS depressants, ACE inhibitors or blood pressure medication
- Anyone with a substance use history. FDA raises a theoretical reinforcement concern for DSIP that nobody has studied
- People whose actual problem is sleep timing rather than sleep depth. Epitalon addresses circadian disruption
- Healthy sleepers. DSIP is context-sensitive and its effect in undisturbed sleep is minimal.
- Pregnant or nursing
- Anyone with active cancer
The science
Read the compound mechanisms
The largest natural growth hormone pulse of the day happens during the first cycle of slow-wave sleep. GHRP-2 stimulates the pituitary to release GH through the ghrelin receptor, and enhancing that secretion is described in the endocrinology literature as deepening and extending those sleep stages. Compared with GHRP-6, GHRP-2 offers a more selective GH release with less appetite stimulation. GHRP-6 activates the same receptor but drags stronger hunger signalling along with it. The elevated GH also supports muscle repair, fat metabolism and immune function during sleep.
DSIP works on sleep architecture rather than sleep timing. It increases delta-wave (0.5–4 Hz) brain activity, which defines Stage 3 NREM sleep, the phase where growth hormone secretion peaks, cellular repair happens and the brain clears waste. It does not simply add sleep hours; it reorganises the proportion of the night spent in deep sleep. It also modulates the HPA axis, the hormonal chain that produces cortisol and ACTH, which helps normalise the elevated evening cortisol that drives both sleep-onset insomnia and early waking. Its effect on GABA, the brain's main calming neurotransmitter, is indirect: it appears to make GABA-A receptors more sensitive rather than binding them directly the way a benzodiazepine does, which is the standard explanation for why no tolerance or dependency has been observed. A recurring finding is that DSIP is context-sensitive: strong effects when sleep is already broken, minimal effect in healthy sleepers.
Commonly researched ranges
| Compound | Amount | Frequency | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| GHRP-2 | 100–300 mcg | Nightly | Before bed on an empty stomach, at least 2 hours after the last meal. Take this first |
| DSIP | 100–300 mcg | Daily, or 5 days on / 2 days off | 15–20 minutes after GHRP-2 in this stack; 4–6 PM when run solo |
- GHRP-2: The fasting requirement is real for GHRPs; food blunts the GH response. DSIP and Epitalon have no fasting requirement.
- DSIP: Doses above 300 mcg can paradoxically worsen sleep. Start at 100 mcg and hold for 3–5 days before increasing.
- Duration
- DSIP cycles 2–4 weeks; GHRP-2 runs 8–12 weeks with 5 days on and 2 off. Reassess at the end of the DSIP cycle.
Mixing each compound
Not established in available literature. Use the figures printed on your own vial.
- 10 units = 100 mcg
- 20 units = 200 mcg
- 30 units = 300 mcg
Week by week
GHRP-2
- Week 1–2
Our sleep guide places noticeable sleep change in this window for the GHRP class.
DSIP
- Nights 1–3
Subtle or nothing. Some notice slightly easier sleep onset or better morning alertness; many notice nothing. Do not increase the dose yet.
- Days 4–7
Deeper sleep, fewer middle-of-the-night awakenings, more vivid dreaming, described in our sources as a positive sign of normalising sleep architecture. Morning energy improves.
- Week 2–3
Full benefits. Noticeably more restorative sleep, better daytime energy and mood, improved stress resilience. Some report reduced caffeine dependence.
- Week 4+
Benefits plateau. Consider cycling off. Many find improvements persist for days to weeks after stopping.
- After stopping
No rebound insomnia and no withdrawal reported, the key difference from pharmaceutical sleep aids. Sleep may gradually return to baseline in people with chronic underlying issues.
What it costs
- GHRP-2: Not established in available literature
- DSIP: $30–50 per 2–4 week cycle (one 2 mg vial)
The combined figure excludes GHRP-2, for which our sources publish no price.
Cautions
- DSIP was voted DOWN by the FDA Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee 6–7–1 on 24 July 2026, for opioid withdrawal, chronic insomnia and narcolepsy. It is the only rejection of the seven peptides reviewed.
- GHRP-2 is still 503B Category 2 (added 29 September 2023). FDA's stated concerns: immunogenicity from aggregation and peptide impurities, an unnatural amino acid, and awareness of "reports of serious adverse events … including increased insulin requirement to maintain the blood glucose level, death of critically ill study subjects, infection and pancreatitis, though causality has not been established."
- The DSIP human safety record is small and not clean. Dick et al. 1984 (n=107) reported three serious adverse effects: two subjects had hypotension at the beginning of the first injection, one had repeated 15-minute episodes of general discomfort with perspiration and nausea, and one re-injected subject experienced progressive hypotension.
- FDA also raises a possible abuse and dependence angle for DSIP via endorphin release in reward regions, and notes that no nonclinical abuse-potential studies were identified.
- The ACE-inhibitor interaction is now primary-sourced: DSIP is metabolised by peptidyl dipeptidase A, so dipeptidase inhibitors "are likely to prevent the metabolic degradation of emideltide, and, thereby, increase its pharmacologically active concentrations."
- Never combine GHRP-6 with GHRP-2. They target the same receptor, a duplicate-mechanism conflict with no added benefit.
- DSIP acts on GABA pathways. Combining it with benzodiazepines or other CNS depressants is the other interaction that matters here.
- Active cancer is a contraindication for any GH-axis compound.
- DSIP long-term safety beyond about six weeks is not characterised. Cycle off and reassess.
- Note the two different timing instructions: DSIP solo is dosed 4–6 PM, not at bedtime. In this stack our sleep guide places it 15–20 minutes after the GHRP.
- FDA's briefing records zero FAERS reports for DSIP, from a search through 3 March 2024. Zero reports is not "safe".
- GHRP-2 is on the WADA prohibited list, named under S2.2.4, growth hormone releasing factors, as a non-Specified substance banned in and out of competition. DSIP is not named on the List, and we do not state a status for it.
Absence from this list does NOT mean safety. It means lack of research.
Every stack here is free to read, and it stays free. Your own schedule, vials and log live in the app: Claritide for iPhone.