DSIP
Also known as Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide, Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp-Ala-Ser-Gly-Glu, Emideltide
DSIP is a nine-amino-acid peptide first isolated from rabbit blood in 1977 and named for its apparent ability to promote delta-wave sleep. People use it for insomnia, stress, and pain, though the research picture is more mixed than the name suggests.
Overview
DSIP was discovered by Marcel Monnier and Guido Schoenenberger in Switzerland, who found that blood from rabbits kept in slow-wave sleep by thalamic stimulation could induce similar sleep in recipient rabbits. The responsible nonapeptide was purified in 1977. It occurs naturally in the hypothalamus, pituitary, and other tissues, but no gene encoding it has ever been found, which remains an odd gap in its biology and has led some researchers to question its status as a true hormone.
Human studies in the 1980s were small and produced inconsistent results. Some found DSIP improved sleep onset and quality in insomniacs, while others found no sleep effect at all. More consistent were findings in chronic pain, where a series of intravenous infusions reduced pain scores, and in opioid and alcohol withdrawal, where it eased symptoms. DSIP also blunted stress-induced cortisol and ACTH release in some experiments. The literature dried up after that era, so modern users are working from 40-year-old data.
In animals DSIP is a modulator rather than a sedative. It normalizes disturbed sleep patterns without forcing sleep, reduces stress hormone spikes, has antioxidant effects, and may protect against seizures. This fits with user reports: most describe deeper, more restorative sleep rather than knockout sedation, and some describe nothing. Its short half-life and rapid breakdown by peptidases limit what an injected dose can do.
How it works
DSIP does not act like a hypnotic. It appears to modulate several systems at once, with the net effect of normalizing circadian and stress rhythms. It reduces release of corticotropin-releasing hormone and ACTH under stress, lowers cortisol, and influences the secretion of LH, GH, and somatostatin. In the brain it modulates GABAergic and glutamatergic activity, increases serotonin turnover, and affects opioid receptor signaling, which likely explains the pain and withdrawal results. It shows antioxidant activity and stabilizes mitochondrial function in stressed tissue. The sleep effect, where it occurs, is thought to result from this broad stress-dampening action rather than direct sedation, which is why DSIP tends to improve sleep quality more than sleep onset.
What the research shows
- rodentDSIP was isolated from cerebral venous blood of sleeping rabbits and induced delta-wave sleep when infused into recipients.
- human pilotSmall trials in chronic insomnia reported improved sleep efficiency and daytime performance, though other trials found no effect.
- human pilotRepeated intravenous DSIP reduced pain scores in patients with chronic, severe pain episodes.
- human pilotDSIP eased withdrawal symptoms in patients dependent on opioids or alcohol.
- human pilotDSIP blunted stress-induced cortisol and ACTH release in animals and humans.
Evidence labels: rodent and in vitro mean no human data for that finding. Human pilot means small, often uncontrolled. Human RCT means randomized and controlled. Clinical means an approved drug with regulatory data.
Dose calculator
U-100 insulin syringeUnits are a volume on the syringe, not an amount of peptide. Concentration changes every time you change the water volume. The standalone calculator explains the math.
Dosing and protocol
Some community protocols go up to 500 mcg or more. Older human studies used intravenous doses of roughly 25 nmol per kg, which is in the low hundreds of mcg range for an adult.
1-3 weeks, then a break. Many use it intermittently rather than nightly.
30 to 60 minutes before bed. Some people find it works better dosed earlier in the evening.
| Vial | Suggested water | Concentration | Low dose draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 mg | 2 mL | 2.5 mg/mL | 4 units |
| 10 mg | 2 mL | 5 mg/mL | 2 units |
Lyophilized: fridge or freezer, away from light. Reconstituted: fridge 2-8C, use within 4 weeks. DSIP is fragile in solution, so smaller vials are preferable.
Cautions
- ▲Results are inconsistent; a meaningful share of users report no effect at all.
- ▲Headache, grogginess, or vivid dreams are the most common complaints.
- ▲Some people feel more wired rather than sleepy, particularly at higher doses.
- ▲Human evidence is decades old, small, and mixed, with no modern trials.
- ▲Degrades quickly once reconstituted, so old solutions may be inactive.
Commonly stacked with
Epithalon works on melatonin rhythm while DSIP works on stress-related sleep disruption.
Daytime Selank for anxiety paired with evening DSIP is a common pattern for stress-driven insomnia.
Some people pair growth hormone secretagogues at night with DSIP to support deep sleep, when GH release peaks.
Frequently asked
Does DSIP actually make you sleep?
Not in the way a sleeping pill does. In studies where it helped, it improved sleep quality and structure rather than knocking people out. Several trials found no sleep effect. Users who benefit usually describe deeper sleep and feeling more rested, not faster sleep onset.
Why are the human studies so old?
DSIP was heavily researched from the late 1970s through the 1980s, mostly in Europe. Results were mixed, no company took it through modern trials, and the field moved on. The lack of a known gene for DSIP also made it harder to study.
Is it good for cortisol or stress?
Reducing stress hormone spikes is one of its more consistent findings in both animals and small human experiments. That is probably why it helps some people whose insomnia is stress-driven and does nothing for others.
Injection or nasal?
Older studies used intravenous infusions. Subcutaneous injection is the community standard and nasal spray is a common alternative. There is no modern comparison of routes, and its short half-life means timing relative to bed matters more than route.
References
- Characterization of a delta-electroencephalogram (delta-sleep)-inducing peptide. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1977
- Effects of DSIP in man: multifunctional psychophysiological properties besides induction of natural sleep. Neuropsychobiology, 1983
- Therapeutic effects of delta-sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP) in patients with chronic, pronounced pain episodes. European Neurology, 1984
- Delta-sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP): a review. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 1984