Daridorexant: Independent Evidence on Insomnia, Side Effects & Withdrawal
Daridorexant (Quviviq) gives small gains over placebo for chronic insomnia with no withdrawal in trials. NICE backs it after CBTi; key trials were Idorsia-funded.
Sleep
Evidence-graded research on sleep and insomnia — melatonin, magnesium and other sleep supplements assessed by the real strength of the primary evidence.
Narcolepsy: Independent Evidence on Treatments, Supplements & Safety
Excessive daytime sleepiness & cataplexy — evidence-based treatments are prescription drugs; no supplement has adequate evidence. Independent human-trial evidence, funding traced.
Ashwagandha: The Real Evidence for Stress and Cortisol — Plus the Liver Risk Nobody’s Talking About
Funding correction — 30 September 2026. The methods of Chandrasekhar et al. (2012) and Salve et al. (2019) disclose manufacturer-supplied ashwagandha extracts. Their financial-funding declarations do not establish independence from in-kind support. We corrected both trial labels and related summaries. An unfunded review is not proof that its pooled trials are independent. Under a strict … Read more
Sleep: Supplements That Work vs Popular Ones With No Evidence
Key takeaways Melatonin is the only sleep supplement with strong evidence — but specifically for jet lag and circadian phase shift, not chronic insomnia (Cochrane review). A JAMA analysis found melatonin gummies’ actual content varied widely from label claims, and some products contained undisclosed CBD — a quality problem, not just an efficacy one. Magnesium … Read more
Sleep: Prevention and Management — The Complete Evidence-Based Guide
Key takeaways CBT-I (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia) is the guideline-recommended first-line treatment for chronic insomnia — not medication or sleep hygiene alone (ACP guideline; AASM behavioral guideline). A meta-analysis of 20 RCTs (1,162 participants) found multimodal CBT-I cut sleep-onset latency by ~19 minutes and wake-after-sleep-onset by ~26 minutes (Annals of Internal Medicine). Sleep hygiene … Read more
L-Theanine: Calm Focus, the Caffeine Stack, and Anxiety Evidence
Key takeaways Best-supported use: pairing 100–200 mg L-theanine with caffeine (50–100 mg) to reduce jitter and improve sustained attention on cognitive tasks — multiple RCTs and one systematic review support the combination effect (Nutritional Neuroscience, Camfield 2014). For acute situational stress and anxiety, small RCTs (200–400 mg) show reductions in self-rated stress and salivary cortisol … Read more
Magnesium: Glycinate vs Citrate vs Oxide — Every Form Compared
Key takeaways Strongest evidence: correcting low dietary intake, migraine prevention (300–600 mg daily under medical supervision), and modest blood-pressure reduction — with meta-analyses supporting a systolic drop of ~2 mmHg (Cochrane, Journal of Human Hypertension). For sleep, anxiety, muscle cramps, depression, diabetes, and bone health, evidence is mixed to weak — a systematic review found … Read more
Melatonin: Sleep Timing, Doses, and What the Evidence Shows
Key takeaways Melatonin is a timing signal, not a sedative — strongest evidence is for jet lag (Cochrane: 8 of 10 trials showed benefit; 0.5–5 mg equally effective, higher doses not better) and delayed sleep-wake phase disorder. For chronic adult insomnia, AASM explicitly recommends against it — the recommendation is graded weak based on small … Read more