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Sleep

DSIP

The delta-sleep-inducing peptide, meant to promote deep sleep, with an interesting but mixed evidence record.

2 min read 12 sources

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Vial with white powder, a blue cap and a black TPD label for DSIP on a white podium, next to it a long chain of blue and white glass spheres as a molecule model in a bright lab
Older studies, none registered · not approvedLab tested in the shop

Summary

At a glance

Sources checked on 26 Oct 2026

Length
9 amino acids

Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp-Ala-Ser-Gly-Glu, isolated from rabbit blood in 19772

Half-life in blood
4 minutes

after dosing into a vein in dogs, 2 to 3 minutes in a monkey and in rats6

Independent sleep study
16 people

chronic insomnia, double-blind, only weak effects5

Trials in the registry
0 trials

no trial with DSIP on ClinicalTrials.gov, as of 26 Oct 202611

  • DSIP is a peptide of nine building blocks, obtained in Basel in 1977 from the cerebral venous blood of rabbits. Given into the brain of rabbits it enhanced the slow deep-sleep waves in the EEG.2
  • The Basel group reported five double-blind studies with dosing into a vein: well tolerated, sleep after about one hour and in insomniacs a normalisation after four doses.3
  • An independent double-blind study with 16 people with chronic insomnia found only weak effects and no better perceived sleep. The authors considered a major benefit unlikely.5
  • No gene or receptor for DSIP has ever been found and its role as a sleep factor is regarded as poorly supported. In the blood it is broken down within minutes.76
  • Not approved and no registered trial. Everything here is the state of research, not a recommendation.1112
Profile

Updated May 2026

Class
Neuropeptide

sleep

Use
Subcutaneous

in mcg

Half-life
short
Status
Older data

mixed

Sizes
2 to 15 mg

4 sizes in the shop

Contents 16 sections
  1. At a glance
  2. What is DSIP?
  3. How it works
  4. What you need
  5. Reconstitution
  6. Dosing
  7. Injection
  8. What the research shows
  9. Research status
  10. Side effects
  11. Practice
  12. Storage
  13. Related compounds
  14. FAQ
  15. Glossary
  16. Sources

What is DSIP?

DSIP (delta-sleep-inducing peptide) is an endogenous neuropeptide discovered in the 1970s and named for its ability to induce deep sleep (delta sleep) in animal models. It is used with the goal of deepening sleep and stabilizing the day-night rhythm.

Comparison

Peptides and blends around sleep

DSIP next to other entries on sleep and relaxation, as described in the TPD lexicon. Tap a card to open its entry.

Neuropeptide, injected DSIP Sleep
DSIP as nasal spray DSIP Nasal Spray Sleep Sleep blend Sleep Blend SZ352 Sleep Relaxation blend Relaxation PM Sleep Tuftsin analogue, stress Selank

How it works

The exact mechanism of DSIP is not fully understood. Described are effects on the sleep rhythm, on brain messengers, on hormone levels and on the stress response. It acts more as a modulator than sedating like a classic sleeping pill.

Where it acts

Where DSIP acted in studies

Tap a point or a card. Grey = observed, no receptor is known.

  1. Brain

    More deep-sleep and spindle waves in the EEG after dosing into the brain (rabbits)2

    Observed in trials
  2. Blood

    Broken down within minutes, half-life 2 to 4 minutes (dogs, monkey, rats)6

    Observed in trials
  3. Heart

    Under anaesthesia faster heartbeat, anaesthesia rather lighter than deeper10

    Observed in trials
Glowing network of glass nerve cells with two blue molecule chains floating between them
The mechanism is not fully understood, effects on sleep rhythm and the stress response have been described. Symbolic image.

What you need

Supplies

2 things, numbered as in the picture

Tick off what you already have. Vial and BAC water are our real shop photos at the same size.

DSIP vial and bacteriostatic water at the same size with the black TPD label, next to two U-100 insulin syringes, two alcohol swabs and a sharps container with a blue lid

  1. DSIP vial

    The DSIP vial (lyophilized powder).

    In the shop

  2. Water and supplies

    Bacteriostatic water, U-100 insulin syringes, alcohol swabs.

    In the shop

Reconstitution

Use the peptide calculator. A 5mg vial with 2ml water gives 2500mcg per ml, 200mcg is then 8 units on the U-100 syringe. Just add the water to the vial and let it dissolve.

Step by step

Dissolving the powder

Four steps, the same for every vial size.

  1. 1Wipe the cap

    Clean the rubber stopper with an alcohol swab.

  2. 2Add BAC water

    Just add it, it does not matter if it hits the powder directly.

  3. 3Swirl or shake

    Until everything has dissolved, both are fine.

  4. 4Draw up

    With the U-100 insulin syringe.

Less water higher concentration fewer units on the syringe Example: 5 mg + 2 ml = 2.5 mg/ml

Dosing

Dosing

Dosing, titration and syringe

Loading the dosing information …

  • Getting started and stepping up, drawn as a staircase
  • Units on the U-100 syringe for every step
  • How long one vial lasts

Injection

The injection is subcutaneous, into the fat layer under the skin. Common spots are the abdomen (keep about two finger-widths clear of the navel), the front and the inner side of the thigh, or the back of the upper arm.

The short version:

Injection

Where and at what angle

Pick a spot or switch the angle. Subcutaneous means: into the fat layer, not the muscle.

Rotate the spot each time, never the same one twice in a row.

90°More fat under the skin

Rule of thumb: where there is more fat under the skin, insert straight at 90 degrees. In lean people with little fat, 45 degrees, so the needle stays in the fat layer. Simplified diagram.

  1. Clean the spot with an alcohol swab and let it dry

  2. Pinch up a small fold of skin

  3. Insert the needle: at 90 degrees where there is more fat under the skin, at 45 degrees in lean people with little fat

  4. Inject slowly, wait a moment, then withdraw

  5. Put the needle straight into the sharps container

Rotate the site each time so the tissue does not get irritated. Never the same spot twice in a row.

Inject in the evening.

What the research shows

A detailed review (Graf & Kastin, 1984) summarized DSIP research: effects on deep sleep in several species and in humans, plus effects on hormones and stress. But clinical efficacy in sleep disorders was mixed, a clear therapeutic benefit could not be pinned down.

Study results

What the trials measured

Interactive: switch tabs, tap points, show or hide arms. Arms are named relative to each other, no dosing advice.

Half-life in the blood6

Minutes after dosing into a vein, measured by immunoassay

Dogs6 4 animals under anaesthesia
DSIP 4.0 min
Monkey6 1 animal
DSIP 2.9 min
Rats6 3 animals
DSIP 2.0 min

DSIP disappears from the blood very quickly. The paper gives no values for humans or for injection under the skin.

Bright desk at dusk with a glowing moon lamp, a notepad and a white table lamp in front of a window overlooking the city
Effects on deep sleep in animals and humans, the clinical benefit was mixed. Symbolic image.

Research status

Where the research stands

From the discovery in rabbits to small human studies in the 1980s and 1990s: none of them is registered. As of 26 Oct 2026. 11

  1. Preclinical Discovery and deep-sleep waves in rabbits
  2. Phase 1 no registered trial
  3. Phase 2 no registered trial
  4. Phase 3 no registered trial
  5. Approval not yet
Not approved and no registered trial. ChEMBL lists DSIP under the name emideltide with phase 2 as the highest phase.11

So far there is no registered trial in humans. 11

Side effects

  • Generally well tolerated, mainly local reactions at the injection site.
  • Occasionally headache, dizziness.
  • The effect on sleep varies greatly between individuals.

Practice

  1. Use in the evening, keep expectations realistic, the data is mixed.

  2. Sleep hygiene beats any peptide, DSIP is at most an add-on.

Bedside table with a lit white lamp, a cup of chamomile tea, a light blue sleep mask, a book and a small bunch of flowers

Storage

Before mixing the powder is robust, normal room temperature (around 20 to 25 degrees) is fine, ideally kept in the dark. After mixing, keep in the fridge (2 to 8 degrees), do not freeze. It stays good there for at least 4 to 6 months with barely any loss of potency, in practice considerably longer. Swirl or shake to mix, both are fine.

Shelf life

How long it keeps

Undissolved (powder) Room temperature, around 20 to 25 degrees, dark

Robust, no fridge needed. Keeps for several months without trouble.

Dissolved (mixed) Fridge, 2 to 8 degrees, do not freeze

At least 4 to 6 months with barely any loss of potency. The bacteriostatic water brings a preservative.

  • Keep it dark
  • Dissolved: 2 to 8 degrees
  • Note the mixing date on the vial
Nine vials with white powder and blue caps in the door shelf of a bright fridge
Powder dark at room temperature, once dissolved into the fridge (2 to 8 degrees), stable there for at least 4 to 6 months. Symbolic image.

Related

Related compounds

Same targets, blends with DSIP or a different path: all in the TPD lexicon.

DSIP
DSIP Nasal Spray Contains DSIP, as a nasal spray Sleep Blend SZ352 Ready-made sleep blend of several components Relaxation PM Evening blend for relaxation Selank Different neuropeptide, focus on stress Epitalon Short peptide related to the pineal gland Dermorphin Opioid peptide, a variant resembles DSIP in structure

FAQ

Common questions about DSIP

Short answers, each backed by the sources below.

Is DSIP approved?

No. There is no approval and as of 26 October 2026 no trial with DSIP on ClinicalTrials.gov. The human studies date from the 1980s and 1990s and were not registered. ChEMBL lists DSIP as emideltide with phase 2 as the highest phase.1112

Where does DSIP come from?

A Basel group obtained it from rabbit cerebral venous blood in 1977 and determined the sequence Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp-Ala-Ser-Gly-Glu. Of nine synthetic peptides tested in 58 rabbits only DSIP itself enhanced the deep-sleep and spindle waves in the EEG.2

What do the sleep studies show?

The discoverers reported five double-blind studies with dosing into a vein: sleep after about one hour and in insomniacs a normalisation after four doses. A further study by the same first author with 14 insomniacs found better sleep and more alert days. An independent study from Amsterdam with 16 insomniacs saw only weak effects and considered a major benefit unlikely.345

Why is the evidence so mixed?

No gene, precursor protein or receptor for DSIP has ever been found. A 2006 review therefore calls its role as a sleep factor very poorly supported. Add to this the rapid breakdown: in the blood of dogs, a monkey and rats half had disappeared after 2 to 4 minutes.76

Does DSIP act on hormones?

Early papers described effects on hormones and the stress axis. Later studies in healthy people did not find this: in men DSIP into a vein did not change ACTH or cortisol, in women neither growth hormone nor prolactin.189

What happened in the anaesthesia study?

In 24 women DSIP was meant to deepen anaesthesia as an add-on. The opposite happened: heart rate rose, the deep-sleep waves in the EEG decreased and according to the measurement anaesthesia became rather lighter.10

Which side effects are known?

The early studies call tolerability good, frequencies are not given in the abstracts. The entry mainly lists local reactions at the injection site and occasional headache and dizziness. The studies gave DSIP into a vein, data on injection under the skin are missing.3

Glossary

Terms explained briefly

Dotted words in the text open these explanations directly.

Deep sleep (delta sleep)
Sleep stage with slow, high brain waves in the EEG. The body recovers most strongly in it.
Double-blind
Neither participants nor investigators know who receives the active substance and who receives placebo.
EEG
Electroencephalogram: measurement of brain waves via electrodes on the head.
Half-life
Time after which only half of a substance is left in the blood. For DSIP in animals it is only minutes.
Insomnia
Persistent sleeplessness: poor falling or staying asleep for weeks or longer.
Lyophilisate
Freeze-dried powder. Without water a peptide keeps much longer.
Neuropeptide
Short protein that acts as a messenger in the nervous system.
Nonapeptide
A chain of exactly nine amino acids.
Stress axis
Chain of hypothalamus, pituitary (ACTH) and adrenal gland (cortisol) that the body activates under strain.
Subcutaneous
Into the fat layer just under the skin.

Evidence

Sources

Show all 12 sourcesHide sources 10 Studies1 Trial registry1 Database checked 26 Oct 2026

Studies

  1. Review of DSIP: sleep, hormones and further effects

    Graf und Kastin, Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 1984

    DOI 10.1016/0149-7634(84)90022-8 PMID 6145137
    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via doi.org, Crossref, PubMed
  2. Discovery of DSIP and deep-sleep waves in rabbits

    Schoenenberger und Monnier, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1977

    DOI 10.1073/pnas.74.3.1282 PMID 265572
    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via doi.org, Crossref, PubMed, PMC (Volltext)
  3. Five double-blind studies with intravenous DSIP (Basel)

    Schneider-Helmert und Schoenenberger, Neuropsychobiology, 1983

    DOI 10.1159/000117964 PMID 6689058
    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via doi.org, Crossref, PubMed
  4. DSIP in 14 people with severe insomnia

    Schneider-Helmert, European Neurology, 1987

    DOI 10.1159/000116143 PMID 3622582
    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via doi.org, Crossref, PubMed
  5. Independent double-blind study in chronic insomnia (16 people)

    Bes et al., Neuropsychobiology, 1992

    DOI 10.1159/000118919 PMID 1299794
    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via doi.org, Crossref, PubMed
  6. Breakdown of DSIP in the blood of dogs, a monkey and rats

    Kato et al., Neuroendocrinology, 1984

    DOI 10.1159/000123952 PMID 6379493
    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via doi.org, Crossref, PubMed
  7. Critical review: DSIP, an unresolved riddle

    Kovalzon und Strekalova, Journal of Neurochemistry, 2006

    DOI 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2006.03693.x PMID 16539679
    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via doi.org, Crossref, PubMed
  8. DSIP does not change ACTH and cortisol in men

    Späth-Schwalbe et al., Psychoneuroendocrinology, 1995

    DOI 10.1016/0306-4530(94)00050-k PMID 7777652
    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via doi.org, Crossref, PubMed
  9. DSIP does not change growth hormone and prolactin in women

    Giusti et al., Psychoneuroendocrinology, 1993

    DOI 10.1016/0306-4530(93)90057-r PMID 8475226
    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via doi.org, Crossref, PubMed
  10. DSIP as an add-on to anaesthesia (24 women)

    Pomfrett et al., European Journal of Anaesthesiology, 2009

    DOI 10.1097/EJA.0b013e32831c8644 PMID 19142086
    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via doi.org, Crossref, PubMed

Trial registry

  1. Search on ClinicalTrials.gov (no trial with DSIP)

    ClinicalTrials.gov, U.S. National Library of Medicine

    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2

Database

  1. DSIP (emideltide) in ChEMBL, highest phase 2

    ChEMBL, EMBL-EBI (CHEMBL2104403)

    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via ChEMBL

In the shop

DSIP in the catalog

Sizes, prices and shipping times are on the product page.

To the product