I've Tried Every Sleep Product, But Here's What Works

I spent an embarrassing amount of money last year buying every sleep product on Instagram.

Headbands. Sleep masks. Hot chocolate drinks before bed. Every gummy you can imagine. My entire feed was sleep stuff, and I bought it all.

Surprise: almost none of it worked.

Here's what I learned: Sleep isn't one thing. It's three. You need to fall asleep, stay asleep, and get deep restorative sleep. Most sleep products tackle maybe one of these. That's why they don't work for most athletes.

So after testing everything, here's what actually moved the needle for me.

Dream Shot (My Go-To)

This is a 2oz liquid shot you take 30 minutes before bed. It's built around PeptiSleep, a sleep peptide that stops those 2am cortisol spikes that wake you up.

Most nights, I crash into bed feeling like I've been in a boxing match with a kangaroo. That's elevated cortisol from training. Dream Shot specifically targets nighttime cortisol spikes - the number one reason athletes wake up at 3am and can't fall back asleep.

The formula combines tart cherry juice (natural melatonin and tryptophan), 3g of glycine to lower your core body temperature, L-theanine to quiet mental chatter, and ashwagandha to reduce cortisol. But PeptiSleep is the game-changer. It's what makes this different from every other sleep drink.

My sleep scores went from the 70s to consistently hitting 90s. Not "I feel better" vague claims, actual trackable data on Whoop, Oura, and my case Eight Sleep. And the repurchase data backs it up: 69.7% of athletes report sleeping better, 58.4% see measurable improvements in sleep scores, and it now has the 2nd highest repurchase rate of any product we've launched. People don't re-buy sleep products unless they actually work.

Pillar Triple Magnesium (The Foundation)

Before Dream Shot, my go-to was Pillar Triple Magnesium and it still is. Let me explain.

I use Pillar daily along with Dream Shot.

You're losing up to 20mg of magnesium per liter of sweat on the high end. Train hard, sweat a lot, and you're chronically deficient. Low magnesium shows up as muscle cramps, restless legs, and light sleep cycles.

Pillar uses three forms of magnesium that work together. TRAACS Magnesium Glycinate is the workhorse here and is highly absorbable and gentle on your stomach. It works with GABA, your brain's "calm down" neurotransmitter.

There is one form of magnesium that is not in Pillar, but you are getting that in Dream Shot, which is Magtein (Magnesium L-Threonate), the only form that crosses the blood-brain barrier and directly supports sleep quality and cognitive function.

Athletes notice they fall asleep faster, get fewer nighttime leg cramps, wake up less during the night. Combined with Dream Shot, you are really boosting your time in REM Sleep.

Mix it 30-60 minutes before bed. It tastes like berry lemonade, not a chalky supplement drink. I often make it with hot water, and it is really soothing.

KA-EX (The Cortisol Reset)

Let’s get back to Cortisol. This is going to be the topic of 2026 if you ask me. Now that everything is tracking HRV, everyone is talking about how to best optimize Cortisol to improve their personal HRV scores.

Cortisol follows a natural rhythm. It spikes in the morning to wake you up and drops at night so you can sleep. Morning sunlight helps lock in that rhythm, which is why you hear people like Huberman talk about getting sunlight first thing.

The problem isn't the morning spike. That's healthy. The problem is when cortisol stays elevated all day from chronic stress or poor sleep. That's when you see issues like lower HRV (higher is better) and increased belly fat storage.

When your cortisol rhythm is off, you could have your morning Cortisol spike at 1:30 AM (like used to happen to me) and bam, your wide awake and struggle to get back to sleep.

I’ve found with Dream Shot and Peptisleep that really helps on Cortisol (Aswhgandha also helps). I can still wake up, but it is much, much easier to go back to sleep in a few minutes, even if you woke up to go to the bathroom.

Now after hard training, cortisol spikes can stay elevated for 24-48 hours. The spike is normal, but you want to get back to your baseline faster. KA-EX helps do this. 36% quicker return to baseline, plus a 10% boost in HRV in their data.

I take KA-EX post-workout to start cortisol reduction, then Dream Shot before bed to prevent the nighttime spike. Double defense.

The science is real. Swiss World Cup ski racers were buying this before we even knew about it. That's how I found out — I saw Feed boxes showing up at their hotels with KA-EX orders. It is one of the top supplements sold in Switzerland.

It comes as a ready-to-drink or as a capsule. Both work just as well. I have both, but like the ready-to-drink for convenience.

Therabody Sleep Mask (The Game-Changer for Travel)

This is the lightest, most comfortable blackout mask you'll forget you're wearing. 100% blackout with zero pressure on your eyes. Most masks feel like you're wearing a blindfold. This one disappears.

Therabody Sleep Mask works for older athletes where sleep gets harder with age, road warriors where travel wrecks sleep, and anyone who can't turn their brain off. Works for side sleepers too, which most don't.

NOKT Sleep Gummies (The New Player)

Everything I’ve shared so far is melatonin-free. But if your problem is getting to sleep, then check out these new sleep gummies designed for athletes.

They are called NOKT, and the formula uses phytomelatonin (plant-based melatonin that's structurally identical to what your body produces naturally), ashwagandha for cortisol reduction and sleep quality, cordyceps for adaptogenic support during training stress, and tart cherry extract for natural sleep compounds.

Most melatonin gummies leave you groggy the next day. NOKT uses plant-based melatonin that athletes report causes less "rebound" grogginess. Use it during hard training blocks for nightly recovery support, for travel and jet lag (convenient gummy format, no liquids), or when you prefer gummies over shots and drinks.

Reddit reports "fixed my split sleep cycle" and "less tolerance buildup than regular melatonin." Tastes good, no pills to swallow, no liquids to measure. Just chew and sleep.

The Stack That Works

Here's what I actually use.

Every night: Pillar Magnesium 30-60 minutes before bed, then Dream Shot 30 minutes before bed. NOKT Gummies if you need something to help you doze off.

After hard workouts: KA-EX post-workout to start cortisol reduction early.

Pro Upgrade: Therabody Sleep Mask to block out lights and help me calm my mind when trying to come up with the next day’s email for you.

What I don't use: Artificial melatonin pills that make me groggy the next day.

Why This Matters

If I had to choose one thing to optimize in what we call “performance wellness,” it would be your sleep. No question, this will have the biggest impact on your training and wellbeing.

You can dial in your training, eat perfectly, take every supplement on the shelf, but if you're only getting a good night of sleep (with enough REM time), you're not recovering. You're just accumulating damage.

Sleep is the foundation of everything else.