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DistilEvidence, not assumptions.
Report · 7b6a5c4d…
26 August 2026
A personalised supplement stack, built for one profile

Your supplement
stack.

Prepared for Tom, 33.
Compounds
11
Selected from
105 evidence-graded
Hello Tom, here is your report.
A Note on Your Recommendations
Based on your goals, training load, and the detail you gave us about how your evenings actually go, we built a stack of 11 compounds. They are ranked and sequenced so you can tell what each one is doing before the next one arrives.
Foundation The broadest-evidence compounds, relevant given your indoor desk job, five to six weekly training sessions, and inconsistent current intake of the basics. They go in first.
Targeted Chosen specifically for the two goals you were most direct about: getting to sleep, and switching your head off in the evening without feeling flat or wired the next day.
Optimise Additions for going further on stress resilience and training capacity. One carries emerging (Grade C) evidence, flagged clearly on its card.
If cost is a consideration, the Foundation tier is a complete starting point on its own. Targeted and Optimise are additions rather than requirements, and meaningful benefit is available from Foundation alone.
Thank you for choosing Distil. If anything in this report raises questions, reply to your report email and we will respond directly.
Dietary Baseline

Dietary Baseline

Diet pattern
Omnivore. Good, fairly consistent intake across food groups: daily wholegrains, moderate dairy, white meat most days, red meat several times a week, six to ten eggs a week.
Key gaps identified
Vitamin D: Very little direct sun exposure and a mostly indoor life mean supplementation is clearly indicated year-round, not just through winter. Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Oily fish rarely eaten (less than once a month), so dietary contribution is close to zero. Full supplementation is warranted. Magnesium: Nuts and seeds three to four times a week and daily wholegrains give some dietary magnesium, but this alone is unlikely to meet the demands of your training volume. Fibre-linked micronutrients: your fruit intake sits at the lower end (about one portion a day) against solid vegetable and wholegrain intake, so this is a moderate rather than sparse baseline overall.
Dietary exclusions (sourcing impact)
No allergies declared No dietary restrictions affecting sourcing. All forms and delivery formats are open to you.
Food-first notes
Your protein sources (eggs, white meat, dairy, red meat) are strong and support your training goal directly. Fermented foods are rarely eaten, which is worth knowing if gut-related issues ever come up, though it is not a focus of this report. Wholegrain-heavy carbohydrate intake is a good baseline alongside a demanding training schedule.
Important Notices
Caution You told us your main worry is anything that keeps you awake or makes you feel on edge, and that you get enough overstimulation already. We have built this stack around that: nothing sedating is scheduled during the day, and the compounds chosen for stress and sleep (Magnesium Glycinate, Glycine, Apigenin, L-Theanine, Valerian Root) work through calming rather than stimulating pathways. Ashwagandha is included at a standard, non-stimulating dose, and its own card carries an annual reassessment note and a taper instruction, so read that section before extending use past eight weeks.
Blood work recommended You have not had recent blood tests. Before starting Vitamin D3, it is worth asking your GP for a 25(OH)D test if one is easy to arrange, since your very low sun exposure makes a genuine deficiency plausible rather than just a mild shortfall, and knowing your starting point makes the 12-week retest more useful. This is not a reason to delay starting: the dose in this stack is appropriate whether or not you get tested first.
Checked You reported no prescription medications and no herbal or over-the-counter products beyond what is listed below. Our curated interaction database therefore has nothing to flag for this stack against medications. That is a starting position, not a permanent clearance: if you start any prescription medication in future, it is worth checking your full stack against a current interaction checker at that point.
Blood test results Kidney function readings: Creatine tends to raise creatinine in the blood a little. Creatinine is the marker most kidney-function results are worked out from, and a rise caused by creatine is not on its own a sign that your kidneys are working less well. If you have a kidney-function or routine blood test, tell whoever reads the result that you take creatine, so a slightly higher reading is interpreted in that light.
Stop and seek review Liver: Ashwagandha has rare, idiosyncratic reports of liver injury. Stop taking it and contact a doctor promptly if you develop jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes), dark urine, persistent nausea, marked fatigue, upper-right abdominal pain, or itching. Avoid if you have existing liver disease or raised liver enzymes.
⚠️ GP REVIEW REQUIREDAshwagandha can alter thyroid hormone levels (TSH, T3, T4). If you ever have thyroid blood tests done, tell whoever is reviewing them that you're taking this, so any effect on the result can be read correctly.

Your Current Supplements: Reviewed

What to keep, what to upgrade, and what to stop
Supplement Verdict Assessment
Whey Protein (most days, post-training) Keep This is doing real work for your muscle-building goal and is not duplicated anywhere in this stack. Continue as you are. If you want a number to aim for across food and shakes combined, the useful target is around 1.6g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, which at 84kg is roughly 135g. More than that is not harmful, it just is not adding extra muscle-building benefit.
Creatine, 5g (inconsistent use) Adjust The compound and dose are exactly right, and it is already in your plan (see the Introduction Schedule, marked "already taking"). The one change is consistency: creatine works by keeping your muscle stores saturated over time, so it needs to be taken daily, not when remembered, to give you the effect it is capable of. Timing within the day does not matter much: with food is fine.
Multivitamin (taken occasionally) Drop Superseded by this stack. A general multivitamin spreads a small amount of many nutrients at doses too low to correct the specific gaps your profile actually has (vitamin D, magnesium, omega-3), while adding nutrients you likely do not need from your diet. Your Foundation tier below covers the same ground at doses that are actually clinically useful, so the multivitamin becomes redundant once you start it. Stop it once you begin.

Your stack at a glance

The shape of the whole report, in one view
By tier
Foundation 5
Targeted 4
Optimise 2
By evidence grade
0
A
Multiple RCTs or a systematic review
9
B
At least one well-designed RCT
2
C
Emerging / mechanistic only
These tiers are a priority order, not a checklist. Foundation on its own is a complete place to start, and Foundation plus one or two Targeted compounds is another. You are not expected to take all 11, and a smaller set you keep up tends to be worth more than a longer one you stop.Mostly good evidence (Grade B), with the emerging compounds flagged on their cards and every inclusion chosen for your profile. Selectivity is the point.
Introduction Schedule

Introduction Schedule

Every compound in the order it is introduced. Full rationale follows below.
Foundation Targeted Optimise
Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 5 Wk 7 Wk 9 Creatine Monohydrate Vitamin D3 + K2 Magnesium Glycinate / Malate Omega-3 EPA/DHA Vitamin B Complex (Active Forms) Glycine Apigenin L-Theanine Valerian Root Ashwagandha (KSM-66) L-Citrulline
Full schedule (table view)
Week Compound Daily dose When to take Tier Grade
Already taking Creatine Monohydrate 5g Any time with food Foundation B
Already taking Whey Protein Your usual serving After training, as now Current supplement Not graded
Week 1 Vitamin D3 + K2 3,000 IU D3 + 100mcg K2 Morning with breakfast Foundation B
Week 2 Magnesium Glycinate / Malate 300mg elemental Before bed Foundation C
Week 3 Omega-3 EPA/DHA 1.5g combined EPA+DHA Evening with dinner Foundation B
Week 3 Vitamin B Complex (Active Forms) 1 capsule, B6 content no more than 10mg Morning with breakfast Foundation B
Week 4 Glycine 3g Before bed Targeted B
Week 5 Apigenin 270mg standardised chamomile extract Before bed Targeted C
Week 6 L-Theanine 200mg Evening with dinner Targeted B
Week 7 Valerian Root 500mg standardised extract (0.8% valerenic acid) Before bed Targeted B
Week 8 Ashwagandha (KSM-66) 600mg KSM-66 extract Evening with dinner Optimise B
Week 9 L-Citrulline 6g Mid-afternoon Optimise B
Daily Supplement Schedule

Daily Supplement Schedule

When to take each compound and why.
Compound Meal slot Dose Reason for timing
Vitamin D3 + K2 Breakfast 3,000 IU + 100mcg Fat-soluble Needs dietary fat to absorb properly. Take with your morning food.
Vitamin B Complex (Active Forms) Breakfast 1 capsule Stomach protection B vitamins can cause mild nausea on an empty stomach. Morning food avoids this.
L-Citrulline Mid-afternoon 6g Timing-dependent Placed away from your evening compounds so it does not add to the stimulatory load close to your training or bedtime.
Whey Protein After training Your usual serving Already taking. Keep it as you take it now; it counts towards the daily protein target set out in your Current Supplements review.
Omega-3 EPA/DHA Dinner 1.5g combined EPA+DHA Fat-soluble Needs dietary fat for absorption. Your evening meal is a reliable anchor point.
L-Theanine Dinner 200mg Taken in the evening to support a calm, unwired transition away from the day, without any sedating effect.
Ashwagandha (KSM-66) Dinner 600mg KSM-66 extract Timing-dependent Evening dosing aligns with its role in supporting the stress response as the day winds down.
Magnesium Glycinate / Malate Before bed 300mg elemental Timing-dependent Taken close to bedtime to support the wind-down window.
Glycine Before bed 3g Timing-dependent Taken as a pre-bed dose, in line with how it has been studied.
Apigenin Before bed 270mg standardised chamomile extract Timing-dependent Taken alongside Glycine as part of your pre-bed routine.
Valerian Root Before bed 500mg standardised extract (0.8% valerenic acid) Timing-dependent Taken 30-60 minutes before bed, in line with how it has been studied.
Creatine Monohydrate Any time with food 5g Timing is flexible for creatine. Taking it with a meal you already eat daily is the easiest way to stay consistent.
Fat note Fat-soluble compounds (marked above) require 10-15g of dietary fat to absorb properly. Practical equivalents: 1 tablespoon olive oil, a handful of nuts, half an avocado, 2 tablespoons of nut butter, or a full-fat yoghurt.
Recommended Stack
Foundation Five compounds addressing the mineral and nutrient base your training volume and desk-based days draw down fastest, alongside the creatine you already use inconsistently. Grounding these first gives the rest of the stack something to build on before anything aimed at your sleep or stress goals is introduced.
Vitamin D3 + K2 Foundation Grade B
Your indoor desk job and minimal sun exposure make deficiency likely, and this is one of the most under-corrected gaps in UK adults.
FormCholecalciferol (D3) + Menaquinone-7 (K2 MK-7)
Daily dose3,000 IU D3 + 100mcg K2
When to takeMorning with breakfast
IntroduceWeek 1
Why this compound

You told us you're mostly indoors and rarely get direct sun on your skin. In the UK, that alone is usually enough to push vitamin D below the sufficiency threshold, particularly through autumn and winter. Without a blood test we can't tell you your number, but the pattern here is a strong enough signal to act on.

Vitamin D supports normal immune function, and the K2 is paired specifically to direct calcium to where it's useful rather than where it isn't. Beyond that, we're keeping this to what the evidence actually supports rather than the wider claims often made for it.

Time to effect: blood levels typically take 8-12 weeks to normalise at this dose. There's nothing to feel day to day, this one is a background correction rather than something you'll notice directly.
Safety and watch for

Well tolerated at this dose for almost everyone. Take it with a meal that has some fat in it (breakfast with eggs, yoghurt, or similar) since it's fat-soluble and needs that to absorb properly.

If you ever get blood work done, 25-OH vitamin D is worth including so you know where you actually stand rather than working from the general pattern alone.

Immune resilienceDeficiency correction
Sourcing
Look for cholecalciferol (D3, not the plant-derived D2/ergocalciferol) paired with K2 as MK-7, not MK-4: MK-7 stays active in the body for longer. Confirm the label states both the D3 and K2 dose per capsule clearly.

Search: "Vitamin D3 K2 MK-7 3000 IU supplement UK"
Magnesium Glycinate / Malate Foundation Grade C
You told us switching off is the real problem, and this is the gentlest form to start winding your evenings down properly.
FormMagnesium bisglycinate (glycinate chelate)
Daily dose300mg elemental
When to takeBefore bed
IntroduceWeek 2
Why this compound

Emerging evidence. This compound is Grade C: the support comes from mechanistic work, observational studies or small trials, so the effect is plausible but not yet confirmed at scale.

You said the issue isn't a lack of tiredness, it's your head still going once you're lying there. Magnesium glycinate is a reasonable first step for that: it's involved in over 300 enzyme reactions in the body, including the ones vitamin D needs to be activated, and the glycinate form is the gentlest on your gut of all the common forms.

Its evidence for sleep specifically is honest but modest: one placebo-controlled trial in older adults with insomnia found people rated their sleep as better, though total time asleep didn't actually differ significantly between groups. So think of this as a supportive piece rather than the whole answer, and it's why Glycine and Apigenin come in shortly after to build on it.

Time to effect: some people notice a calmer wind-down within the first week or two; for others it takes closer to 3-4 weeks of consistent use before there's a clear difference.
Safety and watch for

Glycinate is the gentlest form on your gut of the common options. Loose stools are possible at higher doses but far less likely with this form than with citrate or oxide. If you notice any GI upset, take it with food rather than on an empty stomach.

Sleep quality
What to look for
Magnesium bisglycinate (sometimes labelled "magnesium glycinate" or "chelated magnesium"). Check the label states the elemental magnesium amount, not just the total compound weight, since these differ significantly.
What to avoid
Magnesium oxide, which is the cheapest and most common form on supermarket shelves but has under 4% absorption and a stronger laxative effect. It won't do much for the goal you're after.
Search: "Magnesium bisglycinate 300mg elemental UK"
Creatine Monohydrate Foundation Grade B
You're already taking this on and off, and making it consistent is likely the single highest-value change you could make to your training.
FormCreatine monohydrate (micronised)
Daily dose5g
When to takeAny time with food
IntroduceAlready taking

See Important Notices for the detail on this.

Why this compound

You mentioned you take 5g but aren't consistent with it, and that inconsistency is probably costing you more than any other single decision in this stack. Creatine's benefit builds with steady daily use, it isn't something that works when you remember and does nothing when you don't.

Given your goal is building size while keeping body fat down, this is squarely the right compound: the evidence for strength and power output in resistance training is solid, though honestly it's a moderate effect rather than a dramatic one, and it doesn't show benefit for endurance-type efforts like running or swimming. There's also a smaller but genuine finding for memory in adults, independent of training, though that effect is strongest in older adults and not yet established in someone your age.

Time to effect: strength and training benefits build over 2-4 weeks of consistent daily use. There's no loading phase needed at this dose, it's a steady accumulation rather than a fast hit.
Safety and watch for

Very well tolerated. Some water retention in muscle tissue is expected and is part of how it works, not a side effect to worry about. Mild stomach discomfort is possible if you take the full 5g in one go on an empty stomach, so with food (as you already do) is the right call.

No concerns given your kidney function is presumably normal and you're on no medications. If you ever do end up with chronic NSAID use for the shoulder or back niggles, that's worth mentioning to whoever's treating you alongside this.

Muscle buildingAthletic performanceBrain health
Sourcing
Creatine monohydrate is the most researched form and the one nearly every trial has used. Look for Creapure-branded monohydrate if you want a purity guarantee, though standard monohydrate from a reputable brand is genuinely fine too. No need for the more expensive "advanced" forms (HCl, buffered, etc.), the plain version works and is cheaper.

Search: "Creatine monohydrate Creapure 5g UK"
Omega-3 EPA/DHA Foundation Grade B
A staple you don't currently get from food, since oily fish is rarely on your plate, worth having in for general cardiovascular groundwork.
FormTriglyceride-form EPA/DHA, EPA-predominant
Daily dose1.5g combined EPA+DHA
When to takeEvening with dinner
IntroduceWeek 3
Why this compound

You told us oily fish is rarely on the menu, less than once a month, so this is filling a genuine dietary gap rather than duplicating what you already get. At 1.5g combined EPA and DHA you're within the range studied for general cardiovascular support. On heart rhythm, a pooled analysis of seven trials found a small rise in new atrial fibrillation that goes up with dose, roughly 12% at up to 1g a day and roughly 49% above that, so at 1.5g you are in the higher band and it is worth mentioning to your GP if you ever notice palpitations or an irregular pulse. The absolute risk in someone with no heart rhythm history is very low, the signal is concentrated in people who already have atrial fibrillation, and the largest observational dataset to date found no association between fish oil supplement use and atrial fibrillation at all.

We'd keep expectations specific here: the strongest, most consistent evidence is for cardiovascular outcomes at this kind of dose. It doesn't have solid evidence for joint pain, mood, or general inflammation, despite that reputation, so we're not going to oversell it on those fronts.

Time to effect: cardiovascular markers like triglycerides typically shift over 8-12 weeks of consistent use.
Safety and watch for

Fishy aftertaste or burping is the most common complaint, taking it with food and keeping capsules refrigerated usually sorts this. Loose stools can occur at higher doses, though 1.5g is a moderate dose and unlikely to cause this.

It has a mild blood-thinning effect at this dose. Worth mentioning to a dentist or surgeon ahead of any procedure, though at 1.5g it isn't a significant concern for most people.

Athletic enduranceEnergy + vitality
What to look for
IFOS certification (International Fish Oil Standards) on the label. This is the one purity standard that actually tests for heavy metals, PCBs, dioxins and oxidation levels. Check the label states EPA+DHA combined content specifically, not just total "fish oil" milligrams.
What to avoid
Any product listing only "fish oil 1000mg" without breaking out EPA and DHA amounts. This tells you almost nothing about the actual active dose, since fish oil concentration varies enormously between products.
Search: "Omega-3 fish oil IFOS certified EPA DHA 1.5g UK"
Vitamin B Complex (Active Forms) Foundation Grade B
Supports energy metabolism day to day, and the B5/B6 content has genuine evidence for the daily stress load you described.
FormMethylcobalamin + methylfolate + P5P (active B forms)
Daily dose, B6 content no more than 10mg
When to takeMorning with breakfast
IntroduceWeek 3
Why this compound

You described high daily stress from work and life demands generally, and this is one area where the evidence for B vitamins is genuinely decent rather than assumed. Trials using a B-complex at a meaningful dose have shown lower self-rated strain and improved stress-scale scores over 90 days. Worth being precise here though: this hasn't been shown to lower cortisol directly, so think of it as supporting how you feel under load rather than resetting your physiology.

It also plays a basic role in energy metabolism and nervous system function, which fits your training volume and the general demand you're placing on your body training five to six days a week.

Time to effect: the stress-related benefits in the trials took around 4-12 weeks of consistent daily use to show up. This isn't a same-day energy hit.
Safety and watch for

Generally very well tolerated. Bright yellow urine from the riboflavin content is completely normal and harmless, not a sign anything's wrong. Taking it with breakfast, as scheduled, avoids the mild nausea some people get on an empty stomach.

Check the label keeps B6 to no more than 10mg per serving, since some comprehensive complexes run higher than this, and staying at or under that figure is the safer long-term ceiling.

Stress + resilienceEnergy + vitality
What to look for
Active forms specifically: methylfolate (not folic acid) and methylcobalamin (not cyanocobalamin) for B9 and B12, plus P5P for B6. Confirm the B6 content on the label is 10mg or under per daily serving.
What to avoid
Any comprehensive complex listing B6 content above 10mg without a clear reason, since several popular "high-strength" complexes sit well above this and offer no extra benefit for it, only added risk over the long term.
Search: "B complex active forms methylfolate methylcobalamin P5P B6 10mg UK"
Targeted Four compounds built around the goal you told us matters most in practice: getting your mind to switch off at night without feeling dulled or wired the next day. Each works through a different mechanism, so they are introduced one at a time to see what your own sleep responds to.
Glycine Targeted Grade B
Taken before bed, glycine may take the edge off how long it takes you to settle once your head hits the pillow.
FormFree-form glycine powder
Daily dose3g
When to takeBefore bed
IntroduceWeek 4
Why this compound

You told us the main thing you want fixed is lying there with your head going for half an hour or more after you get into bed. Glycine at 3g before sleep is the compound with the most direct evidence for exactly that: a small acute dose taken shortly before bed appears to trigger a drop in core body temperature through increased blood flow to the skin, which is one of the body's own signals for sleep onset.

The evidence here is Grade B: it is consistent in direction across several small trials, but most of it is next-day performance and subjective reporting rather than sleep-lab measurement of your actual sleep stages, and it comes largely from one research group. That is a fair basis for trying it, not a guarantee.

Most people who respond notice an effect on how quickly they settle within the first 1-2 weeks.
Safety and watch for

Very well tolerated, with mild drowsiness as the main effect, which is the point at this dose and timing. You are taking creatine and, once introduced, magnesium glycinate: both contribute a small additional amount of glycine, which is accounted for in the 3g dose here rather than something to worry about separately.

Response varies. Some people notice a clear difference in how quickly they drop off within a couple of weeks; others do not notice much from glycine specifically, in which case it is still worth keeping in the stack alongside the other sleep-focused compounds rather than judging it in isolation.

Sleep qualityFalling asleep faster
What to look for
Plain glycine powder or capsules, unflavoured if you go for powder. It's cheap and there is no premium form worth paying more for: check the label states glycine as the sole active ingredient at 3g per serving so you can dose it accurately before bed.
What to avoid
Avoid blended "sleep formula" products that bundle glycine with a long list of other actives at unclear individual doses. You want to be able to see exactly how much glycine you're getting, separate from everything else in this stack.
Search: "glycine powder 3g serving unflavoured"
Apigenin Targeted Grade C
A standardised chamomile extract taken before bed, aimed at deepening sleep quality rather than sedating you into it.
FormStandardised chamomile extract (apigenin-standardised)
Daily dose270mg standardised chamomile extract
When to takeBefore bed
IntroduceWeek 5
Why this compound

Emerging evidence. This compound is Grade C: the support comes from mechanistic work, observational studies or small trials, so the effect is plausible but not yet confirmed at scale.

This is a standardised chamomile extract (apigenin is chamomile's most studied active compound), and the trials behind it are of the whole extract rather than apigenin in isolation, which is why the recommended product here is chamomile extract and not an isolated apigenin supplement. It works on the same GABA-A receptor system as prescription sedatives, but at a much gentler dose, which fits your stated preference for something that will not leave you feeling wired or on edge.

The evidence is Grade C: real and consistently in the right direction across several small trials, but the studies are small and the effects are modest, so it sits alongside glycine and magnesium rather than doing the job alone.

Effects on sleep quality are typically noticeable within 2-4 weeks of consistent use.
Safety and watch for

Well tolerated. Some drowsiness is expected and is the intended effect at this dose, so avoid driving or anything requiring full alertness shortly after taking it. Stay within the studied range: do not exceed 540mg of standardised extract per day without discussing it with your GP first.

Sleep qualitySleep depth
What to look for
A standardised chamomile extract supplement, not a chamomile tea bag or a raw dried herb. Look for a product that states the extract dose clearly (270mg per capsule is the studied amount) so you know exactly what you're taking each night.
What to avoid
Avoid products labelled simply as "apigenin" with no chamomile extract stated, since these have not been tested in the trials this recommendation is based on. Also avoid combination "sleep blend" capsules where the chamomile dose is buried in a proprietary blend with no individual amount listed.
Search: "chamomile extract 270mg standardised apigenin sleep"
L-Theanine Targeted Grade B
Taken in the evening, this may modestly shorten how long falling asleep feels like it takes, without the sedated feeling you're trying to avoid.
FormL-Theanine (taken from green tea)
Daily dose200mg
When to takeEvening with dinner
IntroduceWeek 6
Why this compound

You were clear that you do not want anything that makes you feel wired, and L-theanine is one of the few compounds here chosen partly for what it does not do: it produces a calm, settled state without sedation, which is a genuinely different mechanism from the other sleep compounds in your stack. Taken in the evening rather than right before bed, it may help take the edge off the mental noise before you get into bed at all.

The evidence is Grade B for this use, on a real meta-analysis of 18 trials: the effect on how long sleep onset feels like it takes is small and mostly based on what people report themselves, not a lever that fixes clinical insomnia on its own, but it is consistent in direction.

Most people who notice an effect do so within 1-2 weeks.
Safety and watch for

Extremely well tolerated, with no meaningful side effects at this dose. It pairs well with the rest of your evening stack and, unlike some of the other sleep compounds, carries no additive sedation concern worth flagging given your current medication and supplement list.

Sleep qualityCalm without sedation
What to look for
L-theanine taken from green tea, as a standalone supplement at 200mg per capsule. Confirm the label states the green tea source and L-theanine as the sole active ingredient.
What to avoid
Avoid theanine-plus-caffeine "focus" blends for this use: those combination products are formulated for daytime alertness, which is the opposite of what you want in the evening. You want the standalone, uncombined form here.
Search: "L-theanine from green tea 200mg UK"
Valerian Root Targeted Grade B
Added once the earlier steps are established, this targets subjective sleep quality rather than how fast you fall asleep.
FormStandardised root extract
Daily dose500mg standardised extract (0.8% valerenic acid)
When to takeBefore bed
IntroduceWeek 7
Why this compound

Valerian is introduced last among your sleep compounds, once glycine, chamomile extract and L-theanine are already in place. Its evidence is specifically for subjective sleep quality: how rested and satisfied with your sleep you report feeling, not for shortening the time it takes you to drop off. The trial evidence on sleep latency itself is essentially null, so this is not being added to speed up falling asleep, but to work on the quality of the sleep once you're in it.

The evidence is Grade B, drawn from meta-analyses of over a thousand people combined, though the individual trials are noted to have methodological limitations, so treat it as a reasonable addition rather than a settled certainty.

Effects on sleep quality are usually assessed after 2-4 weeks of consistent use.
Safety and watch for

Mild morning grogginess and vivid dreams are the most commonly reported effects. Do not use continuously beyond 4-6 weeks without a break, and avoid combining with alcohol on the same evening as it can add to the sedating effect. With your current alcohol intake of 1-3 units a week this is a minor consideration, but worth keeping in mind on any evening you do drink.

Sleep qualitySubjective sleep satisfaction
What to look for
A standardised valerian root extract stating 0.8% valerenic acid content at 500mg per capsule. This standardisation is what the research trials used, so it's the marker of a properly tested product.
What to avoid
Avoid raw, unstandardised valerian root powder or tincture where the valerenic acid content is not stated, since potency can vary widely between batches and you won't know what dose you're actually getting.
Search: "valerian root extract 500mg 0.8% valerenic acid"
Optimise Two additions once the earlier tiers have settled: one for the training and body composition side of your goals, one supporting stress resilience with an annual thyroid-awareness check built in given you haven't had recent blood work done.
Ashwagandha (KSM-66) Optimise Grade B
Given how much your stress and switching-off at night bother you, this targets the HPA-axis pathway behind both, without the stimulating feel you specifically want to avoid.
FormKSM-66 standardised root extract
Daily dose600mg KSM-66 extract
When to takeEvening with dinner
IntroduceWeek 8
Review⚠️ GP review

See Important Notices for the detail on this.

Why this compound

You ranked stress and resilience second and sleep third, and named "switching off" as the actual problem rather than falling asleep itself. Ashwagandha's strongest evidence is exactly here: it's been shown to lower self-rated stress and measured cortisol, using the KSM-66 extract at this dose, in trials adding up to over a thousand people. Two independent pooled analyses agree on the direction of that effect.

It works through the HPA axis, the stress-hormone signalling loop, rather than through sedation, which fits what you asked for: nothing that feels wired or wired-then-crashed.

Most people notice a shift in stress and mood within 2 to 4 weeks; allow 6 to 8 weeks for the fuller effect on sleep quality via lower evening stress.
Safety and watch for

Response varies: some people feel calmer within the first couple of weeks, others need longer, and a minority don't notice a clear effect at all. The main everyday side effects are vivid dreams (common, usually settles) and mild stomach upset when starting, so taking it with dinner as scheduled helps.

There's a rare but real liver-injury signal reported with this compound, usually appearing between 2 and 12 weeks of starting: watch for yellowing of the skin or eyes, dark urine, ongoing nausea, unusual fatigue, or pain under the right ribs, and stop and see a doctor if any of these appear. Because you don't currently have any diagnosed liver issue this isn't a reason to avoid it, but it's worth knowing what to look for.

Don't start this in the same week as any other calming herbal compound, since starting two together makes it impossible to tell which is doing what.

Stress + resilienceSleep quality (indirect, via evening stress)Testosterone support
What to look for
The label should say KSM-66 or Sensoril by name: these are the standardised, trial-tested extracts. Confirm the dose matches 600mg of KSM-66 (or the Sensoril equivalent at 125-250mg) per serving.
What to avoid
Avoid plain "ashwagandha root powder" or "ashwagandha extract" with no named standardisation: these haven't been tested in the trials behind this recommendation and the active compound content is unverifiable.
Search: "KSM-66 ashwagandha 600mg UK"
L-Citrulline Optimise Grade B
This supports the nitric oxide pathway behind training pump and blood flow, fitting your muscle-building and endurance goals without any stimulant feel.
FormL-Citrulline (free-form powder)
Daily dose6g
When to takeMid-afternoon
IntroduceWeek 9
Why this compound

You're training five to six days a week with a mix of weights and conditioning, and this converts to L-arginine in the body more efficiently than taking arginine directly, which raises nitric oxide and supports blood flow to working muscle. The performance and blood-pressure evidence for this is Grade B: trials at this kind of dose have shown a modest reduction in muscle soreness in the 24 to 48 hours after training, along with small improvements in high-intensity exercise capacity and blood pressure.

It carries no stimulant effect at all, which matters given you specifically want to avoid anything that leaves you wired: this works purely on blood vessel dilation, not on the nervous system.

Most people notice a difference in pump and next-day soreness within 1 to 2 weeks of consistent use; the blood pressure effect builds over several weeks.
Safety and watch for

This is very well tolerated, with mild stomach upset the main thing to watch for at higher doses. Response varies a little person to person on the soreness benefit specifically, though the blood-flow effect is consistent.

Because it dilates blood vessels, taking it alongside blood pressure medication could add to the effect, so if you're ever prescribed one in future, mention this to whoever prescribes it. The same applies to medications like sildenafil (Viagra) if you were to take one: the combined vessel-widening effect is worth a prescriber knowing about, though neither applies to you based on what you've told us.

Muscle building + body compositionAthletic endurance + performance
What to look for
Look for pure L-citrulline (not citrulline malate blended with other actives unless you want the malate specifically) with the dose per serving clearly stated, so you can hit 6g accurately.
What to avoid
Avoid proprietary "nitric oxide blend" products that don't state the citrulline dose on the label: you can't verify you're getting an effective amount.
Search: "L-citrulline powder 6g dose UK"

Considered, Not Included

Everything we assessed for you and left out, and why. We do not hide the rest.

The stack above is what we recommend for you. It is not everything that exists for your goals. Below is what we also assessed and chose to leave out, with the reason for each. We would rather show you the full picture than leave you wondering what we left off.

Left out because your stack already covers itNot worth the extra cost
Good compounds. For your profile they overlap with something already in your stack, so adding them would cost you more without adding much.
TMG (Trimethylglycine / Betaine)
This isn't one of your stated goals, and its methylation-support role gives you no specific benefit for muscle building or sleep that Creatine and Magnesium don't already address more directly.
Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
Your stack already includes Magnesium Glycinate / Malate and Ashwagandha (KSM-66 or Sensoril extract only) on the same route, so adding another compound that works the same way tends to add little for the extra cost.
Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata)
Your stack already includes Magnesium Glycinate / Malate and Ashwagandha (KSM-66 or Sensoril extract only) on the same route, so adding another compound that works the same way tends to add little for the extra cost.
Beetroot Extract (Beta vulgaris: nitrate-standardised)
Athletic Endurance is your lowest-ranked goal, the evidence for this benefit is small and best established in recreational (not resistance-focused) training, and your endurance and blood-flow needs are already served by L-Citrulline, so this doesn't add enough to earn its place.
Holy Basil / Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum)
Its stress-support role overlaps with what Ashwagandha already delivers for you at a stronger evidence grade, so a second adaptogen here adds little extra for the cost.
Left out because the evidence does not support it for youNot the right fit for your situation
These are well-known supplements you may have expected to see. They were left out because the research behind them does not cover someone in your situation, or because they should only be taken on the strength of a specific blood test result, rather than because of anything unsafe.
HMB (Beta-Hydroxy Beta-Methylbutyrate)
HMB is marketed to people who train, so it is worth saying why it is not in your plan. Its measurable benefits belong to people starting resistance training, older adults, and people in the older age range. In people who already train regularly, the two pooled analyses of the trials agree that its effects on strength and body composition are too small to measure. Creatine covers this ground for you with far stronger evidence, so a second compound here would add cost without an effect you could expect to notice.
Beta-Alanine
Beta-Alanine is marketed hard to people who train, so it is worth saying why it is not in your plan. Its measurable benefit sits in continuous hard efforts lasting from roughly thirty seconds to ten minutes. Your training is weights and interval work, and across the pooled trials of that kind of effort the effect is too small to measure. A 52-trial analysis also tested creatine and beta-alanine together and found the combination tends to add nothing beyond creatine on its own, and creatine is already covered in your plan. It also commonly causes a harmless skin tingling for a while after each dose and needs splitting across several doses a day, neither of which is worth taking on for an effect you would be unlikely to notice.
Everything else we looked atThe shape of the rest
We scored every compound in our database against the goals you gave us. Beyond the compounds named above, 8 more had some evidence for at least one of your goals and did not earn a place in your stack. We have not named them, because a list of supplements we are not recommending is not something you should be shopping from. Here is where they landed instead.
4 compoundsEmerging evidence
These rest on emerging evidence rather than strong or good evidence. We hold those to a higher bar: one earns a place only when your own profile closely matches what it targets, and on the answers you gave us that was not the case.
3 compoundsA lower-ranked goal
These matched a goal you ranked below your top three. You told us what mattered most, and your stack follows that order rather than spreading thinly across everything you mentioned.
1 compoundStudied in one sex
The evidence behind this one comes from trials run in one sex only, and the answers you gave us do not confirm it covers you. Where a result has only ever been measured in one group, we would rather say so than stretch it to cover everyone.

One thing worth saying plainly. Nothing was set aside here that carried strong or good evidence for one of your top three goals with no caution against it for you. Anything that clears both of those is either in your stack above or named earlier in this section with its own reason. A shorter stack is what happens when the bar holds, not a sign we ran out of things to suggest.

Interactions Summary

Checked against your current medications and supplements
Compounds Verdict Notes
Valerian Root + Ashwagandha (KSM-66) Monitor Both have a calming effect on the nervous system. This is intentional given your goals, but the combined effect can be more noticeable than either alone, so it is worth introducing them on the staggered schedule below rather than together, and noting how you feel each week.
L-Theanine + Valerian Root + Ashwagandha By design You told us clearly that jitteriness and feeling on edge are what you want to avoid. All five compounds here work through calming rather than stimulating pathways, which is why they were chosen over more stimulating options for your stress and sleep goals.
Magnesium Glycinate + Glycine Co-delivery Magnesium glycinate delivers a meaningful amount of glycine alongside the elemental magnesium. This is accounted for in your Glycine dose, which is set at the lower end of its typical range for this reason.
Vitamin D3 + K2 Paired by design K2 directs the calcium that vitamin D helps you absorb toward bone rather than soft tissue. Always taken together for this reason.

Sleep Stack Guidance

Built for your onset pattern: lying awake after going to bed

You told us the problem is switching off, specifically lying there for 30 minutes or more with your head going once you're in bed. That is a sleep onset pattern, and it is worth naming what has the strongest evidence for it before adding supplements to the picture: for a pattern that has been happening most nights for three months or more, cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) has the best evidence of anything available, is recommended as the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia in adults by the European Insomnia Guideline, and the NHS says it is sometimes offered, either face to face or through an online programme, though how easily you can get it varies by area. The compounds below sit alongside that option, not in place of it.

Magnesium Glycinate is introduced first, at Week 2, and works alongside your training recovery as much as your sleep. Glycine and Apigenin follow at Weeks 4 and 5, staggered so you can judge each on its own. L-Theanine, at Week 6, and Valerian Root, at Week 7, complete the build for the onset problem specifically. That gives you five compounds by Week 7, which is more than most stacks carry, so the order below matters: it is built to let you attribute any change (good or otherwise) to the right addition.

CompoundDoseIntroducedWhenWhy it's here
Magnesium Glycinate 300mg elemental Week 2 Before bed Broad foundational role, including glucose and insulin sensitivity relevant to your training. Its sleep evidence is Grade C, so it is a reasonable first layer rather than a proven fix on its own.
Glycine 3g Week 4 Before bed Studied as a pre-bed dose in small human trials measuring next-day sleepiness and subjective sleep quality rather than time spent trying to fall asleep. The dose here sits at the lower end of its studied range because magnesium glycinate already contributes some glycine.
Apigenin (chamomile extract) 270mg standardised extract Week 5 Before bed Works through the same receptor pathway as prescription sedatives, at a much gentler intensity. Emerging (Grade C) evidence, so it's included alongside Glycine rather than as a stand-alone claim.
L-Theanine 200mg Week 6 Evening with dinner Its best-supported use is calm, non-drowsy focus rather than sleep onset itself. Included here on the direct strength of your stated priority: you specifically want to avoid anything wired or overstimulating, and this compound has the opposite profile.
Valerian Root 500mg standardised extract Week 7 Before bed The honest evidence here is for subjective sleep quality rather than a measurable reduction in the time it takes to fall asleep; the trials measuring minutes-to-sleep found close to no difference. It's included as the last addition so you can judge, by that point, whether it adds anything on top of the first four.

One more thing worth a plain mention: caffeine has a half-life of five to six hours, so anything after midday can still be working against you at 10pm. Given how much you train and how demanding your days are, that's an easy lever to check before assuming a supplement isn't working.

Response to this kind of stack varies. Some people notice a clear difference within the first two weeks of a new addition; others don't respond meaningfully to a given compound at all. That's a normal finding, not a sign something is wrong, and it's the reason the schedule above is staggered rather than stacked all at once.

Reassessment Framework

This report is a starting point, not a fixed prescription

Your full stack is introduced across nine weeks: Vitamin D3+K2 at Week 1, Magnesium Glycinate at Week 2, Omega-3 and Vitamin B Complex together at Week 3, Glycine at Week 4, Apigenin at Week 5, L-Theanine at Week 6, Valerian Root at Week 7, Ashwagandha at Week 8, and L-Citrulline at Week 9. Creatine is already part of your routine and continues alongside it. By Week 9, everything is in place: a good checkpoint to review is Week 12, giving each compound at least a few weeks of settled use before you judge it.

Because you take Creatine inconsistently, one practical note: its benefits depend on consistent daily intake rather than occasional use. If you keep only one habit from this report, making Creatine a genuine daily fixture (it doesn't need to be timed precisely around training) is likely to matter more than any new addition.

At your Week 12 review, blood work would sharpen a few things you currently don't have data on: a vitamin D (25-OH) level would confirm whether 3,000 IU is landing you at or above the UK sufficiency threshold of 50 nmol/L, and given you train five to six days a week without a recent full blood count, a ferritin check is a reasonable thing to ask your GP for if you ever notice unusual fatigue that rest doesn't fix.

What to track
  • Time to fall asleep and how many nights a week your mind is still going after 30 minutes in bed. This is the outcome that matters most to you, so track it plainly rather than a general "sleep quality" impression.
  • Whether stress feels different day-to-day once Ashwagandha (Week 8) has had 4-6 weeks to settle in, alongside your existing training and workload.
  • Training performance and recovery: soreness, session quality, and whether you're able to train five to six days a week without it catching up on you.
  • Any change in body composition over 12 weeks, understanding that visible change at a fixed calorie and training approach takes time regardless of the stack.
  • Consider retesting Vitamin D (25-OH) at 12 weeks against the UK sufficiency threshold of 50 nmol/L.

If anything feels off rather than better, particularly any return of the wired, on-edge feeling you've told us you want to avoid, stop the most recently introduced compound first and see whether that resolves it before changing anything else.

Evidence References

Key studies informing this stack
  • [1] C Abbasi 2012 J Res Med Sci, double-blind placebo-controlled trial of 500mg/day magnesium in 46 elderly subjects with primary insomnia: subjective measures improved (ISI score, sleep efficiency, sleep onset latency) but TOTAL sleep time did not differ significantly between groups (P=0.37) PMID: 23853635
  • [2] B Branch 2003 Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, meta-analysis of 100 randomised, placebo-controlled, blinded studies of creatine on body composition and performance. Significant effect sizes for body composition (0.17), tasks under 30s (0.24), 30-150s (0.19) and over 150s (0.20); greater for upper-body (0.42) than lower (0.21), and for laboratory tasks (0.25) than field tasks (0.14). Body-composition gain was 0.26 for a LOADING-only regimen against 0.04 for a maintenance regimen. The authors conclude creatine "does not appear to be effective in improving running and swimming performance" PMID: 12945830
  • [3] C Stough 2011 Hum Psychopharmacol, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 60 participants, 90 days of high-dose vitamin B-complex for occupational stress. Significantly lower personal strain and reduced confusion and depressed/dejected mood at 12 weeks. Its own null result: "There were no treatment-related changes in other measures of mood and anxiety." It measured no cortisol, no adrenal endpoint and no cognitive endpoint PMID: 21905094
  • [4] C Lee 2023 Int J Med Sci, randomised double-blind crossover trial in 32 healthy adults aged 20 to 30 of a B1, B2, B6 and B12 product for 28 days: running time to exhaustion rose 1.26-fold against placebo, with lower blood lactate and blood ammonia during exercise and at rest afterwards. Small, single branded product, and the fatigue measured is biochemical and performance-based rather than self-reported PMID: 37786445
  • [5] B Bannai 2012 Front Neurol, glycine 3g before bedtime reduced fatigue and improved DAYTIME performance after partial sleep restriction in healthy volunteers (RCT) PMID: 22529837
  • [6] C Hieu 2019 Phytother Res, meta-analysis finding chamomile efficacious for sleep quality and generalised anxiety, limited evidence for insomnia PMID: 31006899
  • [7] C Zick 2011 BMC Complement Altern Med, chamomile extract provided modest daytime functioning benefits with mixed sleep effects in chronic insomnia (pilot RCT) PMID: 21939549
  • [8] B Hidese 2019 Nutrients, randomised, placebo-controlled, crossover, double-blind trial of 200mg/day for four weeks in 30 healthy adults (9 men, 21 women, mean age 48.3) with no major psychiatric illness PMID: 31623400
  • [9] B Bulman 2025 Sleep Med Rev, systematic review and meta-analysis of L-theanine on sleep outcomes: 19 articles, N=897, 18 pooled. Subjective sleep-onset latency improved (SMD 0.15, 95% CI 0.01–0.29, p=0.04), subjective daytime dysfunction improved (SMD 0.33, 0.16–0.49), overall subjective sleep quality improved (SMD 0.43, 0.04–0.83, p=0.03). The authors flag "the lack of studies on 'pure' L-theanine", many pooled interventions are combinations PMID: 40056718
  • [10] B Sarris 2019 J Psychiatr Res, double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial of adjunctive L-theanine 450–900mg for 8 weeks in 46 adults with DSM-5 generalised anxiety disorder: "did not outperform placebo for anxiety reduction on the HAMA (p = 0.73)" nor on insomnia severity (p=0.35); self-reported sleep satisfaction was better on theanine (p=0.015), with an ISI separation in participants with non-clinical insomnia symptoms (p=0.007) PMID: 30580081
  • [11] B Bent 2006 Am J Med, meta-analysis of 16 studies (n=1093), valerian improved sleep quality vs placebo with statistically significant benefit PMID: 17145239
  • [12] B Fernández-San-Martín 2010 Sleep Med, meta-analysis of 18 RCTs, valerian showed RR 1.37 for sleep quality improvement vs placebo PMID: 20347389
  • [13] A Chandrasekhar 2012 Indian J Psychol Med, KSM-66 cortisol and anxiety RCT PMID: 23439798
  • [14] B Langade 2019 Cureus, sleep quality RCT PMID: 31728244
  • [15] A Akhgarjand 2022 Phytother Res, systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of 12 RCTs, n=1,002, aged 25–48: stress SMD −1.75 (95% CI −2.29 to −1.22) and anxiety SMD −1.55 (−2.37 to −0.74) versus placebo, with a favourable dose-response for stress at 300–600mg/day, which is the dose range we recommend. The authors record that "the certainty of the evidence was low for both outcomes", with heterogeneity of 83.1% and 93.8% PMID: 36017529
  • [16] A Arumugam 2024 Explore, systematic review and meta-analysis of 9 RCTs, n=558: Perceived Stress Scale MD −4.72 (95% CI −8.45 to −0.99), Hamilton Anxiety MD −2.19 (−3.83 to −0.55) and serum cortisol MD −2.58 (−4.99 to −0.16) versus placebo; four of the included studies reported mild to moderate adverse events PMID: 39348746
  • [17] B Bailey 2015 J Appl Physiol, L-citrulline improved O2 uptake kinetics, blood pressure, and high-intensity exercise performance in healthy adults PMID: 26023227
  • [18] B Pérez-Guisado 2010 J Strength Cond Res, citrulline malate increased anaerobic repetitions and reduced muscle soreness 40% at 24–48h post-exercise (RCT) PMID: 20386132
Further reading

Studies on the background, dosing and safety of the compounds in your stack, and on uses other than the goals you chose. We list them so you can check what else we drew on. They carry no grade here, because a grade in this list belongs to the evidence for your own goals.

  • [19] Holick 2007 NEJM, narrative REVIEW of vitamin D deficiency, covering rickets, osteomalacia and osteoporosis; background context rather than a trial (cited for Vitamin D3 + K2: this is a background review of vitamin D deficiency rather than a trial, so it sets the context for this recommendation rather than testing it) PMID: 17634462
  • [20] Zittermann 2019 Anticancer Res, review with meta-analysis of vitamin D and CARDIOVASCULAR disease, reporting that CVD risk markers, events and mortality are "largely unaffected" by supplementation "even in subgroups with 25(OH)D concentrations <50 nmol/l", and concluding that doses beyond the nutritionally recommended 600-800 IU daily "cannot be advised for the prevention of CVD events" (cited for Vitamin D3 + K2: this review looked at heart disease, which is not what this supplement is recommended to you for, and it found that vitamin D did not reduce heart attacks, strokes or deaths) PMID: 31519560
  • [21] Martineau 2017 BMJ, individual-participant-data meta-analysis of 25 RCTs, 11,321 participants aged 0-95: acute respiratory tract infection adjusted OR 0.88 (95% CI 0.81-0.96); protective for daily or weekly dosing (aOR 0.81, 0.72-0.91) but NOT for bolus dosing (aOR 0.97, 0.86-1.10, P for interaction 0.05); effect larger at baseline 25(OH)D <25 nmol/L (aOR 0.30, 0.17-0.53) yet still significant at ≥25 nmol/L (aOR 0.75, 0.60-0.95); body of evidence rated high quality PMID: 28202713
  • [22] Okereke 2020 JAMA (VITAL-DEP), 18,353 adults aged 50+ randomised to 2,000 IU/day cholecalciferol or placebo, the bottom of the dose range we use, median 5.3 years: depression or clinically relevant depressive symptoms HR 0.97 (95% CI 0.87-1.09, P=.62) and mean PHQ-8 change 0.01 points (-0.04 to 0.05), the authors concluding the findings "do not support the use of vitamin D3 in adults to prevent depression" (cited for Vitamin D3 + K2: this large trial gave 2,000 IU a day for over five years and found no reduction in depression, and its authors say the results do not support taking vitamin D3 to prevent it) PMID: 32749491
  • [23] Entrenas Castillo 2020 J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol, PILOT open-label randomised study, n=76 hospitalised COVID patients, of CALCIFEDIOL (25-hydroxyvitamin D, a different molecule from the cholecalciferol we recommend) at 0.532mg: 1 of 50 treated versus 13 of 26 untreated required intensive care. The authors state that "larger trials with groups properly matched will be required to show a definitive answer" (cited for Vitamin D3 + K2: this pilot study used calcifediol in hospitalised patients, which is a different molecule from the cholecalciferol recommended here, and its authors say larger matched trials are needed before drawing a conclusion) PMID: 32871238
  • [24] Palacios 2019 Cochrane Database Syst Rev, Cochrane review of vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy, 30 trials and 7,033 women. Vitamin D ALONE probably reduces pre-eclampsia (RR 0.48, 95% CI 0.30-0.79), gestational diabetes (RR 0.51, 0.27-0.97) and low birthweight below 2500g (RR 0.55, 0.35-0.87), all moderate certainty, and may make little or no difference to preterm birth before 37 weeks (RR 0.66, 0.34-1.30, low certainty). Vitamin D WITH CALCIUM may increase preterm birth (RR 1.52, 1.01-2.28, low certainty) PMID: 31348529
  • [25] Veronese 2021 Nutrients, systematic review and meta-analysis of double-blind RCTs of oral magnesium on GLUCOSE METABOLISM in people with or at high risk of diabetes: fasting plasma glucose reduced in diabetes, glucose and 2h OGTT improved in the at-risk group, insulin-sensitivity markers improved PMID: 34836329
  • [26] Kass 2012 Eur J Clin Nutr, magnesium supplementation and blood pressure meta-analysis, 22 trials n=1173, SBP down 3–4 mmHg and DBP down 2–3 mmHg, effect increasing with dose PMID: 22318649
  • [27] Prokopidis 2023 Nutr Rev, systematic review of 10 RCTs with 8 meta-analysed, memory in healthy individuals: SMD 0.29 (95% CI 0.04-0.53, P=0.02, I²=66%), significant in adults aged 66-76 (SMD 0.88) and null in those aged 11-31 (SMD 0.03, 95% CI -0.14 to 0.20, P=0.72) PMID: 35984306
  • [28] Candow 2022 Bone, narrative REVIEW of creatine in older adults covering sarcopenia, osteoporosis, frailty and cachexia, reporting favourable effects on indices of ageing muscle and bone "primarily when combined with resistance training"; background context rather than a trial (cited for Creatine Monohydrate: this is a background review of creatine in older adults rather than a trial of its own, and it attributes the muscle and bone effects mainly to creatine taken alongside resistance training) PMID: 35688360
  • [29] Rawson 2011 Amino Acids, narrative REVIEW of creatine use in the elderly and its effects on cognitive function in young and old; background context rather than a trial (cited for Creatine Monohydrate: this is a background review of creatine use in older adults rather than a trial, so it summarises other studies rather than testing this recommendation) PMID: 21394604
  • [30] Naddafha 2026 J Int Soc Sports Nutr, systematic review and meta-analysis of 7 RCTs, n=608, postmenopausal women mean age about 62, durations 12-104 weeks: lean mass MD +0.37 kg (95% CI +0.05 to +0.69, I²=25%) and leg-press 1RM MD +7.5 kg (95% CI +2.2 to +12.8, I²=0%); bone density unchanged; adverse events mild and similar to placebo. Two qualifiers apply: the 95% PREDICTION interval for lean mass is -0.10 to +0.84 and CROSSES ZERO, and benefits were evident only where creatine at 5 g/day or more was combined with resistance training, with trials at 3 g/day or less WITHOUT training showing no measurable effect. Its author line (Antonio, Kreider, Stout) is prominent in industry-funded sports-nutrition research PMID: 42141930
  • [31] Davies 2024 JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr, systematic review and meta-analysis of 33 RCTs, n=1,076, older adults and adults with chronic disease, BOTH SEXES: primary outcome sit-to-stand SMD 0.51 (95% CI 0.01-1.00, I²=62%), upper-body strength 0.25 (0.06-0.44), handgrip 0.23 (0.01-0.45), lean tissue mass MD 1.08 kg (0.77-1.38). Its own conclusion rates the certainty of ALL outcomes "low or very low because of a high risk of bias" PMID: 38417175
  • [32] Bhatt 2019 NEJM (REDUCE-IT), 4g/day PRESCRIPTION icosapent ethyl in 8,179 statin-treated patients with raised triglycerides, 70.7% of them in secondary prevention: primary composite HR 0.75, with AF hospitalisation 3.1% IPE vs 2.1% placebo (P=0.004). A prescription product at 4g a day, twice the top of the 1–2g range recommended here, in a population at raised cardiovascular risk PMID: 30415628
  • [33] Manson 2019 NEJM (VITAL), 25,871 general-population primary-prevention adults at 1g/day, the bottom of our 1–2g range: major cardiovascular events HR 0.92 (95% CI 0.80–1.06, P=0.24) and invasive cancer HR 1.03, with the authors concluding supplementation "did not result in a lower incidence of major cardiovascular events or cancer than placebo"; total myocardial infarction was the one secondary that moved, HR 0.72 (0.59–0.90) (cited for Omega-3 EPA/DHA: this large prevention trial gave 1g a day, the lowest dose in the range we recommend, and did not find fewer major cardiovascular events or cancers than placebo, although total heart attacks were lower) PMID: 30415637
  • [34] Mozaffarian 2011 J Am Coll Cardiol, narrative REVIEW of omega-3 and cardiovascular disease (not a meta-analysis): benefits "seem most consistent for coronary heart disease mortality and sudden cardiac death", with "conflicting evidence from observational studies and/or randomized trials" for non-fatal MI, ischaemic stroke, atrial fibrillation, recurrent ventricular arrhythmias and heart failure PMID: 22051327
  • [35] Bloch 2011 J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, meta-analysis of 10 RCTs, n=699 children: a small but significant improvement in ADHD symptoms, with EPA dose within supplements correlated to efficacy; the authors call the effect modest relative to stimulants PMID: 21961774
  • [36] Gencer 2021 Circulation, 7-RCT meta-analysis (n=81,210), AF HR 1.25 (1.07–1.46) overall, dose-dependent: ≤1g/day HR 1.12, >1g/day HR 1.49, per-gram HR 1.11 PMID: 34612056
  • [37] Khan 2021 EClinicalMedicine, 38-RCT meta-analysis (n=149,051), AF RR 1.26; EPA monotherapy bleeding RR 1.49 + AF RR 1.35 PMID: 34505026
  • [38] Yan 2022 Cardiovasc Drugs Ther, 15-RCT meta-analysis confirming AF RR 1.25 (1.10–1.41) PMID: 36103100
  • [39] Albert 2021 JAMA (VITAL-Rhythm), 25,119 primary-prevention adults at 840mg/day EPA+DHA, AF HR 1.09 (0.96–1.24, not significant), establishes the lower-dose threshold where the signal does not show (cited for Omega-3 EPA/DHA: this trial measured whether omega-3 raises the risk of an irregular heartbeat rather than whether it helps the heart, and it found no significant difference at the 840mg daily dose it tested) PMID: 33724323
  • [40] Qian 2023 J Am Coll Cardiol, 17-cohort pooled biomarker meta-analysis (n=54,799), higher blood/adipose DHA, DPA, EPA+DHA associated with LOWER incident AF; dietary intake is not the risk PMID: 37468189
  • [41] Olshansky 2023 J Am Heart Assoc, REDUCE-IT subgroup analysis, AF risk concentrated in prior-AF patients (12.5% IPE vs 6.3% placebo) with essentially no signal in no-prior-AF patients (2.2% vs 1.6%, NS); CV benefit preserved in both subgroups PMID: 36802845
  • [42] O'Keefe 2024 Prog Cardiovasc Dis, vagal-tone biphasic mechanism review reconciling the supplement-vs-dietary divergence PMID: 39617283
  • [43] Marcus & Link 2024 Circulation, contemporary review "Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Arrhythmias": consolidates the small, significant, dose-dependent incident-AF increase at high dose, reproduced with both icosapent ethyl monotherapy and mixed EPA+DHA; no antiarrhythmic benefit for AF prevention/treatment at supplement doses PMID: 39102482
  • [44] O'Keefe 2025 J Am Heart Assoc, UK Biobank (n=466,169 for supplement use; 261,108 for plasma levels): plasma omega-3 inversely associated with incident AF (HR 0.89 per IQR), and fish-oil-supplement use showed NO association with AF (HR 1.00, 0.97–1.02) once age was adjusted continuously rather than dichotomously (cited for Omega-3 EPA/DHA: this is part of the record on irregular heartbeat risk rather than evidence of benefit, and it found no association between taking a fish oil supplement and atrial fibrillation) PMID: 41368832
  • [45] Parker 2012 J Hepatol, omega-3 and NAFLD systematic review and meta-analysis, 9 studies n=355, pooled liver-fat effect size −0.97 (95% CI −0.58 to −1.35) favouring omega-3, significant in the RCT-only sub-analysis, with significant heterogeneity PMID: 22023985
  • [46] Kim 2025 Clin Nutr, omega-3 and NAFLD meta-analysis of 20 RCTs n=1615 under RoB 2.0: only GGT (WMD −5.38 IU/L) and ultrasound-assessed steatosis (OR 3.83, with publication bias) improved, with NO significant effect on ALT, AST, MRI-measured liver fat, stiffness or histology, and more overall adverse events on omega-3 (cited for Omega-3 EPA/DHA: this review of fatty liver found no change in liver fat on the MRI and blood measures, and the one positive result came from ultrasound studies its authors flag for publication bias) PMID: 40441053
  • [47] Middleton 2018 Cochrane Database Syst Rev, Cochrane review of omega-3 long-chain PUFA in pregnancy, 70 RCTs and 19,927 women: preterm birth before 37 weeks 13.4% vs 11.9% (RR 0.89, 95% CI 0.81-0.97) and early preterm birth before 34 weeks 4.6% vs 2.7% (RR 0.58, 0.44-0.77), both high-quality evidence, with low birthweight also reduced (RR 0.90, 0.82-0.99), while prolonged gestation beyond 42 weeks was probably increased (RR 1.61, 1.11-2.33) PMID: 30480773
  • [48] Makrides 2019 N Engl J Med (ORIP), multicentre double-blind randomised trial, 5,544 pregnancies, 900mg/day n-3 long-chain PUFA from before 20 weeks to 34 weeks: early preterm delivery 2.2% vs 2.0% (adjusted RR 1.13, 95% CI 0.79-1.63, P = 0.50), i.e. NULL on the outcome the pooled Cochrane effect rests on, with more very-large-for-gestational-age infants (aRR 1.30, 1.02-1.65) (cited for Omega-3 EPA/DHA: this large trial gave 900mg a day through pregnancy and found no reduction in early preterm birth, so it does not support the antenatal recommendation on its own) PMID: 31509674
  • [49] Kennedy 2010 Psychopharmacology, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 215 healthy MEN aged 30–55, 33 days. Improved Perceived Stress Scale, GHQ-12 and POMS "vigour" ratings, better performance on the Serial 3s subtraction task, and lower self-rated mental tiredness. THE INTERVENTION WAS BEROCCA®, a B-complex PLUS VITAMIN C PLUS MINERALS, so no result is attributable to the B vitamins alone. Male-only, so it supports no female-specific claim (cited for Vitamin B Complex (Active Forms): this trial gave a product containing B vitamins together with vitamin C and minerals, so its results cannot be attributed to the B vitamins on their own, and it enrolled men only) PMID: 20454891
  • [50] Kawai 2015 Neuropsychopharmacology, a study in RATS: oral glycine increased non-REM sleep, shortened the time to reach it and lowered core temperature, acting on the brain's body clock; seven of its nine authors work for an amino acid manufacturer (cited for Glycine: this study was carried out in rats rather than people, so it shows how glycine may act rather than what it does for a human reader, and seven of its nine authors work for an amino acid manufacturer) PMID: 25533534
  • [51] Thomas 2024 Eur J Nutr, randomised crossover in 13 physically active young men with sleep complaints: 15g collagen peptides (≈2–3g glycine) 1h pre-bed for 7 nights produced NO core-temperature change and no change in sleep latency, quality or efficiency, but DID reduce awakenings (P=0.028) and improve Stroop accuracy (P=0.009); so glycine taken inside collagen protein does not reproduce the temperature drop seen with free glycine in rats, though it was not without effect on sleep (cited for Glycine: this trial used glycine bound in collagen peptides rather than the free glycine recommended here; it found no change in core temperature or in how quickly people fell asleep, though night-time waking fell) PMID: 37874350
  • [52] Sekhar 2021 J Nutr, a single-author REVIEW, not a trial. PubMed publication type "Review", and its own abstract says it "discusses evidence from published rodent studies and human clinical trials", it is the narrative case for GlyNAC in ageing, not a randomised test of it (cited for Glycine: this is a single-author background review of glycine and N-acetylcysteine in ageing rather than a randomised test of them, drawing on rodent studies alongside human trials) PMID: 34587244
  • [53] Nobre 2008 Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, single 50mg dose against placebo (n=16 vs 19) in healthy young participants, greater increase in alpha-band EEG activity with eyes closed, replicated in a second passive-activity study PMID: 18296328
  • [54] Kimura 2007 Biol Psychol, "L-Theanine reduces psychological and physiological stress responses": 12 participants, four counterbalanced double-blind trials each, acute mental-arithmetic stressor. Heart rate and salivary immunoglobulin A responses to the stressor were reduced against placebo, and heart-rate variability attributed this to attenuated sympathetic activation PMID: 16930802
  • [55] Haskell 2008 Biol Psychol, "The effects of L-theanine, caffeine and their combination on cognition and mood": randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, balanced crossover of L-theanine 250mg and caffeine 150mg alone and together. L-THEANINE ALONE WAS NEGATIVE ON COGNITION: it "increased 'headache' ratings and decreased correct serial seven subtractions." The faster reaction times, improved RVIP accuracy and reduced mental fatigue belong to caffeine and to the combination PMID: 18006208
  • [56] Zhang 2022 Pharmacol Res, Bayesian network meta-analysis of 29 randomised trials of medicinal herbs for anxiety across 12 herbs: for L-theanine, MD −0.49 (95% CrI −6.54 to 5.57), "did not outperform a placebo for the treatment of anxiety in terms of statistical certainty" PMID: 35378276
  • [57] Kennedy 2006 Phytother Res, valerian + lemon balm combo (cited for Valerian Root: this trial used a fixed valerian and lemon balm product in single doses, so no part of the result can be attributed to valerian on its own, and it measured anxiety under a laboratory stressor rather than sleep) PMID: 16444660
  • [58] Wankhede 2015 J Int Soc Sports Nutr, testosterone and muscle strength PMID: 26609282
  • [59] Sharma 2018 J Altern Complement Med, ashwagandha root extract 600mg/day for 8 weeks normalised TSH/T3/T4 in subclinical hypothyroid patients (double-blind RCT, n=50) PMID: 28829155
  • [60] Björnsson 2020 Liver Int, ashwagandha-induced liver injury case series (Iceland + US DILIN, n=5): cholestatic/mixed pattern, jaundice + pruritus, latency 2–12 weeks; in these five cases liver tests normalised within 1–5 months and none progressed to hepatic failure, but the wider case literature reviewed since includes one case that ended in liver transplantation, so this benign course is a property of this series and not of the risk (cited for Ashwagandha (KSM-66): this is the safety record behind the liver caution in this report, a case series of liver injury, not evidence of benefit) PMID: 31991029
  • [61] Fatima 2024 Hum Psychopharmacol, systematic review and meta-analysis of 5 RCTs, n=254, of Withania somnifera for anxiety and insomnia: HAM-A MD −5.96 (95% CI −10.34 to −1.59, P=0.008) at I²=98%, with significant improvements in sleep-onset latency, total sleep time, PSQI and sleep efficiency, and null for WASO and time in bed PMID: 39083548
  • [62] Cormio 2011 Urology, L-citrulline erectile dysfunction study, 1.5g/day; single-blind, NOT randomised (sequential placebo then treatment, n=24, indexed as a pilot) PMID: 21195829
  • [63] Figueroa 2016 Br J Nutr, L-citrulline crossover RCT PMID: 27160957
  • [64] Barkhidarian 2019 Avicenna J Phytomed, systematic review and meta-analysis of 8 trials (10 datasets, ages 22–71, 3–9g/day) of L-citrulline on blood pressure: systolic −4.10 mmHg (95% CI −7.94 to −0.26, P=0.037); diastolic not significant overall (−2.08, P=0.069) and significant only at doses ≥6g/day (−2.75 mmHg, P=0.04) PMID: 30788274

Limitations

What this report cannot do

This report is not a substitute for clinical consultation. It does not diagnose medical conditions, replace blood test interpretation by a qualified clinician, or constitute medical advice. All compound selections are based on peer-reviewed evidence but individual response varies, sometimes considerably.

You told us you haven't had recent blood tests. That means the doses here, particularly for Vitamin D3, are set at sensible general-population levels rather than tailored to a measured deficiency. A blood test would let this report (or your GP) be more precise.

This report reflects your profile at the time of completion. It is not a permanent prescription. Goals change, training loads change, and the evidence base evolves. A full review at 6 months, alongside the Week 12 checkpoint above, is a reasonable rhythm.

One last note.
Muscle Building, Stress + Resilience, and Sleep Quality are your top three, and they're more connected than they might look: poor sleep undermines recovery and makes stress harder to carry, and a nervous system that won't switch off makes it harder to fall asleep in the first place. Training five to six days a week on top of a demanding job and a mind that doesn't quiet down easily is a lot to carry at once. Supplements can help at the margins, but the basics still do most of the work: consistent Creatine, a wind-down routine before bed that doesn't involve a screen, and giving each new addition here a few honest weeks before judging it.

"Nothing great, said Epictetus, is produced suddenly, since not even the grape or the fig is."
Epictetus, Discourses, "What philosophy promises"

You've clearly built a serious training habit already, and the fact that you're addressing the sleep and stress side rather than just pushing harder in the gym says a lot. The plan above is built to work with that, not add to the noise in your head at 11pm.

Wishing you well, Tom.
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Distil is not a medical organisation. The recommendations in this report are based on publicly available peer-reviewed research and are intended as general information only. Individual results may vary and are not guaranteed.

Always consult your GP, pharmacist, or appropriate specialist before starting any new supplement, particularly if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to conceive, have a diagnosed medical condition, are taking prescription medication, or have surgery planned. Some compounds may interact with medications or exacerbate certain health conditions.

The inclusion of a compound in this report does not constitute an endorsement of any specific product, brand, or manufacturer. Verify the legal status and safety of any supplement before purchase. Distil accepts no liability for any loss, injury, or damage arising from reliance on the information contained in this report. Use of this report is subject to Distil's Terms and Conditions at distil.health/terms.

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Evidence, not assumptions.
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26 August 2026
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distil.health  ·  Tom  ·  26 August 2026 Evidence, not assumptions.