Glycine

Glycine is very helpful to keep you from waking up in the middle of the night to urinate. It helps calm the nervous system so you do not get over stimulation of feeling the need to urinate at night. (It is also important to modulate your magnesium intake before bed: I suggest to take magnesium at dinner and not too close to bedtime or it does increase urination at nighttime).

Glycine is one of the simplest and most abundant amino acids in the body, but it plays outsized roles in health and wellness. Here’s a breakdown of its key benefits:

🦴 Joint, Skin & Connective Tissue

Glycine is a primary building block of collagen, the protein that makes up cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and skin.
Supports joint flexibility, skin elasticity, and healthy aging.
Works with proline and hydroxyproline to maintain strong connective tissues.

🧠 Brain & Nervous System

Acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain and spinal cord, promoting calm and relaxation.
May help reduce anxiety and hyperexcitability.
Supports cognitive function by modulating NMDA receptors, which are critical for learning and memory.

😴 Sleep Quality

Glycine promotes deeper, more restorative sleep by lowering core body temperature and calming the nervous system.

💪 Metabolic & Muscle Health

Enhances creatine synthesis (along with arginine and methionine), improving strength and exercise performance.
Supports muscle repair and growth when combined with adequate protein.
Plays a role in glutathione production, the body’s master antioxidant.

🩺 Gut & Liver Support

Protects the gut lining, helping reduce intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”).
Promotes liver detoxification by binding to toxic compounds.
Supports bile acid conjugation, aiding in digestion of fats.

❤️ Cardiovascular & Anti-Inflammatory Benefits

May help lower oxidative stress and inflammation, protecting blood vessels.
Improves insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, supporting metabolic health.

Glycine helps build lean muscle mass, boosting mental performance and memory, helping prevent strokes and seizures, protecting skin from signs of aging or cellular mutations, protecting collagen in joints and reducing joint pain, improving flexibility and range of motion, stabilizing blood sugar and lowering risk for type 2 diabetes, improving sleep quality, lowering inflammation and free radical damage by increasing glutathione production, reducing risk for certain types of cancer, building the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, producing bile salts and digestive enzymes, helping reduce allergic and autoimmune reactions, boosting energy levels and fighting fatigue, helping produce red blood cells, fighting the effects of stress and anxiety!