My Epithalon Results After 3 Months (With Numbers)
So I'm sitting in my home office at 11:47 PM on a Tuesday in March 2024, and I can't sleep. Again. This is night four of lying awake, brain racing, checking my phone every twenty minutes. My Oura ring says my average sleep score for the week is 61. At 37 years old, I'm supposed to be past the "party all night" phase, but here I am, exhausted but wired.
The weird part? I'm doing everything "right." Magnesium glycinate before bed. No screens after 9 PM. Room at 67 degrees. I'd already tried DSIP for sleep with mixed results. But my sleep quality kept declining, and I kept reading about this peptide called Epithalon that supposedly helps with pineal gland function and circadian rhythm.
I'd burned $340 on various sleep supplements in the past six months. Epithalon felt like a Hail Mary, but I was desperate enough to try it.
TL;DR: I ran Epithalon at 10mg per cycle (split into 1mg daily doses for 10 days) for three cycles over 3 months. Sleep quality improved noticeably by week 5, with my Oura sleep score climbing from low 60s to consistent mid-70s. Recovery metrics improved slightly. Subjective "aging" markers like skin and energy were harder to measure. Would I do it again? Yes, but with more realistic expectations about what it can and can't do.
What Actually Is Epithalon (And Why I Tried It)
Epithalon is a synthetic version of epithalamin, a peptide your pineal gland naturally produces. The pineal gland is this tiny pine-cone-shaped thing in your brain that regulates melatonin and your sleep-wake cycle. The theory—backed by some Russian research from the '90s and early 2000s—is that epithalon can help regulate circadian rhythms, potentially support telomere length, and basically help your cells not age as fast.
I'm not a medical professional, this is just my personal experience. Always talk to your doctor before trying anything new.
The research is honestly pretty limited. Most studies were done on animals or older populations in Russia. But I'd already gone down the peptide rabbit hole with BPC-157 and TB-500 for a shoulder injury at 35, so I wasn't scared of the subcutaneous injection part. After reading like 30 papers and forum posts from people who'd tried it, I decided the risk-reward was worth testing.
I bought 50mg total from a research peptide supplier I'd used before—$180 including shipping. Five vials of 10mg each. The plan was to run three 10-day cycles over three months, with about 20-25 days between cycles. That's the protocol I saw most commonly recommended.
The First Cycle: Days 1-10 (April 2024)
My first injection was on April 3rd, 2024. I remember because it was the day after my daughter's birthday party, and I was running on four hours of sleep and three cups of coffee. I reconstituted the first 10mg vial with 1mL of bacteriostatic water in my bathroom at 7:15 AM. The powder dissolved clear. I drew up 0.1mL (1mg) and injected subcutaneously into my abdomen, about two inches left of my navel.
Slight sting. Nothing dramatic. I went about my day.
Days 1-3: Absolutely nothing noticeable. My Oura sleep scores were 63, 58, 67. No changes in energy, mood, or how I felt. I honestly started thinking I'd wasted money again.
Day 4: I woke up at 6:30 AM without an alarm. This almost never happens. I usually need two alarms and ten minutes of negotiating with myself. My sleep score was 71—not amazing, but better. Could've been placebo. Could've been I finally relaxed about something at work.
Days 5-7: Sleep scores stayed in the high 60s to low 70s. I wasn't waking up at 3 AM anymore, which had been happening 3-4 times per week. But I also changed nothing else, so I couldn't say for sure it was the epithalon.
Days 8-10: Finished the first cycle. Average sleep score for those three days: 73. My resting heart rate during sleep dropped from an average of 58 bpm to 54 bpm. HRV (heart rate variability) went from averaging 42ms to 51ms. Those numbers meant my nervous system was less stressed during sleep.
I felt... cautiously optimistic? But also skeptical. Ten days isn't long enough to conclude anything.
The Waiting Period: Days 11-35
I stopped injections after day 10 and waited about 25 days before the next cycle. This is where it got interesting.
Week 2 off (days 11-17): Sleep stayed pretty good. Average score around 70. I was falling asleep faster—usually within 15-20 minutes instead of 45+ minutes. My wife even commented that I seemed "less anxious at night," which was weirdly specific but accurate.
Week 3 off (days 18-24): Sleep started declining again. Scores dropped back to mid-60s. I had two nights where I woke up at 2 AM and couldn't fall back asleep. The old pattern creeping back.
Week 4 off (days 25-35): By day 30, I was back to baseline. Sleep scores in the low 60s. Waking up tired. Reaching for coffee by 10 AM. It felt like whatever benefit I'd gotten was fading.
This actually made me more confident the first cycle wasn't just placebo. If it was all in my head, why would the effect wear off so predictably?
The Second Cycle: Days 36-45 (May 2024)
Started the second 10mg vial on May 8th. Same protocol: 1mg daily, subcutaneous injections, rotating sites between abdomen and upper thigh.
This time, the effects kicked in faster. By day 3 of the second cycle (day 38 overall), my sleep score hit 76. By day 5, I had three consecutive nights of 75+ scores. I wasn't just sleeping longer—I was getting more deep sleep. My Oura showed deep sleep increasing from an average of 58 minutes to 1 hour 24 minutes.
Energy-wise, I noticed I wasn't crashing at 2 PM anymore. I used to need a 20-minute power nap or I'd be useless. During cycle two, I could push through without caffeine after noon. Subtle, but real.
One weird thing: I got a small headache on day 7 of this cycle. Dull, behind my eyes, lasted maybe four hours. I'd read that some people experience that with epitalon peptides, possibly from changes in melatonin regulation. Drank more water, took some magnesium, it passed. Didn't happen again.
By the end of cycle two (day 45), my average sleep score for the 10-day period was 74.3. Resting heart rate averaged 53 bpm. HRV averaged 54ms. Measurable improvements from baseline.
Second Break and Third Cycle: Days 46-80
I waited another 20 days between cycles two and three. Same pattern as before: benefits held for about two weeks, then gradually declined back toward baseline by week three.
Third cycle started on June 3rd. By this point, I'd been tracking everything obsessively in a spreadsheet. Sleep scores, HRV, resting heart rate, subjective energy levels (1-10 scale), how many times I woke up per night, total sleep time, deep sleep minutes—all of it.
Third cycle was the most consistent. Every single night scored 72 or higher. Three nights hit 80+, which I hadn't seen in probably two years. Deep sleep averaged 1 hour 31 minutes. I felt genuinely rested most mornings.
I also started noticing recovery improvements. I lift weights three times per week—basic compound movements, nothing crazy. But my soreness after leg day, which usually lingered for three days, was gone in two. My grip strength (I test it with a hand dynamometer because I'm a nerd) went from averaging 48kg to 52kg. Small, but measurable.
What About the "Anti-Aging" Claims?
Here's where I have to be honest: I have no idea if epithalon did anything for telomere length or cellular aging. Those aren't things you can measure without expensive lab work, and even then, the changes would be tiny and long-term.
Did my skin look better? My wife said I looked "less tired," but that could be because I was actually sleeping. I didn't sprout new hair or lose wrinkles. I'm 38, not 58, so maybe I wouldn't notice those changes anyway.
Some people report better vision or cognitive clarity on epithalon. I didn't notice that. My focus was maybe slightly better, but that could easily be attributed to better sleep. Sleep fixes a lot of things.
The one thing I will say: I felt like my body was recovering faster. Not just from workouts, but from stress in general. I got sick with a cold in late May, and I bounced back in four days instead of my usual week-long slog. Could be coincidence. Could be Selank-style immune support from better sleep. Hard to say.
The Actual Numbers: Before vs. After
Sleep Metrics (30-day average before vs. final 30 days of experiment):
Recovery Metrics:
Bloodwork (before and after, 90 days apart):
The cortisol drop was interesting. Lower cortisol usually means better stress management and sleep quality, which tracked with my subjective experience.
What I'd Do Differently Next Time
If I run epithalon again—and I probably will—I'd make a few changes:
1. Longer breaks between cycles. I did 20-25 days between cycles. Some people recommend 30-60 days to avoid desensitization. I might try 45 days next time.
2. Pair it with Pinealon. Pinealon is another peptide that targets the pineal gland and brain function. I've read that stacking them might enhance the circadian rhythm benefits, though I haven't tried it yet.
3. Track more subjective recovery markers. I focused heavily on sleep data because it's easy to measure. But I wish I'd tracked things like mood, stress tolerance, and cognitive performance more systematically. Daily journaling or a simple 1-10 rating system would help.
4. Don't expect miracles. Epithalon isn't a magic bullet. It's not going to reverse 20 years of aging in three months. But for sleep quality and recovery? It's one of the more effective things I've tried.
Side Effects and Downsides
I didn't experience any major side effects, but here's what I did notice:
This is what worked for ME, your results may vary. Always talk to your doctor before trying anything new, especially peptides.
Who Should (and Shouldn't) Try Epithalon
Consider trying it if:
Skip it if:
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take for Epithalon to work?
In my experience, I noticed subtle improvements in sleep quality around day 4-5 of the first cycle, with more consistent benefits by day 7-10. Some people report faster results, others take longer. Give it at least one full 10-day cycle before deciding if it's working.
What's the best Epithalon dosage for sleep and recovery?
I used epithalon 10mg per cycle, split into 1mg daily doses for 10 days. This is the most commonly recommended protocol. Some people go higher (2mg daily), but I didn't see a reason to increase from 1mg since I was getting good results. Start conservative.
Do the benefits of Epithalon last after you stop?
In my case, benefits held for about 2-3 weeks after stopping each cycle, then gradually declined back toward baseline. This suggests you need to run periodic cycles to maintain the effects. I'm planning to do 3-4 cycles per year rather than continuous use.
Is Epithalon the same as Epitalon?
Yes, epitalon and epithalon are the same peptide, just different transliterations from the Russian "эпиталон." You'll see both spellings used interchangeably. Some suppliers also call it "epithalamin peptide," though technically epithalamin is the natural version and epitalon/epithalon is the synthetic version.
Final Thoughts: Was It Worth It?
It's June 28th, 2024. I'm back in my home office, but this time it's 10:30 PM and I'm winding down for bed. My Oura ring says my average sleep score this week is 76. I'll probably fall asleep by 11 PM and wake up around 6:30 AM without an alarm.
Three months ago, I was lying awake at midnight, desperate and frustrated, willing to try anything. Epithalon wasn't a miracle cure, but it genuinely helped. My sleep quality is measurably better. My recovery is faster. I feel more resilient to stress.
Would I recommend it? If you're in your mid-to-late 30s or older, struggling with sleep quality or recovery despite doing the basics right, and you're comfortable with peptides—yes, it's worth trying. Just manage your expectations. You're not going to look 25 again or suddenly become superhuman.
But for better sleep and feeling like your body isn't fighting you every day? For me, it was worth the $180 and three months of tracking. I'll run it again later this year.
I'm not a medical professional, this is just my personal experience. Always talk to your doctor before trying anything new. This is what worked for ME, your results may vary.