Collagen is best known as the protein that gives structure and elasticity to your skin and other tissues. Most people take collagen for the beauty benefits — like younger-looking skin and stronger, healthier hair. But could it also help you sleep?

It’s called “beauty sleep” for a reason!

Getting a good night’s rest is super-important for your health and mental well-being — and yes, your beauty. During sleep, your body goes into repair mode. It increases blood flow to your skin and scalp, and it increases cell turnover, helping to replenish your hair and refresh your complexion. Deep sleep is also when your skin builds new collagen and repairs itself from damage that can prematurely age you.1

When we don’t get good quality sleep, we miss out on this nightly renewal — and sooner or later, it shows. We may notice a duller complexion, dark circles under the eyes, or more fine lines in the skin.

You can take collagen to help boost your collagen levels and improve your skin’s appearance.2 But it turns out that collagen may also help you get better sleep.

The secret ingredient in collagen that could improve your sleep

Collagen is made up of amino acids – the building blocks of protein that your body uses to build firm, flexible tissues. But amino acids can have other roles in the body as well. Collagen is especially rich in glycine. Not only is glycine an amino acid, but it also doubles as a neurotransmitter that influences your brain activity, mood, and sleep.

Glycine helps you sleep in two ways. It assists your body in making serotonin, a precursor for the sleep hormone melatonin. And it helps you fall asleep and transition into deeper sleep by triggering a drop in core body temperature, an important part of normal sleep rhythms.

Research shows that taking glycine before bed can help improve sleep quality, making it easier to fall asleep and transition into deep, restorative sleep. As a result, it helps you feel more refreshed and alert the next day.3,4,5

The best-tasting way to encourage restful sleep

Taking your collagen at night can help give you that extra boost of glycine before bed. Try JBA’s Collagen-B Mocktail for a fun nightcap with beauty benefits, or sip on Harmony Hot Cacao with collagen for a nurturing nighttime ritual to help ease you into beauty sleep.* We’re all about making self-care delicious!

* This product has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Reference links

1. Jacob, Stephanie. The Truth about Beauty Sleep. Radiance by WebMD. 2015.
2. Choi FD, Sung CT, Juhasz ML, Mesinkovsk NA. Oral Collagen Supplementation: A Systematic Review of Dermatological Applications. J Drugs Dermatol. 2019 Jan 1;18(1):9-16. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30681787/
3. Kawai N, et al. The sleep-promoting and hypothermic effects of glycine are mediated by NMDA receptors in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2015;40:6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25533534/
4. Yamadera W, Inagawa K, Chiba S, et al. Glycine ingestion improves subjective sleep quality in human volunteers, correlating with polysomnographic changes. Sleep and Biological Rhythms. 2007;5:126-131. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1479-8425.2007.00262.x
5. Bannai M, Kawai N, Ono K, et al. The effects of glycine on subjective daytime performance in partially sleep-restricted healthy volunteers. Front Neurol. 2012 Apr 18;3:61. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22529837/