What it is
DSIP stands for delta sleep-inducing peptide. It is a short chain of amino acids (a peptide) that occurs naturally in the body, where it takes part in regulating the sleep-wake cycle. The "delta" refers to delta-wave sleep — the deepest, most restorative stage, named after the slow brain waves seen during it.
This is the nasal version. Instead of mixing a powder and injecting it, you use an atomizer: a small pump bottle that sprays a measured mist into the nose. The bottle holds 10 milligrams in 10 millilitres, and each press delivers 100 micrograms (mcg) — 100 sprays per bottle. There is no powder to mix and no syringe.
Because the spray is absorbed through the lining of the nose, it never passes through the stomach, so you do not need an empty stomach to take it.
The background, benefits, and safety information below is the same as for the DSIP injection on this site, with the injection-specific parts removed.
DSIP is an endogenous nonapeptide implicated in sleep-wake regulation and named for its association with delta-wave (slow-wave) sleep. Its mechanism is not fully characterised; the described action is on the central nervous system, with the hypothalamus as the proposed principal site.
Presentation here: 10 mg in a 10 mL atomizer, 1 mg/mL, 100 mcg per actuation, 100 actuations per bottle. No reconstitution. Intranasal delivery bypasses the gastrointestinal tract and first-pass hepatic metabolism, and gives access to nose-to-brain transport along olfactory and trigeminal pathways.
Stated onset is 20–120 minutes — a wide and notably variable window, and considerably less predictable than the 15–40 minute onsets quoted for other atomizers on this site.
The pharmacology, benefit set, adverse effect list, and interaction profile below are compound-level and shared with the DSIP injectable entry on this site. Two items are load-bearing enough to restate here: DSIP is degraded in blood by aminopeptidases, which is the basis of the stated ACE inhibitor exclusion, and it interacts with the opioid system with its effects blocked by naloxone.
What it does
The main use is sleep. DSIP is taken for sleep disorders such as insomnia and for disruptions to the body clock. It shortens the time it takes to fall asleep and lengthens total sleep.
Beyond sleep, the research covers pain relief in severe long-running pain, a large increase in resistance to sudden emotional stress, antioxidant and anti-seizure effects, better odds after a stroke caused by a blocked blood vessel, improved spatial memory, and reduced depression. It may correct an abnormal heart rhythm, often lowers blood pressure, lowers the risk of tumour growth, improves vision in people with diabetes who have eye complications, and is frequently used in helping people come off opioids.
That description is carried from the DSIP injection page on this site; the nasal page itself does not describe any effects.
What the nasal page does tell you is about timing, and it is unusually vague: onset is anywhere from 20 minutes to two hours. That is a wide window for something taken before bed, and it is a reason to take it at the earlier end of the 30-to-60-minute pre-bed range rather than the later one.
Pharmacologically identical to the injectable, and the description here matches the injectable entry on this site.
Primary application is sleep: reduced sleep latency, increased total sleep duration, and induction of sleep in insomnia and circadian disruption. Alongside that: analgesia in chronic pronounced pain, significantly increased resistance to acute emotional stress, powerful antioxidant activity, anti-epileptic properties, improved survival following cerebral ischaemia, improved spatial memory, reduction in depression, potential arrhythmia correction, frequent blood pressure reduction, improved cardiac blood flow, reduced tumour growth risk, chemotherapy adjunct effect, improved vision in diabetic ophthalmic complications, and use in opioid detoxification.
What the route changes is kinetics, not pharmacology — but here that change is substantial. Stated onset is 20–120 minutes, a sixfold spread. Against the injectable's fixed 30–60 minute pre-bed administration, that variability makes timing genuinely harder rather than easier, which is the opposite of the usual intranasal advantage. What drives the spread has not been characterised; nasal congestion, technique, and mucociliary clearance are the generic candidates.
Benefits
Evidence grades: what the labels mean
- Human trials Supported by randomised or placebo-controlled human trials.
- Limited human data Some human evidence, such as pilot studies, case reports or observational data, but no controlled trials.
- Animal or lab only Shown in animal or cell studies only; not yet tested in people.
- Anecdotal No published studies; based on user reports or theory.
Each grade reflects the strongest published support for that specific claim, not for the compound as a whole.
- Shortens the time it takes to fall asleep.Human trials
- Lengthens total sleep time.Human trials
- Brings on sleep in people with insomnia or other sleep disorders.Human trials
- Helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle and may help with body-clock disruption.Limited human data
- Encourages delta-wave sleep, the deep and restorative stage.Limited human data
- Lowers pain levels in people dealing with severe, long-running pain.Limited human data
- Significantly increases resistance to sudden emotional stress.Animal or lab only
- Is a powerful antioxidant.Animal or lab only
- Has anti-seizure properties.Animal or lab only
- Improves the chance of surviving a stroke caused by a blocked blood vessel.Animal or lab only
- Improves spatial memory — the sense of where things are and how to navigate.Animal or lab only
- Reduces depression.Animal or lab only
- May help correct an abnormal heart rhythm.Animal or lab only
- Often reduces blood pressure.Animal or lab only
- Improves blood flow by acting directly on how the heart works.Animal or lab only
- Lowers the risk of tumour growth.Animal or lab only
- Can strengthen the effects of chemotherapy drugs while reducing their unwanted side effects.Animal or lab only
- Improves vision in people with diabetes who have eye complications.Anecdotal
- Is frequently used in helping people come off opioids.Limited human data
- No injection is involved, and it does not need to be taken on an empty stomach because the spray never reaches the digestive system.Anecdotal
- Every item above except the last is shared with the DSIP injection on this site; no benefits specific to the nasal route have been documented.Anecdotal
- Reduced sleep latency.Human trials
- Increased total sleep duration.Human trials
- Sleep induction in insomnia and other sleep disorders.Human trials
- Regulation of sleep-wake cycling; application in circadian rhythm disruption.Limited human data
- Promotion of delta-wave (slow-wave) sleep.Limited human data
- Analgesia in chronic, pronounced pain episodes.Limited human data
- Significantly increased resistance to acute emotional stress.Animal or lab only
- Powerful antioxidant activity.Animal or lab only
- Anti-epileptic properties.Animal or lab only
- Improved survival following cerebral ischaemia.Animal or lab only
- Improved spatial memory.Animal or lab only
- Reduction in depression.Animal or lab only
- Potential correction of cardiac arrhythmia.Animal or lab only
- Frequent reduction in blood pressure.Animal or lab only
- Improved blood flow via direct action on cardiac function.Animal or lab only
- Reduced risk of tumour growth.Animal or lab only
- Enhancement of chemotherapeutic efficacy with reduction in associated adverse effects.Animal or lab only
- Improved vision in diabetic patients with ophthalmic complications.Anecdotal
- Frequent use in opioid detoxification; under study for alcohol and opioid withdrawal.Limited human data
- Bypasses the gastrointestinal tract and first-pass metabolism; no fasted-state requirement, no reconstitution, 100 mcg titration steps.Anecdotal
- All but the final item are compound-level and shared with the DSIP injectable entry on this site; no route-specific benefits are documented.Anecdotal
Reconstitution and dosing
There is no mixing to do. The bottle already holds the liquid: 10 milligrams of peptide in 10 millilitres, and every press of the pump delivers 100 micrograms (mcg). That gives 100 sprays per bottle.
Split each dose between both nostrils as far as you can. Four sprays means two in each nostril, not four in the same one. Splitting spreads the liquid over more of the nose lining, less of it runs down the throat and gets swallowed, and absorption is steadier — at any moment one nostril is usually more blocked than the other, and using both evens that out.
Technique matters a great deal. Do not tilt your head back. Tip your head forward, angle the atomizer towards the outside of your nose — roughly towards the outer corner of your eye on that side — then sniff gently as you spray.
Take 1 to 5 sprays, which is 100 to 500 mcg, 30 to 60 minutes before bed. You do not need an empty stomach. Keep the atomizer in the fridge after use.
Onset is 20 minutes to two hours. That is a wide window, and worth planning around: at the slow end, a dose taken 30 minutes before bed will not have taken effect until well after you lie down. Do not take a second dose because the first seems slow.
No cycle length has been established. Where that is the case, the advice is to dose as conservatively as possible, and to consider 2 to 4 week cycles with 1 to 2 weeks off.
Note the difference from the injection page on this site, which gives an 8 to 12 week cycle. Do not carry one route's cycle onto the other.
No reconstitution. Presentation is 10 mg in a 10 mL atomizer, 1 mg/mL, 100 mcg per actuation, 100 actuations per bottle — the dispense rate and actuation count are internally consistent with the stated fill.
Split every dose between both nostrils. This increases exposed mucosal surface area, reduces runoff into the pharynx and loss to swallowing, and compensates for the nasal cycle, where congestion and mucus make one nostril less absorptive than the other at any given time.
Technique, as specified: head tipped forward, never back; atomizer angled laterally towards the outer canthus on the same side; gentle sniff on actuation. Head-back positioning directs solution to the pharynx rather than the olfactory and respiratory mucosa.
Dose: 100–500 mcg (1–5 actuations) 30–60 minutes before sleep, titrated in 100 mcg steps. Fasting not required. Storage: refrigerate the atomizer after use.
Onset 20–120 minutes. The spread exceeds the administration-to-sleep interval, so a slow-onset dose lands after intended sleep onset. This is the practical argument against redosing within a night, and against treating the spray as the more predictable of the two DSIP routes despite the faster nominal floor.
Cycle: not established. The general principle where no cycle exists is to dose as conservatively as possible; 2–4 week cycles with 1–2 week washouts are suggested. Contrast the injectable page's 8–12 weeks with a 4–8 week washout; the two have not been reconciled, and the conservative reading governs here.
10 mg in 10 mL atomizer — 100 mcg per spray (100 sprays per bottle)
Cycle: Not established; consider 2–4 week cycles with a 1–2 week washout, and dosing as conservatively as possible · Frequency: 1×/day, 30–60 minutes before bedtime
| When | Dose | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Before bed | 1–5 sprays (100–500 mcg) per dose | 1×/day |
Who should avoid it
- The nasal page itself names no one and lists no interactions. Everything below is carried from the DSIP injection page on this site, because it applies to the compound rather than to the route.
- Anyone pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Anyone taking an **ACE inhibitor** — a common class of blood pressure drug, with names usually ending in "-pril", such as captopril, lisinopril, or ramipril. This is unambiguous: do not use DSIP if you are taking one. DSIP is broken down in the blood by enzymes called aminopeptidases, and ACE inhibitors interfere with those enzymes, which could disturb how DSIP is cleared.
- Anyone with a severe psychiatric condition should not use DSIP.
- Anyone with a personal history of cancer. Some experts advise against it, because DSIP may influence growth hormone.
- Take great care with anything that slows down the central nervous system — the brain and spinal cord. Combining DSIP with a **CNS depressant** can increase the risk of excessive drowsiness and other nervous-system side effects. That covers alcohol, prescription sedatives, sleeping pills, and street drugs, and the combination may lead to over-sedation, meaning far more sedation than intended.
- Take great care with anything else that acts on GABA, the body's main calming brain signal. Melatonin and magnesium are two examples, and they should be combined with DSIP only with extreme caution because of the over-sedation risk. This matters more here than on the injection page, because a bedtime spray is exactly the thing people add to an existing bedtime routine.
- Take care with amphetamine. DSIP can alter the effects amphetamine has on movement, and combining the two can produce a paradoxical result — sleepiness rather than stimulation.
- One interaction worth knowing about rather than avoiding: DSIP acts on the opioid system, and its effects can be blocked by naloxone, a drug that reverses opioids.
- Also worth knowing: nasal sprays are absorbed through the lining of the nose, so an existing nasal problem — heavy congestion, recent nasal surgery, frequent nosebleeds — is worth raising with a doctor first.
- Talk to a doctor before starting, and go through your full medication list with them.
- Every item below is shared with the DSIP injectable entry on this site, as compound-level rather than route-level.
- Pregnancy and lactation: contraindicated.
- ACE inhibitor therapy: a stated hard exclusion. DSIP is degraded in blood by aminopeptidases, and agents interfering with those enzymes — captopril is one — could interfere with its metabolism.
- Severe psychiatric conditions: stated as should not use.
- Personal history of cancer: some experts advise against use on the basis of potential influence on growth hormone, notwithstanding the stated anti-tumour signals.
- CNS depressants: increased risk of excessive drowsiness and neurological adverse effects; prescription sedatives or recreational drugs alongside DSIP may produce over-sedation.
- GABAergic agents: DSIP affects GABA activity, so additive load with melatonin, magnesium, or comparable agents carries an over-sedation risk requiring extreme caution. Route-relevant: a pre-bed atomizer is the most likely of the DSIP presentations to be layered onto an existing sleep-aid regimen.
- Amphetamine: DSIP alters amphetamine's locomotor effects; the combination can produce paradoxical sedation.
- Opioid antagonists: effects blocked by naloxone — an efficacy consideration rather than a safety exclusion.
- Route-specific, and not formally documented: intranasal absorption depends on mucosal integrity, so nasal pathology, recent sinonasal surgery, or epistaxis history warrant consideration.
- Route-specific reading of the onset window: 20–120 minutes against a fixed 30–60 minute pre-bed administration means a proportion of doses will take effect well after the intended sleep onset. Redosing to compensate compounds the sedative interactions above.
Side effects
- Side effects are extremely rare. The ones below are shared with the DSIP injection on this site.
- Headache.
- Low blood pressure. Note that blood pressure reduction is also listed as a benefit — the same effect, unwanted if it goes too far.
- Dizziness.
- Ringing in the ears.
- Sweating.
- Vomiting.
- The injection site reactions relevant to the injected form do not apply to this route.
- Not specifically documented for DSIP: stinging, dryness, a runny nose, or a taste at the back of the throat are common with nasal sprays generally.
- Adverse effects are described as extremely rare; the set below is carried from the DSIP injectable page on this site, the nasal page carrying none.
- Headache.
- Hypotension — the same pharmacology as the stated blood-pressure-lowering benefit, adverse at the extreme.
- Dizziness.
- Tinnitus.
- Sweating.
- Vomiting.
- Injection site reactions do not apply to this route.
- Not specifically documented for DSIP: local intranasal tolerance effects — mucosal irritation, rhinorrhoea, posterior nasal drip and associated taste — are generic to the route.
User reports
User reports are individual experiences submitted by site visitors. They are not medical advice, are not verified for accuracy, and do not reflect Amino Reference's views. Read the evidence section above and talk to a clinician. Full disclaimer.
Stacking
The same compound as an injection, and it shares most of the information here. It is the alternative route rather than a partner — if both are used, add up the total taken in a day.
Same compound, subcutaneous route, 5 mg vial in 2.5 mL, 100–700 mcg titrated once daily pre-bed. Duplicative rather than complementary; count total daily exposure. It shares the pharmacology, benefit set, adverse effects, and interaction profile on this page, but its cycle guidance differs substantially.
- Melatonin, magnesium, and other GABA-related sleep aids
A combination to approach with extreme caution rather than one to reach for. DSIP affects GABA, the brain's main calming signal, and so do these — together they can leave you far more sedated than intended. A bedtime spray is easy to add to an existing bedtime routine without thinking about it, which is exactly the risk.
Named in the DSIP interaction profile as a caution, not a recommendation: additive GABAergic load carries an over-sedation risk. Listed here because a pre-bed atomizer is the presentation most likely to be layered onto an existing melatonin or magnesium regimen without deliberate review.
- No stacks are suggested
The nasal DSIP page has no stacking section at all, and the injection page's only combination content is warnings. The entries above reflect that.
No stacking section exists on either DSIP page; the injectable page's only combination content is a uniformly cautionary interaction list. The entries above are cross-references and warnings, not endorsed combinations.
Dosing figures have been reviewed and units are recomputed from the stated protocol.