I have not had any sleep issues from NAC that I am aware of. I have tinkered with the pre-bed stack over the years, and this one seems well suited (for me). Some studies suggest that NAC promotes better sleep, and that is why I originally included it.
I understand that supplementing with NAC assists in replenishing glutathione levels, and NAC influences neurotransmitters crucial for regulating sleep. Apparently, an important role of NAC is modulation of glutamate levels in the brain (glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter, meaning it keeps your brain active and alert). By regulating glutamate, NAC helps balance the excitatory and inhibitory signals in the brain, theoretically helping you relax and creating a more conducive environment for sleep. NAC’s antioxidant properties help combat oxidative stress, which has been linked to insomnia.
The suppression of glutamate promotes a conversion to GABA, which can also help sleep. GABA acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter and blocks messages between brain cells - meaning it reduces brain activity to calm the central nervous system. I also supplement witha small amount of GABA, but I believe I am unusually sensitive to it (I started by only taking 500 mg, even though many suggest up to 3000 Mg). When I initially started with larger doses, I got intermittent brief shortness of breath. My reaction to GABA may be lessening, because I have recently been (very slowly) increasing the dose - and am now closer to 750 mg and 900 mg.
