Cellucor P6 PM – Nighttime Sleep Supplement

Cellucor P6 PM

Cellucor P6 PM combines the brand’s testosterone boosting line of products with a whole host of sleep aids to maximize recovery.

Last month, we went in depth on one of Cellucor’s many iterations of their popular anabolic agent and test booster, P6, when we showcased P6 Chrome. As we previewed in that same post, Cellucor had two other options in the works.

Details have emerged on the latest iteration — P6 PM — and we’ve got the full breakdown below.

The quick bullet points:

  • The good news is that this has several ingredients that are covered in depth in our best sleep aid guide.

  • The bad news is that there isn’t much of anything here to actually boost testosterone levels, except maybe the ZMA for those who are zinc-deficient.

As such, we consider this more of a great sleep aid, but aren’t going to put much credence into any “testosterone support” claims, depending on your diet. Because of that, we’ve put it into our Sleeping Pills category on PricePlow.

Before we get to the ingredients, take a second to check the best deal and sign up for alerts from PricePlow:

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P6 PM Ingredients

Rest and recovery are two key ingredients every athlete and bodybuilder needs, but sadly doesn’t get enough. The body secretes its highest levels of anabolic hormones while we sleep[1].

Testosterone is the body’s primary anabolic hormone essential for muscle-building, strength, and virility. Research has proven that the amount of sleep you get each night is directly correlated to the amount of testosterone you have in your body.[2,3]

Lack of sleep directly affects your body’s production of testosterone as well as its ability to recover and get stronger. While most test boosters focus solely on performance, P6 PM shifts its focus from training to the oft-neglected recovery time during sleep.

P6 PM utilizes a proprietary blend of ingredients to help you relax and achieve a deeper, more productive night’s rest:

  • P6 PM Blend (855mg)

    • Tribulus Terrestris

      Cellucor P6 PM Ingredients

      P6 PM uses a combination of ingredients that’s heavy on proven sleep aids, but may be a little light on test boosters.

      P6 PM gets things rolling with an ingredient commonly seen in many testosterone boosters, Tribulus Terrestris, a.k.a. Devil’s Weed. This herb has long been used in Ayurvedic medicine for improving male virility and vitality.

      The key component to Trib’s effects lie in its saponins. While we don’t know what they’re extracting for, tribulus has been shown to increase male libido and performance[4,5,6] even though it doesn’t do much for increasing testosterone levels.[7,8,9]

      Not a good start to a “testosterone booster”

      Note that we normally consider it a red flag when we see a “testosterone booster” that has a proprietary blend that begins with tribulus terrestris. Not only do we know that this doesn’t boost test, but we now also don’t know what doses are to follow here.

      On the other hand, we know that ZMA and the other ingredients are great for sleep, so let’s keep going with that in mind:

    • Suntheanine

      Suntheanine is a patented, ultra-pure form of the amino acid, L-Theanine. So many times, guys have trouble falling asleep because they just can’t let go and relax after a stressful day at work.

      L-Theanine will help individuals relax and mellow out without feeling drowsy. [11,12] Additionally, it helps to reduce high blood pressure and anxiety,[13] which also contributes to many individual’s inability to get a good night’s sleep.

      L-Theanine has also been shown to enhance alpha wave activity in the brain[21], which will get into more a little further down.

    • Passion Flower Extract

      Passion Flower has traditionally been used throughout North and South America for treating a number of conditions including hysteria and insomnia. Research shows that it’s beneficial in reducing anxiety and stress.[16] It’s thought to help improve these conditions by stimulating the production of GABA in the body.[14,15]

    • GABA

      GABA counters glutamate, one of your “upper” neurotransmitters.

      GABA counters glutamate, one of your “upper” neurotransmitters.

      GABA is the potent “downer” neurotransmitter in the brain that is involved in many sleep mechanisms including REM sleep, dreaming, and even waking up.[17,18] Some pretty interesting research has shown that supplemental GABA increases alpha waves in the brain and decreases beta waves.[19]

      Why is this good?

      Alpha waves are the “deep” relaxation waves in the brain, while beta waves are the “awake/conscious” waves. This has led to the conclusion that GABA is a great natural relaxant for men and best taken within one hour of bed.[20]

    • Melatonin

      Any sleep formula worth its salt has to have melatonin in it. This is a natural hormone that helps regulate sleep and supplementation with it has actually been shown to improve the overall quality of your sleep.[22,23,24]

      Doses used in the studies have ranged from 0.5mg to 10mg, all successful, with the best results being between 2-3mg.[25,26] However, seeing as this is part of the prop blend in P6 PM, we’re not entirely sure how much is actually in here. It could be 1mg or 5mg or 20mg, we just have no clue.

  • ZMA

    ZMA is a trademarked blends quite often seen as part of sleep and recovery formulas. It’s composed of Vitamin B6 (10.5mg), Magnesium Aspartate (450mg), and Zinc Methionine and Aspartate (30 mg).

    Vitamin B6 is one of the essential vitamins the body needs for proper energy metabolism and also improves your mood by increasing serotonin production.[27] It may also lead to some incredibly vivid dreams that are often reported when taking ZMA. (Combine that with the libido boost from the tribulus and you might have some fun dreams, too!)

    Zinc is an essential mineral that can boost T-levels, if you’re deficient in it. Having a zinc deficiency means less active androgen receptors and lower production of testosterone overall.[28,29] Bodybuilders and athletes are particularly susceptible to this due to the fact that zinc is lost through sweat.

    As far as Magnesium, we’ve explained in great detail about magnesium supplements and sleep aids, and why magnesium is vital for overall health We also cover which is the best form to buy based on your needs

    Read those posts for more information, but know that we’re big “M” fans and most, if not all, don’t get nearly enough in our diets.

Dosing

Cellucor P6 PM Banner

Many people put in the work in the weight room, but don’t do the “work” required to rest. P6 PM helps take care of the oft-neglected REST aspect to training.

Take one serving (4 capsules) daily, preferably on an empty stomach 30-60 minutes before bedtime. For best results, avoid taking with dairy or other calcium-containing foods or supplements.

Magnesium and calcium are both involved in bone formation and metabolism. These two minerals are absorbed by the same metabolic pathway in the body, and when taken together, their absorption is greatly impaired.[30]

DO NOT EXCEED 4 CAPSULES PER DAY. USE ONLY AS DIRECTED

Takeaway

Most guys are willing to put the work in through diligent weight training and nutrition, but often slack on the third element in the trifecta of muscle-building, REST. Cellucor’s newest P6 incarnation helps you cover that all important base to make sure no gains are left behind.

P6 PM contains several proven ingredients to help you power down and shut off your ever busy brain at night. Give it a shot tonight and see if you not only sleep deeper and better, but also wake up in a better state of mind! Just don’t expect monstrous rises in testosterone levels.

Cellucor P6 PM – Deals and Price Drop Alerts

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Disclosure: PricePlow relies on pricing from stores with which we have a business relationship. We work hard to keep pricing current, but you may find a better offer.

Posts are sponsored in part by the retailers and/or brands listed on this page.

The rest of the P6 Family:

There are now six versions of P6 out there on the market, but a few have been discontinued or are only at GNC. We break them down below:

  • P6 Extreme (the former P6 Red)
  • P6 (the new P6 Red, currently at GNC)
  • P6 Black (labeled as P6 Extreme Black, adds a nootropic edge)
  • P6 Chrome (the latest September 2015 version)
  • P6 PM (you are here)
  • P6 Xtreme (label looks like P6X, another new one coming soon)

About the Author: Mike Roberto

Mike Roberto

Mike Roberto is a research scientist and water sports athlete who founded PricePlow. He is an n=1 diet experimenter with extensive experience in supplementation and dietary modification, whose personal expertise stems from several experiments done on himself while sharing lab tests.

Mike's goal is to bridge the gap between nutritional research scientists and non-academics who seek to better their health in a system that has catastrophically failed the public.

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References

  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17239305
  2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17520786
  3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19684340
  4. Singh S, Nair V, Gupta YK; Evaluation of the aphrodisiac activity of Tribulus terrestris Linn. in sexually sluggish male albino rats. J Pharmacol Pharmacother. (2012)
  5. Do J, et al; Effects and Mechanism of Action of a Tribulus terrestris Extract on Penile Erection . Korean J Urol. (2013)
  6. Kam SC, et al; In Vivo and in Vitro Animal Investigation of the Effect of a Mixture of Herbal Extracts from Tribulus terrestris and Cornus officinalis on Penile Erection. J Sex Med. (2012)
  7. Neychev VK, Mitev VI; The aphrodisiac herb Tribulus terrestris does not influence the androgen production in young men. J Ethnopharmacol. (2005)
  8. Rogerson S, et al; The effect of five weeks of Tribulus terrestris supplementation on muscle strength and body composition during preseason training in elite rugby league players . J Strength Cond Res. (2007)
  9. Martino-Andrade AJ, et al; Effects of Tribulus terrestris on endocrine sensitive organs in male and female Wistar rats . J Ethnopharmacol. (2010)
  10. https://www.suntheanine.com/what-is-suntheanine/
  11. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25759004
  12. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22214254
  13. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3518171/
  14. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2941540/
  15. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11694362
  16. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17966676
  17. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11983310
  18. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23835499
  19. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16971751
  20. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22203366
  21. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18296328
  22. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19584739
  23. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14582858
  24. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11027741
  25. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12076414
  26. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21340475
  27. https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/vitamin-b6-pyridoxine
  28. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8613886
  29. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3484799
  30. Basso LE, et al; Effect of magnesium supplementation on the fractional intestinal absorption of 45CaCl2 in women with a low erythrocyte magnesium concentration . Metabolism. (2000)

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