Ingredient Spotlight — GABA + L-Theanine (PharmaGABA® + Suntheanine®) · PM Formula

The Case for the Pair

Most sleep formulas are a pile of single ingredients hoping to add up. This one asked a better question: what happens when you take the two best-studied calming amino acids together? A human study measured it.

You've probably tried the individual pieces — something for winding the mind down, something for drifting off. The premise of a real PM formula isn't more ingredients; it's the right two, working the same shift at the same time. This exploratory study put that premise to the test in people who actually struggle with sleep.

The study

In a single-arm exploratory study, 19 adults with sleep problems took GABA (700 mg) and L-theanine (200 mg) together, daily, for four weeks. Sleep quality was measured with the validated Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and objective sleep data were captured with a wearable (Fitbit Charge 5).

What they found

• Meaningfully better sleep quality. Total PSQI score improved from 9.42 to 6.26 — a drop of about 3.2 points (p < 0.001).
• Better recovery, objectively. Wearable-derived sleep recovery scores improved significantly (p = 0.042).
• A calmer night. Heart rate during sleep dropped about 1.3 bpm in the first week (p = 0.045) — a sign of a more settled nervous system overnight.

The authors' conclusion, stated with appropriate caution: simultaneous intake of GABA and L-theanine "may improve sleep in adults," and randomized controlled trials are warranted to confirm it.

Not a longer ingredient list. The right two, doing the same job on the same night.

Why it's the heart of the PM formula

This is the pairing our nighttime formula is built around: PharmaGABA® to bring the day's stress load down, Suntheanine® L-theanine to quiet the mind — the same two actives, taken together, that moved both subjective sleep quality and objective overnight recovery here. We're honest that this is early, exploratory evidence; we're also clear that it points exactly where our formula is aimed.

Reference: Konno H, Naganuma K, Kamada Y. Effects of combined GABA and L-theanine supplementation on sleep quality: an exploratory study. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. 2026;30(1):37–45. doi:10.26355/eurrev_202601_37647.
Read it: doi.org/10.26355/eurrev_202601_37647

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