18 replies to this topic

[Ghostrider]

I have found that ALCAR can provide me with a boost in energy during the day. I will begin experimenting with L-Tyrosine and Taurine soon. The problem I am currently facing is that ALCAR can provide a good boost in energy during the first day (I take two 500 mg GNC Acetyl-L-Carnitine supplements when I first awaken, then consume a protein drink or breakfast about 20 minutes later). But the problem is that I don't sleep as well the following night, so the next day I feel drowsy, even with ALCAR supplement. Is there a healthy way to counter-act this? I think sleep is my weakness anyway. I can sleep through the night without awakening, but I find that my deepest sleep occurs right before I get up. If the alarm clock awakens me during this deep sleep period, somewhere between 4 AM and 7 AM, then I will be hosed for the rest of the day. I don't think that I have any trouble concentrating, but I wish I had more mental energy during the day. I think getting a better night's rest is a part of the solution. I have considered Melatonin, but I question the long term side effects of this substance. I know that it has been rumored to have good anti-aging side effects and potentially reduce the risk of cancer, but I am not convinved that hormone supplementation is a good thing -- seems like the body could grow dependent on the substance.

Anyway, any advice on gaining mental energy during the day and getting a better night's rest? Ideally, I should be very tired when I am sleeping and fully awake during the day :-). Instead of lightly, but consistently sleeping at night and awake, but not fully alive during the day. I don't really feel drowsy during the day, just kinda blah.

[ajnast4r]

exercise in the morning is probably the best thing you can do to increase energy in the day, and increase sleep depth at night.

a nice big cup of high quality green tea in the morning gives most people a great energy boost. any of the caffeine containing herbs(guarana, yerba mate) work well also. chocamine is great for sporatic use.

i recently went through a period where i had real trouble staying asleep through the whole night. for about 2 months, every night i would wake up every 2 hours... so by the time i had to go to work in the morning i was a zombie. i tried EVERYTHING...melatonin actually made it worse, and various herbal combinations had no effect. i did end up solving my sleep problems, two ways:

1) bach rescue remedy... a homeopathic flower preparation, worked amazingly to help me sleep through the night without waking up... worked the 1st time i used it, and every time after that. after about 2 weeks i didnt have to use it anymore, but still do occasionally. ive also had great success with using other bach remedies for other things.

2) meditation before bed... so that brainwaves and metabolism are closer to where they would be when you are actually sleep, when your head hits the pillow. ive found meditation increases the depth & quality of my sleep better than anything else... takes a little getting used to untill you can form the habbit, but its WELL worth it & has numerous other benefits.

[Brainbox]

L-Theanine (100mg) and magnesium (150mg, chelate), just before going to sleep works great for me.

[Ghostrider]

Sounds good. I have no problem staying asleep until the alarm clock goes off. I just do not always feel that refreshed when I wake up. I also require a lot of sleep, 8 to 9 hours optimally. So I am thinking that although I am getting the quantity of sleep that I need, the quality could be better. Sometimes I can take a powernap when I am really tired, sleep for maybe 2 hours, wake up and feel awesome. And when I wake up I can recall absolutely nothing about the past two hours. I just look at the clock and think, wow, there was 2 hours of my life that I have no way of confirming that I actually existed. I obtained a very deep and refreshing sleep. That is what I would like every night. So that I can get a deeper quality sleep and maybe even require less. I have a comfortable bed, I am confident that is not the problem. I am just wondering what else I can supplement to get a deeper sleep. I am not so keen on the melatonin supplement because I don't want to introduce hormones into my body which could alter natural melatonin production and even worse, form a dependence. Plus I am still young (23) and I think I will wait until I really need something like melatonin before using such a supplement. I have heard that it is a great anti-oxidant so I have considered using it on that basis also.

Anyone else have luck with L-Theanine and magnesium? What else helps? Again, must not be habit forming or pro-aging!

[magrus]

Anyone else have luck with L-Theanine and magnesium? What else helps? Again, must not be habit forming or pro-aging![/QUOTE

[magrus]

I have been taking Theanine+ Relora for a few months, which also contains magnesium. Works for me. A sublingual Glycine tablets work as well but you have to cycle those.

[Ghostrider]

I have been taking Theanine+ Relora for a few months, which also contains magnesium. Works for me. A sublingual Glycine tablets work as well but you have to cycle those.

I have been taking 200 mg L-Theanine and 1 gram of Inositol every night and I sleep great. I am not sure which ingredient is more beneficial, I have not tried taking them seperately. I also like taking Taurine before bed, no real noticable effect from the Taurine, but I have heard that it is good for the cells. L-Tyrosine turned out to be a flop for me. It worked great the first two days, but after that, nothing, I could no longer feel any of its effects. So I stopped taking it. I could try again I suppose, but I find that Alcar and Piracetam gives me what I want anyway.

[FunkOdyssey]

Anyone else have luck with L-Theanine and magnesium?

That was my sleep stack for quite awhile... very effective. Lately, I've dropped the theanine due to cost, and I still seem to be sleeping well, although my mood upon awakening is more neutral (theanine consistently made me wake up on cloud nine).

[Ghostrider]

That was my sleep stack for quite awhile... very effective.  Lately, I've dropped the theanine due to cost, and I still seem to be sleeping well, although my mood upon awakening is more neutral (theanine consistently made me wake up on cloud nine).

What do you mean by cloud nine? I know it's a metaphor, but I don't get it...must be from popular culture or something...

[FunkOdyssey]

It made me wake up in a really terrific mood.

[xanadu]

I take 400mg of theanine a night plus about 7gm of inositol and it does very little. I also take ashwaganda, bacopa and gaba every night. It works about as well as a glass of warm milk might, in other words, it doesn't do that much. I have trouble sleeping too. My mind does not want to stop at the end of the day and keeps on going. Alcar made it simply impossible to sleep unless I took an over the counter sleep medication which I can't do every single night. Alcar gives a lot of energy but even taking it early in the day I had major problems with sleep and had to quit. When I cut down to about 100mg a day, it was tollerable but still gave some sleeplessness.

I also take melatonin but the sleepy effects of that wore off years ago. I also take magnesium along with other things. Maybe if I took more ashwaganda it would knock me out but I don't like to megadose on anything. Melatonin is a great compound and it's impossible to harm yourself with it. Most people over 25 need some.

[jubai]

100mg a day of alcar? Whoa, to get sleep problems I have to take the "recommended" dosage of 2g a day. And gaba (or Phenibut) make me very drowsy quickly.

So massive doses of calming supps have no effects on you, and minimal doses of an energy booster affect your sleep 12-16 hours later? Now that's an interesting metabolism, I'm sure the big-pharmas would pay big money to test their stuff on a freak like you

[jackinbox]

I take 3 mg of melatonin every night since december 2004. As far as I know, not a single study found any adverse effects.

[Ghostrider]

I take 3 mg of melatonin every night since december 2004. As far as I know, not a single study found any adverse effects.

Melatonin might be more effective and it is certainly cheaper. But I am concerned that supplementing with melatonin will offset my body's natural production of the sleep producing substance permanently. I have also heard of people feeling groggy in the morning due to supplementing before bed. Since I can sleep soundly through the night, this may not be necessary. It is a powerful anti-oxidant though so that deserves some consideration...$4 a bottle for life extension is a bargin.

Also, I am not so sure that I even feel the benefit of ALCAR anymore. I did not take it last weekend and I did not feel much if any difference. Maybe I have built up a tolerance...

[kevink]

[quote][quote]
Also, I am not so sure that I even feel the benefit of ALCAR anymore. I did not take it last weekend and I did not feel much if any difference. Maybe I have built up a tolerance...[/quote]

I was wondering the same thing. However, I skipped a few days and I noticed that I wasn't reacting as fast nor was I "attacking" the stairs out of the subway (NYC) in the morning. If you want to try and skip a few days and see if your body reverts back to "normal", that might be a good test.

My feeling is that the ALCAR body is at a certain higher level and will stay there for a day or few but slowly be dropping down to "normal" range until you actually feel it "slowing down".

Just my experience...

[jackinbox]

My feeling on melatonin dependance is that it's more a psychological one than a physical one. When you stop using it, you experiment some kind of reverse-placebo effect. Melatonin is effective for situation where you are tired but your mind doesn't want to sleep, that's why it's so effective for time-shift when you go to bed later than you were used to.

[Viscid]

I found Tyrosine gave me terrific dreams at night, but the sleep was not restful. I'd wake up every 3-4 hours.

I've just begun drinking a lot of water throughout the day, and boy has that helped my energy levels. I exercise too, and before I really started drinking big glasses of water I'd get tired mid day and just wanna lie down and turn off my brain. With a lot of water, after about a week, I felt terrific throughout the entire day, and by about 1 AM I get incredibly sleepy and conk out almost instantly, waking up almost exactly 7-8 hours later without use of an alarm clock.

Achieving an 6-9 hour, restful, regular sleep routine is incredibly important for your physical and mental health. Any more or less means something's wrong.

Edit: Oh, and it looks like the guy who bumped this thread is selling his product. His post doesn't even fit with what they're talking about. Lol.

Edited by Viscid, 14 November 2009 - 07:44 PM.

[magnelectro]

Have you looked at the noise pollution in your sleeping environment? I used to live right next to the main street in my town and would need 9ish hours per night and still feel tired throughout the day. Even slight noise pollution can increase blood pressure and cortisol levels. Maybe I'm just a light sleeper. My wife says I jump whenever the furnace kicks on no matter how deeply asleep I am. Time to invest in a pair of earplugs? The silicon kind are comfy enough to sleep in.

[Strelok]

I found this thread while searching for information on ALCAR and sleep.  Does anybody else have any input on how ALCAR has affected their sleep?  I read on Examine that ALCAR before bed improved sleep quality for some people...   My sleep is a delicate issue, and I am hesitant to try ALCAR before bed without some further input.