Nootropics, TCM, and other food/supplements to help through the tough workdays!

[ellepurrs]

I enjoy(?) working long camming hours, but my health is often a barrier for me. I have PTSD, so my body doesn't recover well from long shifts since it's hard to sleep, or I'll end up having nightmares etc.

I've been using nootropics to help for awhile now. NMN helped a lot to boost my antioxidant balance up to a normal level, but these days I don't "need" it as much, so I've slowly been working my way towards higher stress activities.

Last night, I tried a very concentrated Red Reishi extract with 9% ganoderic acids - I fell right asleep and, for the first time in so long, I had a DREAM instead of a nightmare! I dreamed of a sparkling swan and colorful trees that grew and grew.

Today, I'm feeling relaxed and confident and ready to work hard!! I might even try Sabroxy today (a dopaminergic supplement) with caffeine to see if it boosts my motivation even more.

My current "stack":
Red Reishi (immune support & sleep)
Chasteberry (for PMS)
Omega 7 (strengthens vaginal epithelial cells)
Maca as needed
Horny Goat Weed 50% as needed (increases blood flow to pussy)
White Jelly Mushroom (softens skin)
Gotu Kola (reduces skin redness)
Cognance (a type of Bacopa that feels similar to microdosing)
NMN as needed
Lions Mane occasionally (increases neuroplasticity to help form new habits)
- and trying out Sabroxy today.

I also eat nutritional yeast and eggs for extra b-vitamins & choline, because my body burns through it fast when I use NMN.

Do you use nootropics or have good health secrets?

[Esixxx]

I do take nootropics.

I started off with l tyrosine.
Then I tried other formulas.
My go to brand currently is Chemix Nootropic- It helps with focus and preventing mental fatigue (and it's effortless to extrovert myself.)

I do like taking Magnesium L threonate and L theanine for those times that I have trouble sleeping. If I wake up I go back to bed fairly easily.
For managing PMS I take SuperHuman Woman- I was dealing with intense periods of fatigue-it's helped me tremendously.
Currently I am experimenting with seed cycling and what I eat during different phases of my cycle.

I take multivitamin and Omega 3's daily.

[VVVV]

i m nutritionist

ashwagandha is very helpful for sleeping, post adrenaline shift

i think an healthy diet balanced help lot with performance in general, hormones balances and so mood. and for a sleep hygiene.

i would suggest an healthy macro nutrient intake. Fat healthy ones are v helpful for hormones

[Esixxx]

i m nutritionist

ashwagandha is very helpful for sleeping, post adrenaline shift

i think an healthy diet balanced help lot with performance in general, hormones balances and so mood. and for a sleep hygiene.

i would suggest an healthy macro nutrient intake. Fat healthy ones are v helpful for hormones

Thank you for that information-I'll do some research into as far macro nutrients- my daughter did that for a bit (not sure if she is still doing it.)

Ashwagandha is a good one- I've taken it by itself before- it's in the PMS supplement that I take.

[AvaJade]

I've been interested in nootropics for years but find it overwhelming - I got tired of trialling different things and not knowing whether they were helping much. So I (obviously) haven't found anything that really seemed to work for me.

I actually streamlined my supplements too, as I hate wasting money on things that might not be worthwhile.

I just checked and the streamlined version still has me taking 14 things daily LOL. None are nootropics though. The multivit I used to take contained Ashwagandha but I cut those out.

BTW, what is TCM as referred to in the thread title?

[Genoveve]

I experimented with phenibut a few years back for anxiety, apparently you have to be extremely cautious with your dosing and overall intake because it doesn't take that much to get to where you will experience terrible withdrawals. I bought a milligram scale and was very careful and the product definitely worked, but for me it actually worked too well. It would remove my anxiety to the point where I wouldn't do stuff that I needed to do because I was like 'oh who cares,' lol. Also it causes extremely deep sleep, normally I am someone who moves around a lot in my sleep but when I would take phenibut my back would ACHE the next morning when I woke up because I never moved an inch from the position I fell asleep in.

Idk if CBD counts as a nootropic but for me it does absolutely nothing.

Things like magnesium and L-theanine definitely have a calming effect for me but I find that it only tends to be really effective when I first start taking it, the calming effect wears off over time. Same with b12 and vitamin D(from the sun, I get no psychological benefits from supplements).

[AvaJade]

Oh I realised some of my stuff is classed as nootropics.

I recently decided to start drinking ceremonial grade matcha in the morning to see if it might help give me a slight boost in energy and cognition. I figured even if those effects are negligible, the antioxidants can't do any harm.

I've already been taking magnesium which does help a bit with relaxation, but recently switched to the bisglycinate form to see if the benefits increase.

Also I am a recent kombucha convert. For a long time I thought it was all hype and just another way of selling coloured fizzy liquid but I started drinking it in the morning and sometimes throughout the day; I get a subtle but definite energy boost, probably from the small amount of caffeine (I react badly to caffeine usually but matcha and kombucha are OK).
Anyway I ran out and didn't drink any for 7-10 days and noticed my stomach felt more unsettled, so I think the probiotics in it were helping too.

[AvaJade]

Idk if CBD counts as a nootropic but for me it does absolutely nothing.

Same. I tried a few different brands and felt nothing.