Earlier quoted context omitted.
For me, a lot of frozen meals and processed foods in general have insane quantities of sodium. Seriously, check the labels and make sure to do the math on what you would consider a reasonable portions (they like to play games with portion size to bring daily percentages down).
Other than water retention, are there any other reasons sodium is bad?
Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
161–170 of 223 posts
Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
#162Caffeine and L-Theanine work well together. The effects and mechanisms were well enough understood for me to feel comfortable trying this out.
Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
#163I've tried modafinil a few times. It helps me a little with alertness, but not much - I can use it for long drives, but it didn't particularly help with programming. I sometimes get a side-effect from it that makes it something I can't take at work: I get super cranky and easily angered, like shouting-argument angry. It's out of character for me, and really weird.
I took piracetam for a few months, and I thought maybe it was helping my focus and short-term memory. The side effect of that one, though, was even weirder: recovering sense memories of being a little kid. Like, flashbacks of the physical pain of the first time I had a bad injury. Vivid recollection of my adult teeth pushing my baby teeth out of the way. Even sensations of being an infant with no body autonomy at all.
Worth experimenting with? Absolutely.
Magic bullet for superhuman productivity? No way.
Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
#164Earlier quoted context omitted.
>> So that I can work without having to blast music through $300 noise-canceling headphones (which itself impairs focus, but is the lesser of all evils)? Rather than listening to music, you can listen to brainwave entrainment audio (Neuro-Programmer 3 is a good program to generate these). The lack of words prevents distraction, and the audio can entrain your brain to whatever frequency is best for what you are doing…
>> So that I can work without having to blast music through $300 noise-canceling headphones (which itself impairs focus, but is the lesser of all evils)? I have seen people mention noise-cancelling headphones in the context of noise and open offices. Don't anyone use noise cancelling ear muffs? I am sure listening to music 6-8 hours a day is not good for your ears.
I saw someone using ear muffs once, and I thought it was a good idea. I like brainwave entrainment (maybe lower the volume, and use passive noise cancelling headphones), as it entrains the brain to the appropriate frequency to help maintain focus, relaxation, creativity, or whatever else you're pushing for. Then again, the only frequency that's "safe" to be listened to long term is 10Hz, and entraining to the other ones take less than 1 hour.
Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
#165Earlier quoted context omitted.
Most commercially packaged frozen meals have lots and lots of sugar, salt and oils added to low quality (cheap) ingredients to make them palatable. Some people think freezing food destroys its quality, but I think that the evidence for that is weak and fails to regard the loss of quality that comes from keeping things in the fridge for another day. When I stopped eating ready meals I lost a kilo in a week, I believe…
Sugar and salt I understand. Do you have more info on the oils? Have not heard that before.
Nutrition is poorly understood, but we do know that seed oils have a different profile than what people used to eat, and their high omega-6 fraction promotes inflammation. On the bright side there seems to be a reduction in heart disease (with some of them like olive oil) from their polyunsaturated fatty acids, which however doesn't improve all-cause mortality.
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2011/08/seed-oils-and-... gets into a little of the picture.
Personally I take a flaxseed oil supplement (for high omega-3), often fry in olive oil, and try to minimize seed oils otherwise. (I don't try that hard, but my intake has changed since learning about this.)
Salt intake I wouldn't worry about unless you have a specific issue making it a problem.
Disclaimer: layperson.
Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
#166Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Regardless, my experience was that its only value is the placebo effect. If a substance actually does anything real, and there is potential for a pharmaceutical company to patent and profit from it, then you can generally rest assured that it will be scheduled to require a doctor's prescription. For just about everything, the over-the-counter options consist of vitamins and quackery. So either blatantly break the la…
Melatonin and DHEA are hormones and are OTC. But just because they're OTC doesn't mean they should be taken lightly. Hormones are highly regulated in our bodies and taking extra can cause decreased natural production. Adrafinil is not OTC, it is unregulated. That means you can sell it in the "research chemical" grey market but not as a drug.
> Hormones are highly regulated in our bodies and taking extra can cause decreased natural production.
Normally true, but that doesn't apply to melatonin, it has no such down regulation mechanism.
Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
#167I take nicotine. I am not a coder; I write non-fiction. I figure it was good enough for Mark Twain, it is good enough for me.
in what form?
I am not the commenter you're replying to. But I wanted to add that I am a coder and use nicotine extensively. That plus moderate amounts of caffeine.
I use either electronic cigarettes or snus. I figure both are at least safer than cigarettes. However I am concerned that both the hardware and liquid for e-cigs is of unknown danger.
The hardware, which heats the liquid you inhale, has metal parts. There are no regulations in place about what metal they use.
Regarding the liquid, I ended up finding one manufacturer who used all USP certified ingredients (except where not applicable such as with flavorings) and tested them for numerous known toxicities. However, PG and VG (the two main carrier liquids) have never been tested for safety in regard to long-term inhalation (even though they're GRAS). Same goes for inhaling those natural and artificial flavors.
At least with snus, although it is tobacco based, the people of Sweden have used it for a long time and studies have been done to assess its safety. One study showed only a very small increase for some cancers. My main concern is gum loss or similar. However the safety of snus is associated with how it's manufactured, so like e-cigs that's kind of a wildcard.
Anyhow, as far as the mental effects, it's kind of hard for me to comment since my entire teen and adult life has been spent using nicotine. However, I believe it prevents boredom with my work and helps to keep me somewhat engaged. Probably not much different than how your favorite music makes you feel when exercising. Also it slightly improves mood like caffeine.
Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
#168Be careful. A lot of the drugs with strong effects necessarily have long term consequences from repeated use owing to their mechanisms of action. You risk making yourself 'dumber' over time with prolonged use. Especially, with the amphetamine based crap that US doctors seem okay to use for medical purposes despite most of the developed world not doing so, and using safer alternatives.
Out of curiosity, have you heard of any negative long term side effects from Modafinil and it's derivatives? (I don't think they are based on 'amphetamine')
Correct, Modafinil is not an amphetamine. It is distinct from other psychoactive substances, and we don't fully understand its mechanisms of action, how it affects the brain, or why it works. It's normally classed a 'eurogic' or 'wakefulness-promoting agent', and it (+derivatives) is the only drug of that class.
Long term effects are tolerance, and.. not much else. It has to be cycled regularly. If you abuse it or fail to socialize/have fun enough it'll end up making you feel like a zombie. It's been in regular use for a decade and a half, I haven't heard of any serious issues.
The main risks are the first time you take it. If you're allergic you can have some very serious reactions. In addition, if you're in a high-risk group (low immune system, etc.), you want to avoid the slight risk of SJS/TEN is can cause. SJS/TEN is probably the most terrifying risk, although it's extremely rare, and hundreds of other drugs can cause it too.
Each of these substances are amazing, but not without some danger.
Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
#169Earlier quoted context omitted.
Source on the harmful effects? I have not seen any credible study showing any significantly harmful effects. Did not know about the MIT thing. That explains why it seems impossible to find melatonin in reasonable doses. It took me a long time even to find something as low as 1 mg pills here in europe (why would anyone ever want to buy 8 mg melatonin pills??)
It's a hormone so yes, taking it can have negative effects. It can lead to decreased natural production. You have to be careful with anything hormonal.
> It's a hormone so yes, taking it can have negative effects. It can lead to decreased natural production.
No, it can't, not all hormones work that way.
Re: Ask HN: Do you take nootropics?
#170Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you haven't yet, I recommend experimenting with the dosage. Most companies sell melatonin in dramatically higher doses than is necessary. I take 300mcg, but often see it sold in doses an order of magnitude larger than that. Effective dose seems to vary somewhat widely from person to person.
I've been taking 1 or 2 5mg tablets. 2 tablets definitely seems like too much.
Yeah, 10mg is a crazy dose, even 5mg is far more than most people I know take. I would try out doses in the 100mcg-1mg range and see how they work.