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Nootropics

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Re: Nootropics

#101

Post by rjblackman »

mettamage wrote: post #94
HalfwayToDice wrote: post #74

The best nootropic is getting a good nights sleep. It takes effort! Preparing for bed early and disciplining yourself to put the light out is not easy. Not nearly as easy as popping a pill. But it's so much more effective than any drug listed here. And for a safe and provable quick cognitive boost, take some caffeine, preferable green tea with theanine.

It's hard for me to fall asleep. I haven't cracked it yet how to do it perfectly. What helps: view the problem as improving your likelihood to sleep. Before I viewed the problem as falling asleep 100% of the time, which is a really defeating view to have when I can't fall asleep. Sleep tips that help me: 1. meditation: still experimenting with body-scan vs. breath meditation, they both help but have different effects…

I have found the same as you. Also try cutting caffiene for a month and see how deeply you sleep.

I might try this again soon, but I am and addict!

Edit: I will add that I have found vitamin B6, zinc and melatonin to have significant effects as well. (Deep sleep and intense dreams)

Re: Nootropics

#102

Post by FullMtlAlcoholc »

jonathankoren wrote: post #70
marodox wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He probably has tried drug free, exercise and sleep over a month.

Where's the write up? Many people, including myself, find exercise to be mind numbingly boring, and intellectually insulting. (Pick up a weight and put it down? That is quantitatively zero work, buddy. No thanks.) Never underestimate the motivation to find a quick fix.

While I agree that exercise can become repetitive and boring, it is far from an intellectually sterile endeavor.

You are literally hacking your own body. Also, since no two people have the same genetic code, determining a fitness regiment is a highly experimental process optimized for you. Since this is a highly quantifiable process, you can make the development as data-driven as you choose as there are all types of variables to measure. There was a popular HackerNews post about applying Machine Learning to a ketogenic diet. See https://github.com/arielf/weight-loss

I try to avoid lifting weights as much as possible. Instead, fitness for me includes olympic ring travelling (http://travelingrings.org/about/where-are-the-traveling-ring...), rock-climbing, free-running, and acrobatics.

Re: Nootropics

#103

Post by cariaso »

cavisne wrote: post #16

Its concerning to see Modafinil on the same list of "defaults" as caffeine and vitamin D. They are on a different scale when it comes to the effect on your brain. That aside, my anecdotal experience of mod is its basically a waste of time. Sure you stay awake longer but we can all easily procrastinate a day away regardless, it wont make you any more focused or any smarter. If you for some reason need to improve your…

You suggest that it does work, but that procrastination is still possible. fair enough. But if it doesn't keep you awake, it's possible that you're one of the ~15% of the population who is a non responder due to:

rs4680(A;A)

aka Met/Met at COMT Val158Met

via http://snpedia.com/index.php/Rs4680(A;A)

rs4680(G;G) carriers deprived of sleep respond quite well to 2x 100mg modafinil in terms of improved vigor and well-being, and maintained baseline performance with respect to executive functioning, whereas rs4680(A;A) individuals barely responded to the drug at all.

via https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19037200 Two-time 100 mg modafinil potently improved vigor and well-being, and maintained baseline performance with respect to executive functioning and vigilant attention throughout sleep deprivation in Val/Val genotype subjects but was hardly effective in subjects with the Met/Met genotype.

Re: Nootropics

#104

Post by Swizec »

mettamage wrote: post #94
HalfwayToDice wrote: post #74

The best nootropic is getting a good nights sleep. It takes effort! Preparing for bed early and disciplining yourself to put the light out is not easy. Not nearly as easy as popping a pill. But it's so much more effective than any drug listed here. And for a safe and provable quick cognitive boost, take some caffeine, preferable green tea with theanine.

It's hard for me to fall asleep. I haven't cracked it yet how to do it perfectly. What helps: view the problem as improving your likelihood to sleep. Before I viewed the problem as falling asleep 100% of the time, which is a really defeating view to have when I can't fall asleep. Sleep tips that help me: 1. meditation: still experimenting with body-scan vs. breath meditation, they both help but have different effects…

The only sleep tip that's ever worked for me: don't go to bed before you're tired.

That means both physically and mentally. It's crazy how much even 1 hour of intense workout per day helps you sleep. And challenging your mind enough to actually run out of steam by the end of the day helps a lot too.

The implied trick is to arrange your life so it supports your natural rhythm. For me that means being at office no earlier than 10am and living so close that I can roll out of bed as late as 9:30am if needed.

Re: Nootropics

#105

Post by BurningFrog »

cavisne wrote: post #16

Its concerning to see Modafinil on the same list of "defaults" as caffeine and vitamin D. They are on a different scale when it comes to the effect on your brain. That aside, my anecdotal experience of mod is its basically a waste of time. Sure you stay awake longer but we can all easily procrastinate a day away regardless, it wont make you any more focused or any smarter. If you for some reason need to improve your…

Modafinil helps with being awake, not with being focused.

If your problem is not sleepiness, it probably won't address it.

Re: Nootropics

#106

Post by nostromo »

mettamage wrote: post #94
HalfwayToDice wrote: post #74

The best nootropic is getting a good nights sleep. It takes effort! Preparing for bed early and disciplining yourself to put the light out is not easy. Not nearly as easy as popping a pill. But it's so much more effective than any drug listed here. And for a safe and provable quick cognitive boost, take some caffeine, preferable green tea with theanine.

It's hard for me to fall asleep. I haven't cracked it yet how to do it perfectly. What helps: view the problem as improving your likelihood to sleep. Before I viewed the problem as falling asleep 100% of the time, which is a really defeating view to have when I can't fall asleep. Sleep tips that help me: 1. meditation: still experimenting with body-scan vs. breath meditation, they both help but have different effects…

Two more things you might try:

* Melatonin -- get the low dose chewable kind from Trader Joes and take 30 minutes before you go to bed

* Keep the bedroom cool and completely dark -- there is research the connects insomnia with warm body temperatures in some people (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18603220)

Re: Nootropics

#107

Post by yarou »

As I've said in other places, the discussion of nootropics used to be a scientific discussion of cognitive enhancers by sober, psychologically healthy people. But as of late, it's degenerated into shady grey market talk of legal highs, tainting the discussion.

In particular, DO NOT use phenibut for long periods of time. The withdrawal can be potentially life-threatening, including horrible seizures that paramedics may not even be able to deal with because it's not a traditional GABA agonist.

Regardless of whatever huckster or snake oil salesman tries to tell you, this is probably one of the most dangerous drugs that's marketed as a nootropic, but is really a recreational drug.

The best nootropic stack is a good night sleep, healthy diet and exercise, and reading a book that teaches you something new.

Re: Nootropics

#108

Post by Swizec »

cyphar wrote: post #86
jonathankoren wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where's the write up? Many people, including myself, find exercise to be mind numbingly boring, and intellectually insulting. (Pick up a weight and put it down? That is quantitatively zero work, buddy. No thanks.) Never underestimate the motivation to find a quick fix.

> Many people, including myself, find exercise to be mind numbingly boring, and intellectually insulting. I used to think the same way but decided one day that I was going to walk/jog ~10km every day and eat healthy. Now, I really enjoy walking. It gives me a chance to think about the problems I've been trying to solve during the day, what I'm going to do tomorrow, etc. And at some point I actually started enjoying t…

To add to this: find a sport you enjoy and keep doing it. Don't be afraid to test and iterate.

And remember, if it took you 20 years of practice to become a hardened couch potato, don't expect to change overnight.

Re: Nootropics

#109

Post by bemmu »

I remember there was a blog post where they polled hundreds of people about nootropics they tried and then it had a list of the ones which had the highest self-reported subjective impact. I've been trying to find it but can't, anyone got a link?

Re: Nootropics

#110

Post by pedalpete »

nostromo wrote: post #106
mettamage wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard for me to fall asleep. I haven't cracked it yet how to do it perfectly. What helps: view the problem as improving your likelihood to sleep. Before I viewed the problem as falling asleep 100% of the time, which is a really defeating view to have when I can't fall asleep. Sleep tips that help me: 1. meditation: still experimenting with body-scan vs. breath meditation, they both help but have different effects…

Two more things you might try: * Melatonin -- get the low dose chewable kind from Trader Joes and take 30 minutes before you go to bed * Keep the bedroom cool and completely dark -- there is research the connects insomnia with warm body temperatures in some people ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18603220 )

You have to be careful with Melatonin, your body will produce less of it's own if you keep topping yourself up, which means diminished returns with continued use.
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