Sleep Supplementation

[Fluidity]

I am thinking of using some sleep supplements to boost my quality of sleep as well as my recovery. I checked out bodybuilding.com and found some supplements

 

Some of them are Animal PM, 3z, Poseidon NT, HGHup, HGH Pro, Blue Growth, Bulletproof from muscle pharm, ZMA, Melatonin, iforce Lights out, REM P.M, ErgoZZZ(which is basically ZMA + melatonin), and REM 8.0 (This is the one I currently use).

 

I am thinking about trying one of the products I mentioned above and can't really decide. Does anyone here have experiences with any of the supplements above?
 

Also I was thinking of using melatonin, but I heard it can decrease testosterone levels. Does anyone have experiences with it and can tell whether it affected your test levels or training?

[Keilani Gutierrez]

I personally do not advocate long term use of medications or supplements to sleep or at least when you use something that focuses on changing brain system chemistry. no need to fret if it's just a mineral deficiency, just so that you do not opt for something in the nature of hormones for example. my limited knowledge of this may just be overcautious, perhaps someone else will dispel this worry of mine with some information. 

 

anyway, garbage in, garbage out.

 

if you can cut out caffeine before 3pm, not get stressed out, not do exercise late, installing F.lux in my comp and cellphone have been what i've choosen to take control of.

 

I've heard that eating high fat meals before sleep is a sleep killer, i haven't done an experiment to see how it feels but i do like eating sometimes before bed if it's protein rich. last night i actually had 2 eggs and some bacon  

[Philip Chubb]

I use melatonin and a form of magnesium from Poliquin that gives me amazing sleep and recovery. It shows in my workouts as well. Lately, I'm making progress from day to day and still recovering.

[Graham Smith]

Melatonin is the natural hormone that your body produces to trigger sleep.  When you feel "sleepy" that is the melatonin flooding your system.  If you're having trouble getting to sleep, then it can be a worthwhile supplement.  I would be surprised if it decreases testosterone levels given that your body should be producing sufficient quantities of it regardless.

 

Sufficient sleep is vital for recovery, and is the biggest limiting factor in my training as the father of 2 small boys.  I used to alternate between night and day shift at work, so I know how hard it is to cope, but I would advocate lifestyle changes over supplementation if you want a long term solution.

 

Personally I practice mindfulness meditation while stretching before bed, it's working a treat on my stress levels and flexibility and is cheaper than pills!

[Mats Trane]

I´ve been using Glycine for past 2 weeks and it´s working great for me. 

 

http://www.lef.org/Vitamins-Supplements/Item01669/Glycine.html

[Michaël Van den Berg]

I use Poliquin's Ãœbermag. Also, create your own Bat Cave: try to make your bedroom as dark as possible. These two things alone have greatly improved my sleep. Preparing your mind for sleep by eliminating stimuli like TV, cellphones, computers and the like during the hours before you go to bed also helps a lot.

[Joel Tomkins]

I won some ZMA capsules and so have been taking them for a month now, and haven't noticed anything spectacular. I was having trouble with waking up once or twice during the night and having a really dry mouth (despite drinking 3+ litres of water a day) which has seemed to have stopped now. It's hard to compare but other than when my son wakes up crying I pretty much get unbroken sleep until my alarm goes off or I wake up naturally in the morning now. Haven't really had any vivid dreams as some describe either!

I definitely won't be buying any more that's for sure. 

[Philip Chubb]

I won some ZMA capsules and so have been taking them for a month now, and haven't noticed anything spectacular. I was having trouble with waking up once or twice during the night and having a really dry mouth (despite drinking 3+ litres of water a day) which has seemed to have stopped now. It's hard to compare but other than when my son wakes up crying I pretty much get unbroken sleep until my alarm goes off or I wake up naturally in the morning now. Haven't really had any vivid dreams as some describe either!

I definitely won't be buying any more that's for sure.

It's important to check two things here. One is the kind of ZMA it was. For example, if it was cheap oxides, it wouldn't be much use at all. Second is your ability to absorb nutrients so your gut health ect.

[Joel Tomkins]

It's important to check two things here. One is the kind of ZMA it was. For example, if it was cheap oxides, it wouldn't be much use at all. Second is your ability to absorb nutrients so your gut health ect.

Zinc Picolinate and Magnesium Aspartate apparently...

My gut health is a bit of an unknown but you could also add previously adequate zinc and magnesium intake to the list of factors.

[Philip Chubb]

I took those before and they were okay. But I noticed much better from a different form of chelated minerals. I forgot what kind for the zinc but for the mag I've use glycinate and some others that had me sleeping well. Aspartate didn't do much for me either though.