The best supplementation for awesome gains is indirect.

Aeternitatis

Aeternitatis

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From having to deal with minor to severe insomnia for the past 2-1/2 years, sleep has become the biggest factor in my ability to achieve gains... bar none. Sleep is for sure the only thing that will allow a person to fully recover and advance. It may sound obvious, but no amount of supplements will ever make up for getting less than 8 hours a night. And believe me, I've tried.

It is insane how fast I improve when I can consistently get 8 or more hours a deep sleep per night. This realization has lead to me search for the best in sleep improving supplements over the last 6 months. I have tried so many and been disappointed almost every time. Nothing gave me what I needed to get the full recovery that only sleep can offer.

But I have finally found a group of supplements that seem to be working consistently. They are (all bought in bulk form):

GABA
Phenibut
L-theanine
(all amounts measured on a digital scale acurate to 0.01 grams)

GABA: At 1000mg GABA provided a deep and satisfying sleep. Sleep latency was greatly reduced. I didn't even remember falling asleep. This was probably the first fully regenerative sleep I've had in 2 weeks.

At 1500mg of GABA I experienced the most discomforting full body tingling and ictching after about 10 minutes of ingestion. It reminded me of an MSG reaction but without the red spots on the skin (for those who have experienced and MSG "overdose"). The GABA itch subsided after about 5-10 minutes. Then, I felt sort of messed up, it's hard to explain, but I definitely slept well. It pretty much knowcked me out hard! But 1000mg works well enough and without the itch torture.

Phenibut: My favorite of all time. Nothing has ever worked so well as Phenibut. And I've tried it before in the form of MRM Relax-All which never worked as well as I had hoped. I assume it is underdosed.

Phenibut at 1000mg provided a strong relaxation which lead into a fast and deep sleep. The sleep lasted for about 11 hours and was the best any sleep could be. I woke up once and had no problem falling back to sleep as I usually do.

Phenibut at 1500mg made me feel very tired and not quite right. At one point in falling asleep I think I almost choked or stopped breathing because I woke up suddenly retching. Then my muscles began to quiver for about 5 minutes. Very strange. Fell asleep about 10 minutes later and had a good night of unconciousness. Woke up feeling drunk like my legs were rubbery. This lasted for about 30 minutes. Maybe 1500mg is a bit too much. Doesn't matter because 1000mg works like a charm. So far I'm thinking phenibut will turn out to be the king.

L-theanine: I haven't fully experienced this one yet, but have high hopes for it. At 150mg I felt what may have been relaxation. Tonight I will try 300mg on an empty stomach and continue reporting my experience.


Supplements for sleep for those who don't sleep well should be at the top of the supplement to-buy list. Just give it a try. Even those of you who think you sleep just fine may benefit from improved or longer sleep. And this is what I mean by indirect bodybuilding supplementation. If one can make sleep more effective then the benefits will carry over to not only everyday living, but athletic performance... and it will be better than anything on the market.
 
Aeternitatis

Aeternitatis

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L-theanine #2: Tried 300mg before bed. I can definitely say that there was a "heady" feeling. Hard to describe because I was trying to sleep at the time. But what confuses me was that although I felt subdued, I was not tired. In fact, I think this stuff actually kept me awake. I don't know for sure, perhaps the dose was too high. Sometimes things that are supposed to relax you can actually cause insomnia at too high a dose. Examples of this are Valerian and Rhodiola.

Well, I'm going to have to try Theanine during the day and at several different doses to find out for sure.

After the Theanine wasn't putting me to sleep, I swallowed down 800mg GABA. I felt it begin to work in about 15 minutes. But my sleep was the worst it's been since starting these new sleep aids. Very disturbed. For now, I'm pegging it on the theanine. Perhaps theanine is good for daytime relaxation but not the right choice to aid in sleep.


Herbal Experiment #1: A hot water infusion of ~1/2 tablespoon real Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) and 1 tsp concentrated Kava paste plus 350 mg Kanna produced very nice mood lightening effects. But with it came a sound kind of energy. Might not be suitable for sleep enhancement. Have yet to experiment with it in that regard.

A tea made of Calea Z., valerian, blue vervain and wild lettuce produced a very deep and lucid dream filled night of sleep on one occasion. On another it produced nothing. Further experiments warranted.

A combination of wild dagga, blue lily of the nile, and salvia d. produced a deep sensation of acceptance when vaporized and inhaled. Could be useful for aiding in sleep. May try this in the future to find out how it works.

On a side note, I was doing some research and found out that diazepam is actually a naturally occuring chemical. It was first synthesized in a lab and then discovered to exist in various foods such as potatoes (in tiny tiny amounts).

Lavender Oil aromatherapy:
This has studies to back up it's efficacy in both improving sleep latency as well as duration. It has traditionally been used primarily as a relaxant.

First experiment with it was crazy. I put 5 drops on each pillow. In my small room the scent was overwhelming so much so that I felt like I was being drugged. I was quickly being pulled into unconciousness. Soon. ~2.5 hours later, I awoke with an irritated nose and throat. The scent was indeed too much. A word of caution.

Later experiments proved more successful as I lowered the amount of oil used. A small 3 drops on one pillow consistently provided sedation and improved sleep night after night. There is the occasional sleepless hour, but most of the time, Lavender oil really helps put me out.

No need to get a special oil burner or anything. Just put a few drops on your pillow, sheet, etc.
 
mrmoose63

mrmoose63

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:goodpost:
Very very interesting.... I appreciate the feedback

I have had similar issues with sleeping in the past and my "sleep" formula includes

2grams of valerian root (4 caps Now Foods)
300mg of Bacopa (3 caps VitaminShoppe)

At one point I was using store bought sleep aids and I just feel so crappy when I wake up...

Once USPLabs runs their next sale I'm gonna try out their new sleep supp REM-R3G or Powerfull as many experienced great sleep as a side effect
 
CROWLER

CROWLER

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VERY Nice detailed report.

Have you ever tried REM or PGH-t?


CROWLER
 
CDB

CDB

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VERY Nice detailed report.

Have you ever tried REM or PGH-t?

CROWLER
That's what I was going to ask. REM works wonders for sleep. I'm using it in conjunction with my PGH-T right now and the combo along with an occasional melatonin dose is the best I've used for sleep.
 

Poobah

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Sleep is touch and go with me...

But oddly enough, one the best sleep aids I have used is ear plugs.... dead silence = a dead like sleep.

I typically sleep much better through the entire night aswell, presumably cause there is no auditory distractions to raise me from my slumber...
 
JonesersRX7

JonesersRX7

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Wow very interesting stuff. I would like to give REM a full 30 days at the final dosing.

The Beta worked for me but I want to measure the effectivness over a longer period of time.

The problem with all the powders is how do you go about dosing them so it's convienent. Not having to measure out each serving.

The dosages seem high enough so you could do a bulk mix with the right ratios so that 3 grams equals yadda yadda yadda. Make sense?

Will be watching for more feedback.
 
BigMfer

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Can you elaborate as to the mood each put you in? You say relaxed, but do mean tired, dopped up, exhausted, lethargy?
 

BifWebster

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ive been wanting to give phenibut a try... does it make you tired the next morning? ive heard of a hangover effect from many reviewers
 
Aeternitatis

Aeternitatis

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Can you elaborate as to the mood each put you in? You say relaxed, but do mean tired, dopped up, exhausted, lethargy?
No, I mean relaxed.

re·laxed
–adjective
1. being free of or relieved from tension or anxiety: in a relaxed mood.

ive been wanting to give phenibut a try... does it make you tired the next morning? ive heard of a hangover effect from many reviewers
Sometimes. It's dose dependant. Phenibut at about 1 gram is usually enough to help people sleep without feeling drugged in the morning. Phenibut at 3-5 grams is enough to seriously mess you up, put you into a drunken sort of state, and you will feel drugged in the morning. Only problem with phenibut is that you develop tolerance very quickly to it.
 

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