Sleep

I wish I could get better sleep. I have somewhat of a cold and the past 3 nights have been horrible by my standards.

Studies have shown and increase in Ghrelin and a decrease in Leptin when subjects got less than 8 hours of sleep per night. Ghrelin triggers hunger. Leptin is your adipocytes satiety hormone. They also found that the less sleep you got, the worse it gets.

I've always been very big on sleep - generally aiming for 9-10 hours per night. I feel that I can function best with this amount of sleep.

As such, I take certain supplements to ensure a good nights sleep. One is ZMA. ZMA stand fors inc Magnesium Aspartate.

The ZMA study most often cited as evidence of efficacy was co-investigated by Lorrie Brilla, Ph.D., at Western Washington University, and Victor Conte of Balco Labs in Burlingame, Calif. Conte is the inventor and patent owner of ZMA. Brilla and Conte studied 12 NCAA division II football players who took ZMA nightly during an eight-week spring training program. A separate group of 15 took placebo.

In the athletes taking ZMA, researchers measured a 30-percent increase in both free and total testosterone. (Free testosterone exists in blood; total includes levels in blood and in cells.) Testosterone levels in the placebo group declined by 10 percent, a result of hard training. The placebo group displayed a 21.5 percent decline in blood IGF-1 levels, while there was no significant change in the ZMA group.

In addition to improvements reported in anabolic hormone levels and sleep quality, the athletes made significantly greater gains in muscle strength and power. After eight weeks of training, the ZMA group experienced an 11.6 percent increase, compared to a 4.6 percent increase in the placebo group.

The magnesium is what is thought to cause better sleep quality. Actually, most minerals tend to have a relaxing effect on the body. However, they compete for absorption so don't take ZMA with any Calcium.

Now, I ALWAYS take ZMA. It's a staple to me but I always include at least of these 3 along with it:
1. 5-HTP
2. GABA
3. Melatonin

I alternate these every month. So one month is ZMA/5-HTP, the next ZMA/GABA etc.

5-HTP is a chemically altered form of L-tryptophan - an essential amino acid. It is responsible for the sleepiness you get after eating Turkey on Thanksgiving. Turkey has a lot of L-Trypotophan. This supplement also works to increase serotonin levels and might act as a mild appetite suppressant.

GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter found naturally in the body. Studies have shown that taking it orally can increase growth hormone levels. GH naturally spikes during the night and when you take it orally it acts to relax you. Some users get a tingling sensation about the face. I've found that this effect subsides after about 1 month of use.

Melatonin is probably the strongest sleep aid of this group. It is actually a hormone that is available over the counter that your body produces nautrally in dark environments. About 3mg of this stuff is sure to knock me out. Taken in higher dosages, it's a great antioxidant.