There’s an important link between our sleep cycle and our mental and emotional health and function. According to the National Library of Medicine, without proper sleep you won’t remember as much, have as many insightful thoughts, or be able to make inferences in your thinking.
And according to Harvard Medicine, people with sleep disorders are more likely to suffer from mental health disorders.
So if you already have trouble sleeping–or staying awake–it’s important to know how any supplement could affect your patterns.
The Obvious
It should come as no surprise, but caffeine can make it harder to get to sleep. The flipside, that it can keep you awake if that’s what you need, is also true. In a similar sense, many nootropic ingredients like the Vitamin B complex and Choline, could increase your metabolism, increasing energy.
Depending on whether you’re trying to get to sleep or stay awake, Caffeine, Vitamin B, and Choline are on the short list of things to pay attention to.
- In addition to those stimulants, I found a great article in Psychology Today outlining that four herbal ingredients in nootropics may help sleep: Ashwagandha root, Turmeric, Lion’s Mane mushrooms, and Tulsi.
Looking Deeper
Sometimes the problem with questions like this is that they assume a vacuum. In other words, if you take just about anything too close to bed, you’ll have trouble sleeping. On the other hand, most healthy things (including the natural ingredients of most quality nootropics) eaten right after waking up will keep you awake.
So rather than look at every ingredient list, agonizing over research studies, you can make sure that you’re taking your nootropic in the mornings, at the specified dose. By taking your supplements when they’re recommended, and at the right amount, you can be sure you’re getting more of the effect designed by the product.
Taking a good nootropic can improve your mood, focus, and productivity. And it turns out that those very things may improve your sleep. So taking a quality supplement at the right time of day may in fact do both things, help you sleep at night, and stay awake during the day.Bottom Line
If you’re looking for a supplement that will help you sleep, it may be best to simply look for that; if you’re looking for one to give you energy, then that will frame your searches.
Because, in the end, nootropics are designed to stimulate the mind, sharpen focus, and improve memory. If you take a supplement meant to do all those things, right before bed, you may have trouble getting some shut eye. But if you take them in the mornings, and you’re productive all day, the likelihood of getting a good night’s sleep may go up.