Best nootropics for anxiety and insomnia besides phenibut and theanine? Neither really seem to work for me.
Seth
Nootropics don't treat anxiety or insomnia. They help the brain learn. Some people say they get benefits from bacopa monnieri and ashwaghandha
PETER
Niacin (vitamin B3) can reduce anxiety levels, but it also causes pretty heavy flushing. After a while the flushing stops however. If you get an itch, take iodine.
Don't take the "no flush" kind, that can be hepatotoxic.
Niacin opens up the capillaries in the skin, improving blood flow. My skin feels smoother and some persistent rashes disappeared after I started taking large doses of niacin (500 mg) regularly.
PETER
Niacin (vitamin B3) can reduce anxiety levels, but it also causes pretty heavy flushing. After a while the flushing stops however. If you get an itch, take iodine.
Don't take the "no flush" kind, that can be hepatotoxic.
Niacin opens up the capillaries in the skin, improving blood flow. My skin feels smoother and some persistent rashes disappeared after I started taking large doses of niacin (500 mg) regularly.
Olmo
Cerebrolysin. Man, I feel like a broken record with this recommendation but...it completely fixed my sleep issues: good onset, less or none middle night wakings, pleasant dreams plus waking up refreshed and happy. It gave me consistently 90-99% sleep quality nights as measured by the app Sleep Cycle. I used this tool to see if there was an objective correlate to my subjective sleep related torments. My first diazepam ever showed a flatline (!) on the night's graph, it felt good but it probably ruined my cycles. Noopept (30 mg twice a day) also consistently showed objective improvements in quality according to the app, but my dreams were too intense. It felt like I was processing information in overdrive. Hope it helps! :)
Simon
I say this with genuine intention of helping you with what your aim is: anxiety is a thought PROCESS, not merely a simple, predictable chemical reaction.
This means it cannot be targeted by any known substance; and is also why medically supervised treatment programs for anxiety and depression (which of course overlap a lot in symptomology) are statistically more effective when cognitive therapy is integrated.
By cognitive therapy I don't mean cognitive behavioral therapy per se which has even been shown to either worsen or have no impact on some patients management of their condition; rather I mean any cognitively based therapy modality i.e. One which impacts the cognitive framework a person's mind and brain are constantly operating with. These best ones I know are:
- schema therapy
- DBT - dialectical behavior therapy
- ACT - acceptance and commitment therapy - very similar to DBT
- hypnotherapy and specifically ego state therapy although only in conjunction with more "active" cognitively based therapies, as its passive, receptive nature does nothing for strengthening emotional regulation which DBT and ACT are great for yet hypnotherapy is great for improving and healing deep seated damage to self worth and it can potentially shave years off someone's progress because it can access some beliefs that otherwise take too much time and energy to address through a purely cognitive approach.
If you're not able to get to a therapist for whatever reason either due to lack of time or money then the best thing I can suggest informally and not as medical advise is:
1) grab a decent intro level book on MBCT - mindfulness based cognitive therapy and read it at least twice, then use the practices in it throughout your daily life as often as reasonably possible (just whenever you're not super busy and can remember to)
2) look up hypnotica - he's a confidence coach who has some great Hypnosis audios tailored to self confidence and releasing negative thoughts and energy which can be found online at his website.
> at the very least they help me relax a lot while I'm about to sleep.
--
I realize you asked for nootropic recommendations but I've already learned this lesson for you: they just don't work that way and you'll only set yourself up for disappointment if you expect that from them.
Nootropics only help mental performance and partly mood but that's about it - anxiety is a thought complex consisting of stimuli as triggers. Nootropics can improve your cognitive performance but if your dysfunctional thought patterns are still there then nootropics will possibly only result in your mind processing it's existing interpretation of events faster which means you still have the same problem and haven't properly addressed it.
True freedom lies in awareness of ones own thoughts, emotions and actions.
Scott
Magnesium deficency can have a profound impact on quality of sleep, as can deficient B vitamins, and that insomnia may exacerbate the issues with anxiety.
Adam
Selank - the bet nootropic for anxiety and insomnia On the racetam spectrum, take piracetam since it builds up and there is no period where it's not working. You can take some mgcl as well, possibly some chamomile or passion flower. Try and use isochronic tone meditation to simulate a theta state for deep breathing. Tdcs works as well for depression and anxiety. Lastly go do a nice cardio workout, by that I mean push it till you feel your soul breaking lol, you will be anxiety free. People underestimate the effectiveness of exercise.
Janeen
Nothing helped my anxiety more than my Spire. It's a small device that fits into the waistline of your pants and monitors your breathing and heart rate. It lets me know when I'm tense, and encourages not only deep breathing, but the app has mindfulness exercises to reduce stress. I've gone from having the device vibrate many times throughout the day, to only once or twice. I feel like I can actually stay on top of the stress now, instead of it dictating how my day goes.
That being said, I also take L-Theanine in the evenings, which helps me sleep well. I've never had trouble sleeping, but the quality of my sleep was sometimes iffy, and if I consume too much caffeine I'm far more stressed, and my sleep quality suffers. The L-Theanine is great for compensating for that.
Don't take the "no flush" kind, that can be hepatotoxic.
Niacin opens up the capillaries in the skin, improving blood flow. My skin feels smoother and some persistent rashes disappeared after I started taking large doses of niacin (500 mg) regularly.
Don't take the "no flush" kind, that can be hepatotoxic.
Niacin opens up the capillaries in the skin, improving blood flow. My skin feels smoother and some persistent rashes disappeared after I started taking large doses of niacin (500 mg) regularly.
This means it cannot be targeted by any known substance; and is also why medically supervised treatment programs for anxiety and depression (which of course overlap a lot in symptomology) are statistically more effective when cognitive therapy is integrated.
By cognitive therapy I don't mean cognitive behavioral therapy per se which has even been shown to either worsen or have no impact on some patients management of their condition; rather I mean any cognitively based therapy modality i.e. One which impacts the cognitive framework a person's mind and brain are constantly operating with. These best ones I know are:
- schema therapy
- DBT - dialectical behavior therapy
- ACT - acceptance and commitment therapy - very similar to DBT
- hypnotherapy and specifically ego state therapy although only in conjunction with more "active" cognitively based therapies, as its passive, receptive nature does nothing for strengthening emotional regulation which DBT and ACT are great for yet hypnotherapy is great for improving and healing deep seated damage to self worth and it can potentially shave years off someone's progress because it can access some beliefs that otherwise take too much time and energy to address through a purely cognitive approach.
If you're not able to get to a therapist for whatever reason either due to lack of time or money then the best thing I can suggest informally and not as medical advise is:
1) grab a decent intro level book on MBCT - mindfulness based cognitive therapy and read it at least twice, then use the practices in it throughout your daily life as often as reasonably possible (just whenever you're not super busy and can remember to)
2) look up hypnotica - he's a confidence coach who has some great Hypnosis audios tailored to self confidence and releasing negative thoughts and energy which can be found online at his website.
> at the very least they help me relax a lot while I'm about to sleep.
--
I realize you asked for nootropic recommendations but I've already learned this lesson for you: they just don't work that way and you'll only set yourself up for disappointment if you expect that from them.
Nootropics only help mental performance and partly mood but that's about it - anxiety is a thought complex consisting of stimuli as triggers. Nootropics can improve your cognitive performance but if your dysfunctional thought patterns are still there then nootropics will possibly only result in your mind processing it's existing interpretation of events faster which means you still have the same problem and haven't properly addressed it.
True freedom lies in awareness of ones own thoughts, emotions and actions.
That being said, I also take L-Theanine in the evenings, which helps me sleep well. I've never had trouble sleeping, but the quality of my sleep was sometimes iffy, and if I consume too much caffeine I'm far more stressed, and my sleep quality suffers. The L-Theanine is great for compensating for that.