I just got a 3 month supply of ZMA and planned on supplementing with it every night for 3 months. Is this OK, i’ve read that too much zinc supps can lead to a copper deficiency. Is 3 months every night too long a cycle or is it OK to take every night?
The longest I have taken ZMA non stop has been a little over two months. Not for any reason other than I was just lazy to getting around to buying more.
I haven’t heard of the copper deficiency issue before, and I’ve also never heard of ZMA being something you have to “cycle” in the sense of taking off days or off months.
Anyone else know about this?
while we are on the subject, would having Metabolic Drive 60mins after taking the 3 ZMA’s matter? or will the calcium “compete” for absorption with zinc
I’ve been taking some kind of zinc/magnesium supplement every night for the past 7 years. Most recently have switched to ZMA upon discovering it.
You dont cycle it. Best when taken about 20 minutes before bed, plan whatever calcium your taking around that.
Eat a handful of Pine Nuts every now and then and you shouldnt have to worry about the mineral imbalance.
I have been taking my ZMA consistantly and love every night of it. It’s been about a month granted, but so far so good.
From what I’ve read, after a week or two, you may experience a copper deficiency if you aren’t taking supplemental copper.
Solution: take a multivitamin as well.
[quote]Gorgeous wrote:
The longest I have taken ZMA non stop has been a little over two months. Not for any reason other than I was just lazy to getting around to buying more.
I haven’t heard of the copper deficiency issue before, and I’ve also never heard of ZMA being something you have to “cycle” in the sense of taking off days or off months.
Anyone else know about this?[/quote]
I have researched and have found no evidence against staying on or cycling off of ZMA. I have been taking it for about 2 years straight and haven’t come off of it. Wouldn’t want to come off of it.
To add to this ZMA is only a compound of minerals so it is not anything that your body doesn’t get already. Mostly anything natural that you have an overabundance of in your system is dispersed of through your urine so there is not really much of a worry. To much Iron is bad, but nothing else that I know of.
Just started ZMA 3 nights ago. I sleep like I haven’t slept since I was 15 (I’m 48). I’ve tried Ambien, Tylenol PM, ect, with no luck. I wake up ready to go wide awake. Just be sure to follow the directions and. Take it on empty stomach 30-60 minutes before bedtime and empty stomach. Don’t mix it with any calcium.
I wish I had tried this stuff years ago.
ZMA doesn’t need to be cycled. You can take it every night.
Over time, you will be less deficient in Zinc and Magnesium. Whether you notice it or not will depend on how deficient you are in the first place.
Most people notice better quality sleep and very vivid dreams.
Others have harder morning and nocturnal erections.
Some even notice strength and mass increases.
I’ve been taking it every night for the past couple years. Sometimes I’ll go for a couple monthes at only 2 caps per night due to concerns like this.
i take it every night together with Flameout, Low-Carb Metabolic Drive and peanut butter! All the packaging says that neither Metabolic Drive nor PB contain Calcium so I fiigured this is ok…
Thoughts?
i’m pretty sure Metabolic Drive is full of calcium, so i’m still clueless on how or when to take Metabolic Drive with ZMA.
Here’s the 750 Foods Highest in Copper:
http://www.nutritiondata.com/foods-000125000000000000000-1.html
At the top we have oysters and liver (beef, veal, lamb, goose, duck).
So if you want to survive the “copperless death syndrome”, you’ll need to go out every night for oysters on the half shell and a vodka martini… jk
Conclusion: Liver tabs! An overlooked supplement, nowadays, though I can’t really understand why. It’s practically the combination of a multivitamin/multimineral with a BCAA tab. And cheaper too.
Also, sunflower seeds and pine nuts are great sources of copper too, though not high on ND.com’s list due to a calorie bias. The daily recommended copper comes in at around 3/4 cup of either seed.
[quote]Kailash wrote:
Here’s the 750 Foods Highest in Copper:
http://www.nutritiondata.com/foods-000125000000000000000-1.html
At the top we have oysters and liver (beef, veal, lamb, goose, duck).
So if you want to survive the “copperless death syndrome”, you’ll need to go out every night for oysters on the half shell and a vodka martini… jk
Conclusion: Liver tabs! An overlooked supplement, nowadays, though I can’t really understand why. It’s practically the combination of a multivitamin/multimineral with a BCAA tab. And cheaper too.
Also, sunflower seeds and pine nuts are great sources of copper too, though not high on ND.com’s list due to a calorie bias. The daily recommended copper comes in at around 3/4 cup of either seed.[/quote]
Tap water and coffee are on the list. I am good to go.
[quote]BarneyFife wrote:
Tap water and coffee are on the list. I am good to go.[/quote]
Good luck consuming the 200 calories worth of tap water and coffee, though, which would actually contain the copper they had listed. Oh, and don’t forget table salt…
Here’s an important question. In the Navy and my sleep schedule is so jacked up that I NEVER EVER EVER get a full eight hours a night. Can I still take ZMA and have it have the same effect?
Absolutely. It should just improve the quality/depth of the sleep that you do get, whatever amount that is. Being overly stressed (from sleep deprivation, etc., among other things) is even more likely to make you deficient in zinc and more likely to benefit from ZMA.
[quote]BlueMarlin wrote:
Here’s an important question. In the Navy and my sleep schedule is so jacked up that I NEVER EVER EVER get a full eight hours a night. Can I still take ZMA and have it have the same effect?[/quote]
I take ZMA every night about one hour before I go to bed. Then 30-45 minutes later I have a shake and get ready for bed. I have been doing this over two years with no problems.
Christopher
Thanks for all the replies. Another thing I have noticed is an increased sex drive. I know ZMA may increase testosterone, but lately I have been ready to hit, or at least stare at alot of rear ends. Haven’t told my girlfriend this side effect yet, anyone else experience this or is it just me?
I take a week off of everything, training and supplementation once every twelve weeks. So I get 4 one week breaks a year. Its like a little vacation from the madness. And it does me well.