I was taught in freshman psych that you have to be deep asleep to dream. But, I can have ‘full’ dreams, whatever that means, in a twenty minute nap, and I’ve known other people to say the same.
I think that stuff about being deep asleep to have dreams is a bunch of hooey.
I used Biotest ZMA last night (the first night I had used it in a long time). I noticed a difference right away. I had awesome vivid dreams and slept right through the night. Lately I’ve been having bad headaches in the morning and unable to get enough hours in, but I felt really good today. I just gotta make sure I keep taking it because I bought the stuff a while ago and forgot about it!
[quote]Captain Glanton wrote:
I was taught in freshman psych that you have to be deep asleep to dream. But, I can have ‘full’ dreams, whatever that means, in a twenty minute nap, and I’ve known other people to say the same.
I think that stuff about being deep asleep to have dreams is a bunch of hooey.[/quote]
Yeah i was taugt the same thing in my psych class. Although, it may not be hooey…since there are different “classes” of dreams. In stages 1-4 of sleep (light sleep to deep sleep) you are in NREM sleep- which is marked by little eye movement and light dreaming (like stuff about your day, weird blurry dreams, etc.). When you are in REM sleep (about 90minutes after progressing through the four stages and back) eye movement is rapid and you can experience vivid dreams. For me, those vivid dreams are the ones that are so clear, feel real and full of emotions.
So I guess you don’t really have to be in really deep REM sleep to dream, only to experience vivid dreams.
Everyone here says do not take with calcium but I have read elsewhere “best taken with calcium”, anybody know the real deal? I am still taking it and if I keep getting the same results then I am on for life, although after a couple of bottles I may throttle back to two pills and maybe even one to see what the lowest effective dose for me is. Goddam I am loving the sleep. If you are used to just sleeping through the night you don’t know what a treat it can be for someone who hasn’t done it in maybe 10 or 15 years (really). btw-I am 47 years old.
[quote]tinman915 wrote:
Everyone here says do not take with calcium but I have read elsewhere “best taken with calcium”, anybody know the real deal? I am still taking it and if I keep getting the same results then I am on for life, although after a couple of bottles I may throttle back to two pills and maybe even one to see what the lowest effective dose for me is. Goddam I am loving the sleep. If you are used to just sleeping through the night you don’t know what a treat it can be for someone who hasn’t done it in maybe 10 or 15 years (really). btw-I am 47 years old.[/quote]
I’m pretty sure I remember reading that calcium inhibits the absorbtion of both zinc and magnesium. And lately because of money issues I’ve been just taking 2 pills and had similar results as with 3. I’d recommend giving it a shot.
And as for the OP, I’ve always had immediate results from ZMA. Every time I stop it for awhile and then get a new bottle, I sleep incredibly well starting the first night I take it.
The first couple of nights when I first started taking ZMA, I found my self waking up in a sweat. By about day three, all was well and the sleep is GREAT!
I noticed the deeper, more rested sleep after the first few days.
Finally, after 4 days of taking it the good sleep came. Saturday night I was out like a light. I have deffinitely had the crazy dreams and they seem to be so random its almost funny.
Last night I had a dream that I was chasing a sucker fish around the house that jumped out of our fish tank. That crazy bastard was impossible to catch. I am a fan of the ZMA now for sure!!!
When you say that you haven’t been sleeping well, what does that mean? You get up too early? You cant fall asleep? Or you just sleep lightly. Which is it? How you should deal with it depends on an answer?
If you want really weird dreams, try adding a healthy touch of nutmeg to your dinner. I guarantee you will have some weird-ass dreams.
Other day here on T-Nation, I read that Polliquin recommends phosphatidylserine and I tried it out. Definitely a good sleep-aid and really reduces the stress. A bit on the expensive side though. Check it out
I was taking Ambien for a few months. On New Years Day, I stopped and switched to ZMA. I slept great from the first day and never looked back.
I don’t know about others but ZMA gives me the most vivid dreams. Pretty cool.
[quote]entheogens wrote:
When you say that you haven’t been sleeping well, what does that mean? You get up too early? You cant fall asleep? Or you just sleep lightly. Which is it? How you should deal with it depends on an answer?
[/quote]
By saying I dont sleep well I mean that I wake up constantly. I fall asleep fast, and wake up a bunch of times throughout the night. The last couple nights I have woke up maybe once. Other than that, I sleep all night.
boss99er, ZMA is actually a pretty cool supp, but if it’s not providing you the help you need getting to sleep, you should try some other sleep aids.
First on my list would be melatonin. Start off with 1mg an hour before bed. If an hour goes by and you’re not asleep, take another 1mg. If another hour goes by take another 1mg. Most people don’t need much more than about 5mg. Some only need micrograms of melatonin.
Another thing worth trying is Sleepy Time Tea made by Celestial Seasonings and found in a lot of grocery stores.
If you’re under a lot of mental stress and find that’s keeping you from sleeping because your mind just won’t let go of whatever is causing your worry or distress, then Bach Flowers Rescue Remedy can be helpful.
Difficulty getting to sleep can be caused by a number of different things. Since there are different causes, no one single solution will work for everyone. You’ll have to try different things to find out what works for you.
I didn’t read your last post before posting my previous post. If you’re waking up in the middle of the night because you have to hit the restroom, try limiting the amount of liquid you consume four hours before bed and then make up for it earlier in the day.
There’s also a time-release version of melatonin for people who get to sleep but then wake up.
Needing to go to the bathroom is never a problem. I rarely have to do that in the middle of the night. Its just that I wake up, roll around, fall back asleep, wake up, fall asleep…and it keeps going. Like I said though, the ZMA has really been working the last couple nights. I will keep everyone posted on the next couple of nights to see if it keeps it up.
[quote]boss99er wrote:
Needing to go to the bathroom is never a problem. I rarely have to do that in the middle of the night. Its just that I wake up, roll around, fall back asleep, wake up, fall asleep…and it keeps going. Like I said though, the ZMA has really been working the last couple nights. I will keep everyone posted on the next couple of nights to see if it keeps it up.[/quote]
That is unusual. You should look in to sleep disorders such as sleep apnea.
If you do have this, you do not want to use supps or meds without a doctors supervision.
I read in an earlier post that calcium effects the uptake of the minerals magnesium and zinc. But I find many supplements at stores like Vitamin World which already contain Calcium. What gives?
Also, I just bought a Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc mix. Will this supplement be rendered less effective because of the added Calcium?
[quote]mj_gk wrote:
I read in an earlier post that calcium effects the uptake of the minerals magnesium and zinc. But I find many supplements at stores like Vitamin World which already contain Calcium. What gives?
Also, I just bought a Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc mix. Will this supplement be rendered less effective because of the added Calcium? [/quote]
mj_gk, the better calcium supplements include some magnesium because the body needs magnesium to assimilate the calcium. In fact, if you take calcium WITHOUT magnesium, the body has to draw from magnesium reserves to process the calcium.
That’s why it’s recommended that you take ZMA with a non-calcium-containing meal.
A pretty high percentage of Americans are magnesium deficient. Above and beyond its HEALTH benefits, magnesium is a mineral that has some major implications with regards to athletes. It’s involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body, including glycolysis, the Krebs Cycle, creatine phosphate formation, nucleic acid synthesis, amino acid activation, cardiac and smooth muscle contractability, cyclic AMP formation, and PROTEIN SYNTHESIS.
A deficiency in magnesium has been shown to create insulin resistance. And insulin resistance doesn’t just have negative affects on your health; it has negative affects on your physique, too!
If I’ve made something less than convincing argument as to magnesium’s (and ZMA’s) benefits, a couple of times on the following link and read “Magnesium Can Help With the Following:”
[quote]boss99er wrote:
By saying I dont sleep well I mean that I wake up constantly. I fall asleep fast, and wake up a bunch of times throughout the night. The last couple nights I have woke up maybe once. Other than that, I sleep all night.
[/quote]
I agree with the taking of zinc, magnesium supplements; however, sometimes these things can be remedied behaviorally.
One can get into a vicious feedback-loop. You start worrying about not sleeping well and that can entrain anxiety and you wake up. That’s only a problem if you are waking up and unable to fall back to sleep immediately. If you wake up and are unable to get to sleep, the best thing to do is to get up and do something low-intensity (dont go do deadlifts!), rather than angrily tossing about in bed.
Another thing to avoid is alcohol or some sugary thing before you go to bed. You might fall asleep ok, but sometime in the middle of the night your blood sugar is going to drop and that will wake you up big time. Of course, if that happens the best thing is to eat a small bit of, say, whole wheat bread.
If it’s not anxiety (such as the above)or alcohol, then it might be worthwhile to get checked for sleep apnea, as someone suggested. That usually requires spending a night in a sleep lab; insurance will usually cover it.
[quote]Tampa-Terry wrote:
mj_gk wrote:
I read in an earlier post that calcium effects the uptake of the minerals magnesium and zinc. But I find many supplements at stores like Vitamin World which already contain Calcium. What gives?
Also, I just bought a Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc mix. Will this supplement be rendered less effective because of the added Calcium?
mj_gk, the better calcium supplements include some magnesium because the body needs magnesium to assimilate the calcium. In fact, if you take calcium WITHOUT magnesium, the body has to draw from magnesium reserves to process the calcium.
That’s why it’s recommended that you take ZMA with a non-calcium-containing meal.
A pretty high percentage of Americans are magnesium deficient. Above and beyond its HEALTH benefits, magnesium is a mineral that has some major implications with regards to athletes. It’s involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body, including glycolysis, the Krebs Cycle, creatine phosphate formation, nucleic acid synthesis, amino acid activation, cardiac and smooth muscle contractability, cyclic AMP formation, and PROTEIN SYNTHESIS.
A deficiency in magnesium has been shown to create insulin resistance. And insulin resistance doesn’t just have negative affects on your health; it has negative affects on your physique, too!
If I’ve made something less than convincing argument as to magnesium’s (and ZMA’s) benefits, a couple of times on the following link and read “Magnesium Can Help With the Following:”
http://www.digitalnaturopath.com/treat/T29193.html[/quote]
Great Info, Thanks!
Very, very good points being made by entheogens!!!