On Board with ZMA? - Page 11

Allen Yeh · 01-31-2007, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by josh everett

I tired ZMA last night and as with every other supplement I've ever tried...nothing. In fact I probably woke up more times during the night than usual. I saw in the poliquen article that he says your HCL levels need to be up...do you guys recommend I start taking some of that or some other digestive aid?
Thanks, Josh

Curious on your protocol? From some of the posts here it seems like other people have sleep disturbance if they don't go to sleep within a 30-60 minute window of taking the ZMA.

Also I'm pretty sure they recommend taking ZMA on an empty stomach.

josh everett · 01-31-2007, 08:52 AM

I'll look at trying probiotics... taking ZMA on an empty stomach will be tough. I get off of work at 6pm, usually finish dinner about 7:15 then most nights I'm in bed at 9 unless 24 is on.

Allen Yeh · 01-31-2007, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by josh everett

I'll look at trying probiotics... taking ZMA on an empty stomach will be tough. I get off of work at 6pm, usually finish dinner about 7:15 then most nights I'm in bed at 9 unless 24 is on.

Most nights I usually take it 1.5-2.5 hours after my last meal before I hit the sack.

Yael Grauer · 01-31-2007, 09:54 AM

Make sure you're getting some kind of fermented food in your diet, not just probiotic pills. Rejuvenative Food is good...they are totally weird but their cultured veggies have a ton of lactobacilli and are pretty tasty too.

Robert Allison · 01-31-2007, 10:29 AM

Good call on the fermented vegetables, but I have found that not everyone cares for the taste (I personally love them). In addition to Rejuvenative Foods, there are some smaller, regional producers that might be available in your health food store. You just want to make sure they are raw and unpasteurized (heat kills the enzymes and beneficial bacteria).

Also, if you don't have issues with dairy, kefir made from raw milk and some raw cheeses are a nice source of good bacteria.

Yael Grauer · 01-31-2007, 10:45 AM

If money's no issue, Berry Green is this green powder you can add to a smoothie. It's got freeze-dried cultured fruits and veggies (1 billion probiotics per serving). It does have some cultured oats and brown rice in it, however. (2g active carbs.)

http://www.new-chapter.com/product/p...&-KeyValue=173

Jordan Glasser · 06-15-2007, 11:53 PM

After reading this thread numerous times, I had to try ZMA. (Heck, after reading this message board front to back, I am a paleo IF'er, who can't stop put down the book Lights Out!)

ZMA affected me, but not so positively, and perhaps it's indicative of something else. So I thought I would post just in case the experts could help.

Here's my story. Sleep, well, I usually sleep through the night. With ZMA, I would wake up in the middle of the night, and have no trouble going back to bed. But waking up 2-3 times a night is weird for me. I also felt groggy in the mornings, not the refreshed feeling people were reporting. here's the strange part, it effected my vision, to the point I was nauseous, and felt like a seizure was immenent. (Since I've never had a seizure, I have no idea why I would feel this way.) The sun was doing it to me, as was artificial light. Especially flashing lights. I obviously haven't taken ZMA since.

I don't take any supplements other then a probiotic and fish oils.

Frank Needham · 07-09-2009, 08:20 PM

Because I was doing some review on the topic of recovery I went back and read this thread over again. Some pretty strange stuff in here LOL!

After a long break from ZMA I'm starting to take it again (dreams started immediately!)

Anybody got any comments who might have taken ZMA for the long haul without a break?

George Mounce · 07-10-2009, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank Needham

Because I was doing some review on the topic of recovery I went back and read this thread over again. Some pretty strange stuff in here LOL!

After a long break from ZMA I'm starting to take it again (dreams started immediately!)

Anybody got any comments who might have taken ZMA for the long haul without a break?

Been taking it for 4 months now, and I missed one day. Otherwise 4 months straight. Have enjoyed my 8-9 hours of sleep per night and feel always ready to go. I take it 30-60 min before bed, and I usually haven't eaten since dinner about 2 hours.

Has worked wonders for me.

Garrett Smith · 07-10-2009, 06:19 AM

George's results are pretty typical.

ZMA isn't magic. It's zinc + mag + B6. People (particularly athletes) are almost always deficient in at least the zinc and mag, so they feel better when they take it.

I tend to use citrates (not aspartates like in ZMA) with my folks, including Josh Everett, and I use "activated" or "methylated" B-vitamins typically (this would mean pyridoxal-5-phospate and not pyridoxine like in ZMA). Since they all come from separate sources, they can all be titrated much better than ZMA, IMO.