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highly recommend you check out /r/nootropics
summarizes pretty well the nootropics meme
NAC is also pretty popular on there
Speaking of L Theanine and caffeine, y’all should try matcha tea. It’s loaded with that stuff plus antioxidants.
Call me old-school, but I do think that a combo of exercise, hyrdration, healthy diet, and caffeine can help you achieve fantastic mental clarity on a regular basis. Exercise clears the mind while the diet keeps the body clean and properly fueled. Caffeine is necessary for me given hours and my love for black coffee but have found on my latest nights good hydration is of the utmost importance to staying focused and awake. Not looking to get into an argument over the efficacy of nootropic supps but I do believe for clarity of mind, going back to basics has yielded the best results.
Hydrohomie
add in meditation/breath work and pretty much this
that said, a little addy when you're working on 3 hours a sleep back to back to back is sometimes necessary
It helps forsure but I found that if that's your consistent working schedule the comedown w addy or vyvanse can fuck with the rest of your week so I'd not recommend it unless you're in dire straits but I feel like that's what you're getting at anyway
Can echo this. When I was an athlete, I slept eight hours on the dot every night, had extremely rigorous exercise, and a very clean diet for years straight. My mental acuity was far stronger than it is now
You're not old-fashioned. You're scientifically correct. Most supplements marketed as "nootropics" mainly ride on the placebo effect. Anyone who thinks something like the pill in Limitless exists is being sold some bullshit.
What I really think is what you said lol but wanted to see if anyone had any solid counters... which there don't really seem to be.
The most cost effective way is to buy in powder form. The only thing I feel safe taking long term is L-Theanine. Total game changer.
Out of total curiosity, what tangible effects did you realize after taking that?
I take L-Theanine as well and take it alongside caffeine. Caffeine alone gives me energy but jitters and a big crash. Combining caffeine with L-Theanine gives me the same energy but without the jittery ness, so it’s a noticeably smoother energy / focus. Crash is also much more manageable too.
Its basically the stuff in tea that’s supposed to chill you out. I don’t really notice anything on its own but combined with caffeine it’s great.
Thinking about getting some. You take it every day?
Have tried a couple and they did literally nothing. A cup of coffee will do just fine.
I know nothing about alternative substances that are good for the mind but I would be interested in finding out more about them.
Modafinil/provigil is the best one imo
Modafinil is not a nootropic though, it's a stimulant whose mechanism of action simply differs from methylphenidate (Ritalin) or amphetamines (Adderall).
I bought some from an online pharmacy. Didn't really feel any effects. Maybe it was counterfeit. But no effect....
costco always has focus factor on sale
has that worked well for you?
hard to tell...no side effects tho.
Maybe a hot take, but quit porn and masturbation entirely if you haven't already. I have the most intense and vivid dreams since I stopped and feel way more in touch with my emotions and people around me in general. Probably something to do with your brain's dopaminergic system being back to normal and not downregulated to hell from overstimulation as with most people's brains these days.
how does this differ from sex? I always questioned people who say to abstain from masturbating but not fucking
If you use food as an analogue, sex is like real, natural fruits and vegetables, while masturbating to porn is like eating highly refined sugar and candy. It's been proven that porn acts as a superstimulus to the brain. The people producing porn know what they're doing, and they produce content in such a way that it exceeds the normal sexual stimulus that would be found through real sex, which causes your brain to become desensitized over time to normal sexual stimulus. That's why you hear about people needing more and more weird/extreme stuff to get off. The industry's lobbyists have tried to convince mainstream society that these "fetishes" and hyper-specific sexual tastes that people acquire through porn is just a healthy behavior of people exploring their sexual tastes, but the reality is these extreme tastes are completely fabricated by the ever-escalating nature of porn addiction and dopamine receptor desensitization.
There is a valid argument to be made that masturbating without porn to just your imagination is just fine, but It's been shown that the state of satiety following orgasm causes a large release of the hormone prolactin, and elevated levels of prolactin cause a decrease in testosterone production in men. So if you're someone who's masturbating twice a day, you could imagine that your testosterone level literally would never have time to recover. (Think back to every article saying that most men these days have less testosterone than their father, grandfather, etc).
The above are all fairly empirical claims with studies and data to back them up, but from a purely broscience perspective, I think porn and masturbation make your body and brain think that it's accomplished something when in reality you haven't. By allowing yourself the instant gratification of easy access to sexual release, your brain is conditioned to not put forth the effort of flirting, developing real bonds with women, and developing the actual social/relationship skills that would normally be required for a person to be able to have sex. Anecdontal evidence from forums like nofap have people claiming that their voices became deeper and their confidence actually significantly improved after they quit porn.
Maybe on some level, the brain detects that it's not getting sex, so it starts pulling out all the stops in order to maximize sexual attractiveness and proficiency, but porn keeps you complacent. Again though, these last two points are purely speculative.
on r/nootropics and r/supplements you'll find that NAC has a lot of support. I found it really helpful for concentration (the effects were definitely noticeable). Only problem is that it affected my sleep so I stopped taking it. Some say it helps with anxiety.
I also pair L-Theanine with caffeine and it seems to help
Affected my sleep as well. Jarrows L-Theanine is pretty good.
I just tried phenibut for the first time last week before an internship interview with a search fund and it worked wonders. Got a call this morning and I got the offer, and I can say 100% that I would not have without it. It’s amazing as a mood/confidence booster and basically gives you the same confidence as when you’re drunk minus the impairment. Makes everything feel more meaningful and optimistic. just felt a lot more clear headed and articulate overall. I know personally my mood can affect my motivation and productivity greatly, but it’s not something that you can take every day because there is a risk of addiction. I’d highly recommend it for important networking events/interviews etc. I’ve also found that microdosing ~20ug of LSD in the morning has a lot of the same stimulating effects as adderall but with an added sense of well being. Not for everybody tho. Definitely do some more research before you try either of these things
where did you purchase?
Google, Reddit. You have to import it. You probably shouldn't use phenibut though, the effective dose changes from person to person, it's way more addictive than meth or coke, and a phenibut withdrawal will lead you to experience crushing depression like no other chemical compound.
^dont listen to these guys lol you don’t have to order from sketchy overseas websites or anything. I got mine from nootropicsdepot.com (which I’m pretty sure is based in the US) and it arrived in 2 days. Like I said, like any substance there is a potential for addiction but not any more so than alcohol or nicotine. Definitely would not compare it to meth. If you have a history of struggling with addiction and just no self control then maybe it’s not for you, but as long as you commit to using it only for important things like interviews or days where you can’t bring yourself to be productive otherwise, you’ll be fine.
Noots are bullshit, take ephedrine. It's illegal to get it in pure form in the states bc it can be used to make meth lol, but go to any pharmacy and ask for Bronkaid or Primatene over the counter. Its like 85-90% ephedrine and works just as well. Combine it with caffeine and you'll be surprised how well it works. Its called an EC stack a lot of body builders use it (check out r/bodybuilding to read more about it). Add yohimbe too if your feeling frisky.
take the niacin pill
Coke.
But actually- pretty funny listening to people speak about all these stacks and complicated formulas etc. etc. then talk about how it does this and that. TBH just sounds like most illegal drugs in small doses
Here's a great product I'd recommend:
https://noobru.com/
;)
please elaborate
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