Overview
Nootropics are substances designed to boost your cognition and improve your efficiency at daily tasks. In general, any product that boosts brain abilities (e.g., memory, concentration, critical thinking) is considered a nootropic.
However, you need to choose these substances carefully. Getting a cheap supplement that makes unreasonable claims will most likely offer you no benefits. In fact, there is a chance that it may harm you. For this reason, you need to select high-quality supplements that follow strict regulations during the production process.
In this article, we will cover the benefits offered by nootropics and give you a few examples to help you boost your cognition and live a more fulfilling life.
The benefits of nootropics
Optimizes mood
Today, millions of people suffer from mood swings that negatively affect their personal and professional life. While you may think it’s your fault, it is way more complex than this. The different structures of the brain (e.g., hippocampus) play a vital role in mood regulation. Therefore, nootropics can help.
Here are a few nootropics that help with optimizing mood:
L-Theanine – This nootropic modulates alpha brainwaves, which induces a state of relaxation. Researchers also found that this substance lower resting heart rate, contributing to mood regulation.
Bacopa Monnieri – This nootropic sharpens mental performance and dampens stress. The best part? It doesn’t cause any sedating side effects.
Lion's Mane Mushroom – Researchers found that this mushroom increases the concentration of nerve growth factor (NGF). As a result, it gives you a sense of peace and mood balance. Additionally, there is some evidence that supports Lion’s Mane's positive effects on anxiety and depression.
Enhances memory
Having a good memory is crucial for your daily life and work. Statistics found that people with a higher-than-average memory capacity are more likely to get promoted in their careers. The good news is that a good memory is not genetically-bound. With a good choice of nootropics and enough practice, you can sharpen your memory to impressive levels.
The primary chemical that regulates brain activity is acetylcholine. Therefore, any nootropic that increases the concentration of this neurotransmitter or improves cellular sensitivity to its actions will inadvertently enhance your memory.
Here are a few nootropics that fit this description:
Phosphatidylserine (PS) – Researchers found that PS helps with short-term and long-term memory. It also improves information recall and other types of memory. This is one of the most effective nootropics in enhancing memory.
Citicoline – Studies found that citicoline (i.e., CDP choline) optimizes memory performance in elderly adults. The possible mechanisms include increasing brain energy and regenerating nerve cells. (insert a link to the future article)
Vitamin B6 – This vitamin leads to considerable improvement of memory and cognition. Make sure to opt for the active form of vitamin B6 (insert a link to the future article).
N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine – NALT acts on the working memory to aid you in multitasking settings. It also helps with anxiety and stress. (insert a link to the future article)
Boosts energy
Nootropics are a great way to boost your energy without relying on stimulants. This way, you won’t have to deal with the stim-related side effects.
Some of the mechanisms that explain the energizing properties of nootropics include:
- Optimize blood flow to the brain and boost glucose concentration for more energy.
- Improve the performance of mitochondria in nerve cells to increase ATP production.
- Create a shield against negative emotions, including stress and anxiety.
- Tune brain waves to the alpha frequency. This is associated with wakeful relaxation.
Note that the brain is the biggest consumer of energy in the body. By itself, the brain consumes 20% of your daily caloric expenditure. Undergoing further cognitive strains will further increase this rate.
As you can deduce, supplying the brain with enough energy is indispensable for optimal performance.
Nootropics with evidence-based benefits for energy include:
Citicoline – There are hundreds of research papers that support CDP choline’s effects on energy. According to one study, CDP choline increases brain energy metabolism by up to 13.6%.
Rhodiola Rosea – This substance stimulates nerve cells to synthesize more ATP. It also lowers fatigue induced by stress.
Vitamin B12 – Vitamin B12 is the go-to substance for improving brain energy metabolism. However, you need to purchase the active form of this vitamin.
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L-Tyrosine – Another great option for boosting brain energy; L-tyrosine helps with boosting cognition even when you’re sleep-deprived.
Increases attention
Attention refers to the ability to stay focused on a single task without getting distracted by surrounding stimuli. The duration of focus needs to be long; otherwise, we’ll be dealing with attention deficit.
Taking nootropics to improve attention probably aims to support performance in studying, working, or competing.
Nootropics can actually help with multiple aspects of attention, including:
- Focused attention – This describes the ability to focus on a specific sensory stimulus.
- Selective attention – Staying focused on a single stimulus while ignoring background distractions.
- Alternating attention – Being able to switch from one task to another without performance decline.
Here are the best nootropics for attention boosting:
L-Tyrosine – Tyrosine is a precursor of many brain chemicals that boost attention and memory.
Citicoline – Showing up another time on our list, CDP choline improves attention performance in older and younger people.
L-Theanine – By raising alpha brain waves, L-theanine can be an effective tool for improving attention.
Disclaimer
If you suffer from any chronic medical condition that alters metabolism (e.g., kidney disease, liver disease), make sure to speak with your primary care physician before taking any of these supplements.
Takeaway message
Nootropics offer significant benefits for people when it comes to cognition, memory, concentration, and brain energy. Taking these supplements on a regular basis can improve your personal relationships and boost your career. Make sure you opt for high-quality supplements to avoid scammers.
We hope that this article managed to highlight the potential benefits of nootropics and how they could change a person’s life.
If you have any questions, concerns, or previous experiences with nootropics, please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
