Nootropics: Sharpening Brain Cognition
*Disclaimer: Please do your own homework for the following nootropics below.*
I will tie up my experimentations for nootropics for the year 2021.
"Natural" Nootropics
Inverted commas because technically we ground coffee beans and use advanced agricultural techniques to get the best out of the following.
All the below is very safe so feel free to try out.
- Gyokuro Green Tea
Contains caffeine and L-theanine.
Results in a steady, relaxed focus.
https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Gyokuro-Green-Loose-Product/dp/B0924TKBSJ - Korean Ginseng (a.k.a. Panax Ginseng)
The ginseng contains ginsenosides which are supposed to boost vitality.
Different people have different results from this.
It boosts my energy levels personally.
I highly recommend the powder form to mix with hot water instead of capsules or the natural root form.I drink this brand:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079MNQXLF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - Bulletproof Coffee
Mix coffee with butter and MCT oil or coconut oil
Avoids caffeine spike and keeps you alert longer
Intermediate Nootropics
- MindLab Pro
Excellent with no noticeable, negative side effects for me.
I usually take this for one week and cool off for a few days to prevent tolerance.
Meaning the effects get less noticeable. - Performance Lab for Sleep
I have been taking this to help with sleep.
It's natural and NOT anything like sleeping pills.
Advanced Nootropics
I have found armodafinil to be the safest, powerful nootropic when you really need to get things done.
Personally, it feels better to take one pill (150mg) of armodafinil compared to drinking a few cups of coffee.
It gives you a clean, sharp focus for many hours.
You may have heard of modafinil.
Modafinil is a racemic mixture (equal amounts) of two enantiomers, armodafinil ((R)-modafinil) and esmodafinil ((S)-modafinil).
Enantiomers are chemical compounds that are mirror images of one another.
Think of them like your left hand and right hand.
Almost the same but cannot be superimposed.
Taking the pure armodafinil ((R)-modafinil) has personally been better for me.
Better in terms of
- The smoothness at which my focus comes on
- The focus feels cleaner - not sure about how to describe this
- The focus lasts longer
*Note: Please Read*
Avoid taking armodafinil/modafinil on consecutive days.
I recommend limiting the intake of armodafinil/modafinil to 1-2 days in a single week.
Don't drink alcohol when taking armodafinil/modafinil.
There are some possible adverse reactions from taking armodafinil/modafinil even though it's rare.
https://www.rxlist.com/consumer_armodafinil_nuvigil/drugs-condition.htm
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This reminds a bit of when I increased server capacity very early during this website's life: I was so focused on speed and technical specs that I lost sight of what really mattered, and wasted time and money and something that had little benefits.
The backend is really complex.
This is why Netflix pays USD 300k annually to attract top software engineers.
There're lots of engineers managing the backend of WhatsApp for example.
It's incredibly tiresome for a single person to do that.
Maybe if this website grows to Facebook size, then these requirements need to be considered.
Otherwise, a managed service really takes the load off.
From my limited experience building websites and mobile apps.
Relevant article
https://www.quora.com/Why-does-Facebook-need-so-many-developers
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Thanks Matthew
Getting old and need a few more years in IT this will help.
Thank you for the update, Matthew! Very interesting and useful stuff
If you are in South Korea, it's cold and you've been straining your voice talking at nightclubs, I highly recommend Korean ginseng because
- It makes the body feel warm
- It gives energy
- It's famous in South Korea
It's raining and cold over here.
And I'm about to do voice practice.
So I made a cup of Korean ginseng tea.
And I thought I should share.
Thank you for the tips mate!
Quote from Matthew Whitewood on December 30, 2021, 9:43 amIt's raining and cold over here.
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I suppose you're not in Singapore?
I was checking Singapore to fly in and was thinking we could have had some food or something. But Singapore closed its "no quarantine scheme" thing.
The world is gone mad again with the restrictions, hopefully will be over this soon.
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I'm on armodafinil now :).
I want to finish reading the book Psychology of Habits.
Really good man, I always thought CBT and habits overlapped, and this book talks about it.
I realised making an effective course on the basics of social dynamics involves
- Social Dynamics - What are the basics of social behaviour, making friends, etc?
- Cognition (cognitive psychology) - How do people think about social dynamics?
I'm focusing on the first point.
Still reading up on the second point for inspiration.
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I suppose you're not in Singapore?
I was checking Singapore to fly in and was thinking we could have had some food or something. But Singapore closed its "no quarantine scheme" thing.
The world is gone mad again with the restrictions, hopefully will be over this soon.
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A pleasant message right after meditating.
Always keen man, always keen.
I may have exaggerated what cold and raining means.
It's cold and raining for Singapore standards.
25°C in the daytime LOL.
Basically not cold at all for global standards.
I'm in Singapore.
I'm disappointed about the travel restrictions.
Sometimes I try to keep up with the travel information stuff.
Then give up and focus on remote working.
Man, I cannot tell you how much I loved backpacking continental Europe many years ago.
I had the Interrail pass and I could hop on the train anytime to go to another city.
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Awesome man, excited to see that course coming alive.
And about the weather, LOL, now I get everything's relative I suppose :D.
You did Interrail man, crazy.
Interrails were a craze with the younger and alternative crowd when I was in high school.
It was the dream of the backpack and freedom and adventure, but you needed to have some courage to put that back on and live on the go. So it was a bragging right to say "I've done the Interrail".
Did some of those back in the days, trying to push my comfort zone.