Why I Recommend Cycling and Personal Monitoring of Supplement and Nootropics

The human body is incredibly adaptive. You can change your body’s reaction to different stressors by repeated exposure or increasing the intensity ie; exercise variations.  However when it comes to supplements and nootropics to sustain the benefits I recommend pulsing on and off.

Generally if I prescribe a supplement, it is exactly that - it is there to bolster upgraded changes to the diet and lifestyle, either whilst the body adapts to these changes, for example a sleep elixir to provide assistance to sleep hygiene whilst the individual gradually identifies or works on other contributors to their sleep deprivation or the supplement may be given to fill gaps in an inadequate dietary intake or current state of ill-health.  In the nootropic scenario, individuals should have their base foundations ticked and the nootropic is taken to improve performance in your chosen direction, ideally without negative side effects.  

Cycling both supplements and nootropics will allow you to get the most out of your supplements, your body and your wallet!

Supplement pulsing includes taking your supplement for a set amount of time, usually an initial period of three months and then having a prescribed time off the supplement and noticing the effects that occur once you have ceased.  If you feel great, then stay off that supplement until things slant downwards.  If they don’t, then perhaps your body has been bolstered enough and you no longer require that supplement.  If you notice negative side effects from withdrawing the supplement from your regime you can then slowly titrate the supplement dose until you feel positive effects again.  I suggest that you stay with that dose for a period of seven to twelve weeks and then pull it out and re-test your response again.  Don’t just stay endlessly on supplements.  Keep playing the game!

Should you pulse all supplements?

I personally and professionally suggest a cycle on/off of all supplements, even your protein powder.  Of course there are individual caveats to this but on the whole - taking an occasional break or cycle off from daily supplementing should help sustain the efficacy of your supplement and reduce the risk of a tolerance buildup.  

I recommend cycling foods seasonally, macronutrient cycling, changing your exercise loading scheme via weight variables, set, rep and tempo changes with the addition of dynamic exercise choices.  I do see anecdotal evidence that the body responds well to some constants, including sleep time and duration, be that as it may a variation that occasionally supports other key health factors can be advantageous.  

When we are looking at enhancing performance via nootropics the dreaded topic of tolerance needs to be discussed.  Tolerance essentially means that the body, through a number of biological adaptations lessens the effectiveness of a substance over time.  To understand and to negotiate our way through this the principal of homeostasis needs to be understood.  Familiar homeostatic mechanisms include fluid balance, temperature control, blood pressure, hunger/energy balance and neurotransmitter balance.  

In the nootropic discussion, receptor down regulation, an increase in degrading enzymes (such as MAOs’ removal of norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine in the brain) or a decrease in release of neurotransmitter from a neuron are all examples of homeostatic control.  Basically continually use of a nootropic can lead to tolerance and a reduced effect.   

Here is the example of coffee taken from an exert on the net;

“Constant use of caffeine eventually results in habituation to its acute effects. It no longer gives you that energy you so crave. But taken a step further, you may find that you’ll need caffeine to simply feel normal.

Consider caffeine’s mechanism of action as an adenosine antagonist. Caffeine binds to adenosine receptors in the brain and by doing so regulates wakefulness and makes us feel drowsy. Caffeine crosses the blood brain barrier and effectively takes the place of some adenosine but crucially doesn’t send the “drowsy” signal. Essentially, caffeine blocks adenosine from performing its job and subjectively you’ll feel awake, motivated and energetic.

Over a long enough period, the body gets wise to this and up regulates adenosine receptors to compensate.

Within a few weeks the body has caught up to the deficit in adenosine and has a normal amount of adenosine binding to receptors. The problem now is that when you stop caffeine consumption, excess adenosine will bind to receptors, making you feel drowsier.

The end result can be that you’re now in a situation where you require the caffeine simply to maintain normal levels of adenosine binding in the brain”.

This is why it is crucial to pulse or cycle timing of all nootropics, nutrients and stimulants.  The schedule I run to particularly with stimulants is 3-4 times per week.  I run coQ10, gynostemma, mushroom powders, activated B’s, collagen and creatine, zinc and fish oils 5 times per week.  I personally like to take weekends off with L-theanine, gaba and Lions Mane.  Many nootropic masters recommend 3-4 weeks on then one week off ratio or even 4 months on and 1 month off ratio.  It is all very individual.  

It is no different to exercise - you need to build in a complete recovery phase.  You need to “de-load” on a regular basis allowing your muscles and nervous system to completely recuperate from regular, rigorous training.

Pay attention to your body’s reactions, observing early signs your body exhibits and then react appropriately.  You are and should be in control of your health - always listening to the wisdom of your body.