Is it, though? I ask because my father smoked himself to death and the only time I ever saw him breathe deeply was when he inhaled on a cigarette. I wonder how much the deep breathing part of smoking produces the feeling of calm. Apart from the need to get a fix because of the physical addition. First it "relaxes" you, and then you can't relax without it. In the end, it can't truly be a stress reliever because it actually exacerbates stress and anxiety.
It is actually, cigarettes can be very calming to an agitated person, knowing you can pop out for a smoke and fizzle some cyclic thought away is a comfort quite often. My mom got lung cancer from smoking, even at the end she said that cigarettes where her "friends in a way". She had a great fear of dementia and she played the odds well, passed at 70, no dementiia But clearly it's swings and roundabouts, as the health toll grows, emphysema is a big alarm bell for many.
I fall to sleep easy but sometimes i feel my cortisol spikes at around 3 am. what I do is up go to my meditation room. meditate for 20-30 mins. When i mediate i just think of me sleeping, go back to bed and sleep like a rock.
Since you know much more about this stuff than I ever will, what is your take on a leucine supplement? It may have nothing to do with sleep, but my understanding is that it is the prime activator of protein synthesis. And I'm guessing that my daily intake only reaches the lower rung or thereabouts of the daily requirement since I eat very little meat. My only concern is that leucine stimulates mTORC1, a pathway that promotes protein synthesis but also plays a role in cancer cell survival and growth. Any thoughts here on the benefits and the risks? And if you are for taking such a supplement, what supplement dosage would you recommend? I ask because some supplement companies suggest 5 grams a day, while other recommend 3 grams.
I would take a BCAA supplement. Take it two hours before/after a meal. Do not take with glutamine. Well, never take supplemental glutamine.
Thanks for the reply. But wouldn't the leucine give more bang for the buck as it relates to muscle growth? Also, why would you time it so far apart from a meal? But what about the supposed heightened cancer risk? As to glutamine supplementation, my understanding is that it has all the benefits of a maximum strength placebo.
To avoid taking leucine with glutamine from food. It's not an issue. The only rationale for supplementing glutamine (not your question) would be IBS/UC and it's a risk there as well (C). Generally take leucine with a meal.
Just bought this: Interestingly, the directions on this container recommend a single daily dose of 3 grams, whereas some other brands suggest 5 grams. Since I'm not a big guy, I figure 3 grams added to my existing dietary intake ought to be sufficient. Please let me know if you think differently. And while on the subject, I could have sworn that Little Richard wrote a song about leucine... But it seems I was mistaken.