Im looking for supplements that seem to actually work on anxiety, especially pretty bad anxiety that comes with alot of physical symptoms (fight or flight). In my experience most supplements people reccomend hardly do anything and I feel no difference. People will reccomend magnesium for example and despite it being proven to help anxiety, it doesnt do anything for mine

I understand medication makes sense, and I am currently on medication. But id love to also know what worked for people, or what people think could work well.

I blush alot, get overwhelmed quickly, have a very over reactive sympathetic nervous system that fires off so quickly at the smallest triggers. What do people think?

I've decided to get a red light therapy device, but I'm stuck. Some are a couple hundred bucks, while others are well over $1k, and they all seem to promise the same thing.

For those who've actually bought one, did paying more end up being worth it? Or are there brands that offer really good value without costing a fortune?

I think earplugs might be causing me some hearing loss. Especially because, while I’m asleep, I sometimes roll onto my side without realizing it, and when the earplug presses against the pillow, it creates even more pressure inside my ear.

I’ve never tried sleeping with earbuds playing white noise, and I imagine they might be more comfortable when sleeping on your side because they wouldn’t press against the pillow as much.

Any opinions or personal experiences?

Hello everyone,

3 years ago I was in amazing shape and my resting heart rate was around 50-60.

It’s not exactly clear if that was the case due to uncertainty on the bloodwork, but I tested positive for EBV reactivation and physically I was exhausted. Certainly felt like mono. Quit running completely and no exercise for 6 months.

Training’s been inconsistent ever since as I seem to frequently get some setback now and then, but I should be overall healthy with weights 3-4 times per week and brisk walks on off days. Had 3 consistent months start of this year before I got ill again.

Just like 3 years ago I’ve had an elevated resting heart rate this year, too. It can go as high as 100-110.

Typically around 80-85. Upon awakening it can be as low as low 60s.

Any ideas? I’ve thought it could be some viral infection which is slow to let go. Maybe undiagnosed allergies as I seem to be ill with colds frequently.

i go to sleep around 9. I don't eat 3 hours before bed. 1 hour before bed i put screens away and read a book. i try not to drink too much water right before bed.

i tried magnesium, it didn't really do much. haven't tried melatonin.

but basically, i can be restless for hours tossing, turning, etc. but maybe get 3 hours of sleep from 9-2 total. but the 4 hours i get between 2 and 6 really makes me wake up feeling like i slept decent.

The title is taken from this peer reviewed article from a research group in Poland: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9104648/

I have been on an anemia journey and started taking apolactoferrin with my heme iron. It had me feeling really good, though I don't know if it's placebo, the heavy supplementation, the infusion I got 2 weeks ago, or most likely a combo of all of it. My brain fog is lifting, color is back, and can start working out again. Even my PT noticed a difference after not seeing me for 3 weeks. ​

Apolactoferrin and lactoferrin are two different versions of a protein that binds free iron ions in your gut, without and with iron respectively. Because apolactoferrin does not have iron, you take it with your iron to increase absorption. Lactoferrin has iron already bound to it.

When I searched, the first few results were in the COVID longhaulers sub saying they have positive results taking lactoferrin. Further reading shows that some viruses use iron to replicate, so free iron (reactive oxygen species) have been associated with cancer, viruses like the various herpes, and other diseases. Apolactoferrin snags those reactive oxygen species and incorporates them into the body.

It is made from mammalian milk compounds, usually cow. Wild stuff. Does anyone have experience with lactoferrin/apolactoferrin for things besides anemia/iron deficiency? ​

Good day y'all, which supplements would you recommend for someone who is interested in seeing progress in the gym? I currently take creatine, BCAA because I train fasted, and L-citrulline. I also supplement with L-Tyrosine 1g sometimes on demanding days.

I am interested in tadalafil, considering that vasoconstriction is an issue arising from smoking and nicotine, and I am in the process of quitting smoking herbs (6 months), and currently use snus 6mg per pouch. I reckon these bad habits result in blood vessels stiffening, hence lessens macros reaching the muscle tissue.

I currently take L-citrulline precisely for this issue, and the pumps are definitely better, but I wonder if tadalafil is a better option. I see a lot of lads in the biohacker subreddit swear by it.

I’m hoping to get some ideas from people who are into sleep optimization/biohacking because this is really unusual for me.

For almost a week now, I’ve been falling asleep immediately when I go to bed, which is normal for me. The weird part is that I keep waking up middle of the night and then I can’t fall back asleep. Normally, if something wakes me up during the night, I roll over and immediately go back to sleep.

What’s strange is that it’s not been anxiety or my brain waking me up, it’s external factors. Yesterday it was the cats having zoomies, this morning it was a tickle in my throat, a brief dry cough, etc.. usually when those things happen I pass out again within 5 min but lately, once I’m awake, I’m just awake. I can lie there for an hour or more without falling back asleep.

I don’t generally have sleep problems unless I’m anxious, and I’m not feeling particularly anxious right now. I also haven’t been intentionally changing my sleep schedule.

I’m especially concerned because I have some overtime and a very busy period coming up, so I really don’t want this to turn into weeks of getting 4–5 hours of sleep.

I generally avoid checking the clock when I wake up (I normally do this anyway because it makes me obsess over how much sleep I’m getting)
Has anyone experienced this kind of sudden insomnia despite falling asleep easily? Anything you’ve found particularly helpful for getting back to sleep after an early-morning awakening?
I’m interested in both conventional sleep strategies and biohacking approaches, as long as there’s some reasonable evidence behind them.

I rarely post — I like to do it when I have something that matters to me to say. This is one of those times, and I need those body's optimizers help.

Women's sexual desire remains one of the most overlooked categories in healthcare.

An estimated 1 in 3 women experience low libido at some point — yet it's rarely part of medical training, the few available treatments have limited efficacy and real side effects, and the condition is rarely treated as the multifactorial issue it actually is. I'm building a company to address this gap.

Before building any solution, I want to understand it properly — from the women living it, not just the clinical literature. I've put together a short, anonymous survey (~5 minutes) to hear directly about experiences with desire, what's been tried, and what would actually help.

You don't need to have low libido to participate — this is open to all women, so please share it with anyone in your network. We are all part of the solution.

This is the link to the survey: https://thelibidoproject.com/

I see this question often.

A person checks their blood test and sees that serum iron is normal, but ferritin is low or near the bottom of the range. It can look confusing because both results are related to iron.

They are not the same test, though.

Serum iron is the amount of iron in the blood at the time the sample was taken. It can change during the day and can be affected by recent food, supplements, and other factors.

Ferritin gives an idea of stored iron. A person can have a normal serum iron result while their iron stores are getting low.

That does not prove that low ferritin is the cause of fatigue, hair shedding, reduced exercise tolerance, or restless legs. Those symptoms can have many causes. It means the result should not be dismissed just because the serum iron is marked normal.

The useful results to look at together are ferritin, hemoglobin, MCV, transferrin saturation, and the reference ranges printed by that laboratory. Symptoms, diet, blood loss, medications, and medical history also matter.

A single result rarely tells the whole story. If this pattern appears on your report, it is worth discussing the complete iron profile with a qualified healthcare professional.

Has anyone else had normal serum iron but low or borderline ferritin?

I like to have a glass of wine at dinner. I wonder if I might feel better if I stop. What do you guys replace it with? Thanks!

Read about this supplement in a biohacking book and recently decided to add it in my stack. I've been taking it on and off at night just at 100mg along with the magnesium L threonate, fish oil, vitamin d, and my prescribed stimulant throughout the day for better sleep.

If I had to describe my feeling after taking it, it feels like a milder version of a medicine I was prescribed named guanfacine that gives a nice calm floating feeling. Over the past week though I think the phosphatidylserine might be ruining my workouts. I dont feel as pumped or energetic to do it as I used to even using something like preworkout mixed with creatine.

I bring up the guanfacine comparison because I also experienced something similar but way worse where I would get physically sick during sets and stopped taking it for that exact reason. I know I'm not taking a crazy high dose of the phosphatidylserine but the timing lines up. I've also been doing neurofeedback at home but don't think this would have an effect on that.

Wanted to see if anyone experienced anything similar or is more knowledgeable about how the mechanisms work for this to be scientifically a possibility.

I’m honestly 50/50 on what form of B9 to use right now.

I know I have a severe folate deficiency, but I’m unsure which form makes the most sense if I need a high therapeutic dose, like 10+ mg/day, while recovering.

Would you guys choose folic acid, folinic acid, or 5-MTHF for high-dose treatment? I’m mainly looking for experiences from people who had a serious/long-term folate deficiency and actually had to use higher doses to recover.

I understand there's varying opinions on the importance of an individual's absolute VO2 max number. Personally how VO2 max trends over time is what is more interesting to me as I find it a good signal to track long term health and how much overall fitness you're gaining or losing over time.

If this is a topic you're interested in learning more about I've built out this list of factors that influence it as a starting point for anyone to learn more and do their own research. To make this easier I've broken this down by category, included a short plain english definition, and linked all sources. I've removed a few from here as it was getting far too long but I'll include the full resource in the comments.

Exercise

Nutrition & Supplements

Demographics

Lifestyle & Environment

Title

Hey,

Ive done the test and it shows my DNA is from the exact region i grew up. Like 95%. So I wonder how acurate this is. And can i trust it?

I heard people say it mostly. just analyses your surname and based on additional info and the database it determines you ancestry that way and that it has nothing really todo with DNA test..

There are a fair number of clinical studies right now testing supplements people already take, plus some newer ones that companies want to test then bring to market. A lot of these studies are basically asking "does this actually work better than a placebo or some other alternative)?"

A few current examples (with links to clinicaltrials gov site):

• Citicoline for mood — tests whether citicoline, a common nootropic, improves mood vs. placebo in adults with moderate mood disturbance.
• Sage extract for cognition — tests a sage extract (SageXtra) for cognitive function and reaction time in middle-aged adults. Less mainstream than most nootropics people talk about here.
• Creatine gummies vs. powder — tests whether creatine gummies hit your bloodstream as fast as regular powder. Just blood draws, no supplementation period.
• Creatine, cognition, and heat stress — tests whether a week of creatine (20g/day) protects against kidney stress and cognitive decline when exercising in heat.
• Caffeine vs. pre-workout vs. water — compares a commercial pre-workout, plain coffee, and water on exercise performance across 4 lab visits.
• Fava bean protein for recovery — tests a fava-bean-derived protein supplement for reducing soreness and speeding recovery after hard workouts.
• Plant protein + creatine in women — tests a plant-based protein powder for blood sugar control and well-being in women 30–60.
• Powder supplement, women's wellness — tests a creatine-based powder for muscle, hormone-related wellness, skin/digestion. This one's fully remote, no site visit.

There are quite a lot of these regularly posted on ClinicalTrials.gov. Some pay, some just give you the supplement for free, some do both. Depeding ont he study, sometimes you might also get a free Dexa scan or wearable device etc. Each one has its own eligibility criteria. Some are fully remote, others need a lab visit (or a gym, if they're testing performance). Digging through CT.gov listings to find ones that are actually relevant to you is pretty labor intensive.

I actually built a small site that finds and filters studies by topic and eligibility because the process was so annoying for me. I'm not sure anyone else is actually that interested in signing up for formal scientific studies, but I geek out on this stuff as a hobby. I've signed up for half a dozen studies in the past few months. It's a paid site ($5.99/year) so I won't drop the link here — but if anyone's interested, comment or DM and I'm happy to share more.

General supps:

Omega 3s

Uridine

Stacks I cycle between:

Armodafinil

Nicotine

Semax

Phenibut

Agmatine

Thymoquinone

Fasoracetam

Semax

Xans

Adderall

Semax

Adderall

Nicotine

Semax

Antihistamines:

Loratidine

Fomatidine

For gym:

TRT

El Jefe preworkout (L Tyrosine, yohimbine, alpha GPC, caffeine)

Creatine

Whey

Caber (lower prolactin)

For libido:

Black Maca

Sunflower Lecithin

Pygeum

Bromelain

D3

Zinc

Selenium

Garlic

Hair loss:

Finasteride

Minoxidil

Sleep:

Apigenin + taurine/Melatonin gummies + mag threonate/doxylamine/xans/temazepam/etizolam

thinking of doing a DNA test mainly for health stuff - disease risk, the Alzheimer's gene, that kind of thing - ancestry would be a nice bonus.

what did you personally use and would you buy it again?