Yet another ZMA Convo

[thastartof]

So after reading about ZMA the other day I decided after all the positive reviews I might as well try it. Last night was my second night and I have to admit if anything it had helped my sleep, This could be a placebo effect atthis point but the past two nights I have been sleeping great. I usually cant get to sleep and wake up many times at night but the past two nights I get to sleep quickly and wake up well rested. I am groggy at first but once I get to work at 6 I'm wide awake. I've actually been able to survive of 2 cups of coffee when I usually drink 6. I'm waiting to see if this effect last. I hope it does. What do yall think

[crunchfit]

Just letting you know that ZMA studies haven't actually shown any increase in strength or muscle mass. Check Google Scholar.

[stevenXD]

Just letting you know that ZMA studies haven't actually shown any increase in strength or muscle mass. Check Google Scholar.

Neither will a multivitamin but that's not the reason behind taking it...

[crunchfit]

Neither will a multivitamin but that's not the reason behind taking it...

Why would you take ZMA then?

Considering most people would buy a multi before ZMA, you aren't going to have a zinc or magnesium deficiency, so I don't see the benefit.

[most_dedicated]

zma isnt that great, a waste of money for me :/ it even made it harder for me to sleep for some reason

[PalmtreeCo]

I find that a simple Zinc-Magnesium from my local pharmacy for 9.99 220 tabs gave me the same result in term of sleep improvement...

[SimLive]

Why would you take ZMA then?.

Better sleep ?

[crunchfit]

Better sleep ?

I've heard about crazy dreams but I'm not sure about the quality of sleep being enhanced. I haven't seen any studies about ZMA and sleep quality.

[SimLive]

I've heard about crazy dreams but I'm not sure about the quality of sleep being enhanced. I haven't seen any studies about ZMA and sleep quality.

Well two users in this thread have experience it, and if u google it you'll find many others on various forums reporting the same.
I think people are assuming better sleep quality by less interrupted sleep and feeling better in the day..

[stevenXD]

Why would you take ZMA then?

Considering most people would buy a multi before ZMA, you aren't going to have a zinc or magnesium deficiency, so I don't see the benefit.

-The magnesium and zinc content of multi's are usually low and remember you only absorb a fraction of the stated amount, even the with the better ones.

-Much better sleep, very obvious to most users and i originally got a zma for the zinc only and had no expectations so placebo isn't possible.
For me when i only get 6 hours of sleep it makes a hell of a difference.

-Crazy, vivid dreams. Just a couple of days ago i dreamed i was in a lethal weapon movie, getting shot at while running through a fire escape carrying suitcases for some reason followed by a car chase where i was firing that revolver from COD5, the car then drove of a pier into the sea where i shot some south african guy underwate. Mel gibson died and it ended with me, danny glover and joe pesci in the middle of the ocean on an inflatable raft having a barbecue with a song playing i've never heard before . One of the bizarre ones but you get the point.

-I get ZMK (the best zma imo) for 7 GBP each so it's worth it imo.

-It is NOT a test booster but it COULD in theory help keep your hormone levels up to what they should be, either by the role of preventing/fixing a deficiency or by greater hormone release as it enables you to be in a deeper sleep for longer.

[thastartof]

Exactly, thats why I bought it was for better sleep quality, which for me is A. Getting to sleep B. Staying Asleep and C. Feeling rested after I have slept

So far it had completed all those except i've woken up both ngiths at 4 a.m. to pee but i get up at 5 for work so I think if I stop guzzleing water before bed i'll be fine. If any other things happen from use of the product awesome if not so what because this has solved one MAJOR problem for me which makes it worth the cost in my eyes... Also the dreams don't sound half bad because I havent dreamed in quite sometime (Said to be a sign of not deep enough sleep) and wouldnt mind having some again

[ptwa9]

you aren't going to have a zinc or magnesium deficiency

Really? Go check google yerself

[AirChair]

Really? Go check google yerself

Zinc and/or magnesium deficiency isn't really actually documented in the weightlifting community if I recall, and is by and large only hypothesized and weakly documented among endurance athletes based on their high-carb diets with low amounts of animal protein.

Conversely, strength athletes should rarely have a problem with these minerals, as they're found in large quantities in some of the most prevalent foods, being lean meats and nuts.

[Mr_Infuriated]

I take it for its sleep benefits and like a couple of guys have already said if you just get a zinc + magnesium supplement you will probably find that it also contains vit b6 also, its cheap as chips and has dramatically improved sleep for me.

[thastartof]

Last night was the third night on it had a very stressful event take place and didnt get to bed till late for me which was around 11. If I hadnt taken the stuff i would ahve been up all night

[ptwa9]

Zinc and/or magnesium deficiency isn't really actually documented in the weightlifting community if I recall, and is by and large only hypothesized and weakly documented among endurance athletes based on their high-carb diets with low amounts of animal protein.

Conversely, strength athletes should rarely have a problem with these minerals, as they're found in large quantities in some of the most prevalent foods, being lean meats and nuts.

Wtf?

http://www.newhope.com/nutritionscie...s1.cfm?path=ex
http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/magnesium-deficiency.htm
"Largescale American surveys and reviews of data implicate low dietary intake and serum levels of Mg in cardiovascular disease in the United States"

[AirChair]

Wtf?

http://www.newhope.com/nutritionscie...s1.cfm?path=ex
http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/magnesium-deficiency.htm
"Largescale American surveys and reviews of data implicate low dietary intake and serum levels of Mg in cardiovascular disease in the United States"

First off, any reference to 'athletes' in those links doesn't make the distinction between strength or endurance athletes, which is quite a critical difference given the varying diets between the two. I also said that the problem wasn't widely documented "among the strength community" as I could recall it, which is something that has yet to be shown. I haven't taken the time to view them in full, but I doubt the studies cited actually go into detail about the diets of the 'athletes' examined, which could be (dare I say, "is") the sole contributing factor to any mineral deficiency.

The other posts I've made on the topic of ZMA make multiple references to the findings on ZMA being little, if any, different from solo magnesium in a form with low bioavailability (magnesium oxide), which doesn't exactly back the claim that zinc deficiency is a common problem among lifters. If it were commonplace, ZMA would show a substantial performance improvement beyond just the magnesium component.

It's in no way a real testosterone booster as claimed, and is merely a mineral support supplement for anyone suffering from a magnesium deficiency. I still maintain that a proper gaining diet includes enough magnesium rich foods that it shouldn't be a problem.

But I'm not really up for debating the merits of ZMA. If it stops bumping this thread, I'll just concede that you're right and I made an error in my recollections regarding this supplement.

[ptwa9]

Well it's not much of a stretch that since studies show the general population has zinc & magnesium deficiencies that strength athletes, who tax these nutrients more, may have a deficiency as well. And yes, taking calmag or zinc+mag supplements may not be absorbed efficiently, but this doesn't negate that a deficiency is likely for most of the population.

And personally, I'd rather take some supplement, even if it's not absorbed well. The fact that it effects sleep, and it's just zinc & magnesium, shows that enough is absorbed to have physiological effects.

[thastartof]

Well didn't hit the sack until 4 a.m. last night took my ZMA anyways man I slept like a baby all the night and day. And last night the dreams started. I had about two or three crazy ones to. The best one is I was in a beach town at some car place my parents leave and tell me to stay put but no ones there my car is messed up but drivable and I wanna go party so I use the key less remote to unlock my car and at the same time a sports car next to mine unlocks I get in and take the sports car to the beach and start on girls and **** then I jump to heading to the beach with some friends who I don't know with a hugeeeeeee Inflatable floaty and I blow it up take off down some stairs fall bounce on the floaty into the water and almost drown but for some reason I starting breathing in the water no problem and go into the ocean but its a waterfall forther out and every one is just chillen lol

[ShNiGG]

Lol I didn't take ZMA last night but I ate a lot of Sunflower Kernels and they are a great source of zinc and magnesium. I had a dream that I was in X-men and all my friends had powers and the cops were trying to catch us. It was extremely vivid lol.

[Mike1991]

ZMA is awesome, I just take it for the dreams, like goin to the movies while I sleep

Also give me something to do during the day if im bored, just think of what the dreams meant and ****.

[webcke112]

I never noticed anything much when taking ZMA. Sleep didn't really get any better or worse, and never had any of the vivid dreams you hear some people talk about.

Might try some again soon.

[incubus08]

It's not cheap but not expensive by any means, got a 90 day supply for ~35 bucks