Nootropics ⯀  

Working as an entrepreneur is not easy and with today's internet and access to as much information as you need; it is a breeding zone for alpha entrepreneur conquerors. This brings much competition and long grueling hours where you have to be focused and hit targets.

There is simply no excuse for not taking advantage of any type of edge that will let you go beyond the normal person with standard cognitive capacity. Why be a regular joe when you can jump start your nerve activity to an Einstein level.

Related articles

• Is Modafinil The Limitless Brain-Enhancing Drug? 
• Are We Asking The Right Questions About Smart Drugs? 
• Smart Drug Proven to Enhance Cognition 

Dehydration from Diuretics

While recent research has told us that drinking coffee doesn't dehydrate you, most entrepreneurs pulling 12-16 hour days trying somehow to keep focused will definitely be killing espressos and urinating like they have been at happy hour for 6 hours.

This constant urination will keep you dehydrated as you will also be peeing out all the important minerals your body needs to retain to maintain any type of balance within the brain.

Not only will you look like a zombie because your skin cells need moisture and you are turning into a lizard, your immune system starts to take a beating as well. Your body is made up of 60% water and when you are dehydrated your cognitive status decreases at an alarming rate.

Electrolyte and sodium levels will be depreciated and your attention and memory are next to go. Dehydration affects short term memory, long term memory, and critical thinking such as simple arithmetic. The ability to hold and store information diminishes fast which has a direct impact on trying to remain focused for any time whatsoever to accomplish targets.

An Alternative to coffee and sodas would be a Nootropic such as Aniracetam. Aniracetam increases serotonin and dopamine in the prefrontal cortex area of the brain. The prefrontal cortex of the brain is in the frontal lobe and is a major player in the role of planning and executive functioning.

Just like an exec is in a company this functioning involves reason, logic, problem solving, planning, and memory These functions have a direct impact on attaining and pursuing goals, motivation, ambition, focus, attention. The increase in serotonin and dopamine relaxes and enables the ability drive these functions clearer with focus.

Excessive Diurnal Somnolence

Sleepiness and drowsiness during the day is a huge problem for a vast majority of the population. The many factors of our lives are changing our genetic makeup as we speak as well as hammering our adrenals and causing imbalances in the brain that can wreak havoc on our neurotransmitters.

Once you dive into the areas of this phenomenon you will find many different labels or diagnoses such as Chronic Fatigue, Snoring/Sleep Apnea, or just simply sleeping difficulties and insomnia. Everybody has sleeping problems at one point of their lives but if sleeping problems persist, then it can wreak havoc on your brain and ultimately any chance at having functional memory, focus, and energy.

For example, sleep apnea is one of those things that is really not discussed among young men but the secondary effects are detrimental to their bodies. OSA is when the upper airway is obstructed and causes more of an effort to breathe. The person that suffers from sleep apnea after a full night's sleep might wake up like he has ran a marathon and is very hard to climb out of the bed.

With the continual obstruction of the airway, it then creates cortical microarousals and decreased oxygen levels which leads to interrupted sleep and constant fight or flight episodes throughout the night. So, essentially after what would be a sleeping beauty rest for the normal person, the OSA sufferer wakes up like he has been running from a tiger all night long.

Just like chronic insomnia or having sleeping difficulties for a long time, OSA can cause long term problems in the brain that can increase or decrease neurotransmitter activity such as gaba and glutamate. The increase in glutamate then causes increased anxiety and hyperarousal in the brain which secondarily can give you anxiety and makes falling asleep even worse.

This then messes up circadian rhythm and then daytime drowsiness is in full force. The nootropic drug Modafinil, which is another name for the drug Provigil, causes wakefulness and was first introduced for the use against indications such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, sleep deprivation, and shift work sleep disorder.

Modafinil targets dopaminergic neurons in the hypothalamus of the brain and actually increases dopamine which can sufficiently increase happiness, concentration, and overall satisfaction. While the increase in glutamate is a problem for long term sufferers with sleep problems, the imbalance in the brain also affects dopamine. The increase in dopamine from modafinil can promote wakefulness during the day and help you get back into your routine again.

The main reason entrepreneurs would want to take Modafinil is because not only does it have the ability to increase productivity, mental endurance, and decision making; it also can help you get back on track with your sleeping while killing two birds with one stone.

Communication and Social Anxiety

If you are going to be a leader and the one to look up to in order to pitch that new product to that angel investor. Then there is no room for any type of anxiety, self doubt, or insecurities. When going up in front of a group of intimidating investors or any other leaders in any field; it can rattle anyone’s boots when you do not have a silver tongue.

Not only does social anxiety play out into presentations but it also can spill into the workplace. One of the many destructive factors of any company is lack of communication or leadership. If you cast any self doubt to your employees or even a competitor then this can present itself in other people losing respect for you or even losing a potential deal.

The Nootropic Phenibut has been used for anxiety, memory loss, and insomnia. Phenibut is a naturally occurring inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Gaba, just like dopamine and glutamate, have the potential to get out of whack from long term anxiety, sleep issues, or other stressors of life. When taking Phenibut it has been said that it immediately causes a sense of calm and sedating effects because of the binding properties in the brain.

Accelerating the Right Brain

The traditional approach to business is simply dead. The 9-5 father that gets in his station wagon with his suit, briefcase, and then slowly dies everyday in his cubicle is gone. We are now left with not only the acceptance of a young 20- something without a degree wearing a t-shirt running a fortune 500 company, but the continuing evolution of technology and everyday some new software hitting the market changing our lives.

The ability to access and wire into your right brain will conquer the competition by allowing for the ability to think above and beyond while doing things effectively and nonlinear. Most traditional ways of doing business is going by logic, numbers and graphs to come to a conclusion.

When having the ability to access both hemispheres effectively, then you are opening doors to more things than spreadsheets and numbers. Thinking outside the box allows for you to generate ideas looking from different angles and allowing for different approaches to pay attention to other aspects that are beyond an equation.

Also in relationships with your co-workers and also potential investors, the ability to crack into the right brain will give you an edge on intuition and foresight that analytical thinkers have difficult times understanding. Tapping into that instinct or extrasensory feelings can definitely give you that edge that other competitors will simply not have in their tool box.

Aniracetam is a mood enhancing Nootropic that allows you to jump out of your shell and leave behind the anxiety and insecurities that drive down creativity. With it being one of the strongest Nootropics, it has the potential to reduce stress and anxiety but also is able to increase focus and memory.

The ability to increase attention while reducing anxiety is a prime recipe to gain access to those creative juices that life seems to take away from us with the “what ifs” .

Sequencing the Brain

This would not be an article on Nootropics without going into the sequencing actions of the cognitive forces of Nootropics. Connecting the dots or sequencing is planning and the ability to think ahead of your competitors and get sh$t done.

Strategic cognitive sequencing is how the brain decides to apply certain cognitive processes at a given moment to solve complex, multi step cognitive tasks.

The prefrontal cortex is deeply involved with planning but it is hypothesized that it is also involved with the basal ganglia in trial and error learning with short sequences by dopamine-driven reinforcement learning. A similar reward theory is that the prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, parietal cortex and hippocampus all work together in memorizing sequences of cognitive actions by instruction or self instruction.

With what we know about neurotransmitters and the role of dopamine it can have devastating effects in cognitive functions and even motor functions when imbalanced. Low dopamine can happen from stress, anxiety, not exercising, not eating balanced meals, environmental toxins, and also pharmacological components.

Low dopamine allows for symptoms of adrenal fatigue, mental fatigue, loss of libido, loss of creativity, and loss of motivation. Many Nootropics work in the area of increasing dopamine such as Aniracetam. Another nootropic called Noopept, is another option that works in the role of dopamine but it is 200 times stronger than its counterpart. It lasts up to 5-6 hours and is known to increase the amount of serotonin and dopamine in the brain.

By  Wendy Dessler	Embed
Author Bio -Wendy is a super-connector with Outreachmama who helps businesses find their audience online through outreach, partnerships, and networking. She frequently writes about the latest advancements in digital marketing and focuses her efforts on developing customized blogger outreach plans depending on the industry and competition.

Smart Drugs  

In the last few years interest in smart drugs, or nootropics has skyrocketed. While they are not quite as powerful as the pills in the movie, Limitless, some nootropics can have a very beneficial impact on mental and physical functionality.

Cognition is a psychological phenomenon typically related to the brain’s ability to observe, learn and remember stuffs. A better cognition means a better memory, learning, attention, focus and reasoning, i.e. better intelligence, and hence it is obviously desirable to have optimum cognitive abilities. But the cognitive abilities of a particular brain primarily depend on genetics and other intangible factors. Fortunately, nowadays there are numerous ways to simply boost up the cognitive abilities without really caring about the factors. The most popular way is by the use of nootropics, also known as ‘smart drugs’. These Smart drugs have plenty of beneficial effects and are nowadays prescribed almost all over the world. The benefits, effects and types of smart drugs available in the market are discussed below:

Memory retention, learning, attention and focus

Smart drugs efficiently aid in bettering concentration, the most important tool for understanding and learning. Apart from concentration, nootropics amplify the storage capacity of the brain—improving memory. This is why students consume nootropics during exam seasons in many countries. With better concentration comes improved attention and focus. Many professional work-profiles demand high attention and focus and nootropics are a favorable choice for better performance. To boost up attention and focus while working on a project, or performing some other professional responsibilities, nootropics are suitable choices.

Protective nature of nootropics/ neuron-protection

Apart from the role as a cognitive booster, nootropics also serve for the brain tissue's health. Complex psychological issues, strenuous work-profile or even age wear out brain tissues at a rapid rate. This damage of brain tissues also affects cognition and gives rise to many severe brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Related articles

• Is Modafinil The Limitless Brain-Enhancing Drug? 
• Are We Asking The Right Questions About Smart Drugs? 
• Cup of Coffee Found To Improve Memory 

Makes brain healthier

Smart Drugs efficiently protect the brain neuron from damaging and slow down the rate of age-related decay of the tissues. Many advanced nootropics are known to reverse the decay process to some extent even. By preventing the decay of brain tissues and neurons, nootropics keep the brain healthy and immune, which results in better cognition.

Types of smart drugs and effects

Coffee, the most common beverage consumed all over the world, can serve as a genuine, smart drug for you. Caffeine, as found out by researchers, has excellent cognitive booster properties. Apart from getting rid of drowsiness, a cup of coffee can effectively improve your concentration and learning.

Leafy vegetables, fish oils are a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids and these acids are probably the best natural smart drugs available.

L-theanine alone has little impact on cognition, but if it is consumed with caffeine, then significant results are yielded.

Of all the synthetic smart drugs, the racetam family is well known. And amongst the racetam genre, piracetam is the most common as well as the oldest smart drug. Piracetam works wonder in increasing memory and are thus prescribed in many countries for the treatment of Parkinson’s, senile Dementia, etc.

Oxiracetam and Aniracetam are advanced classifications of racetam and are particularly beneficial for brain-trauma. Apart from that, both these racetams can be consumed as cognitive booster drug satisfactorily, as they stimulate parts of the brain responsible for memory and learning.

Modafinil is another important smart drug used popularly across many countries (in some countries, it requires a prescription) for enhanced focus, motivation and learning.

Side-effects and safety

Most of the smart drugs are mild cognitive enhancers and have practically no side-effects at all. However, over-consumption may give rise to a headache, high blood pressure, etc.

Lastly, if you want to have a boosted IQ, better learning and motivation, an ability to perform excellently in all tasks, remember things efficiently or simply to be more alert, proper dosage of quality smart drugs will elevate your cognition to a different level altogether.

By  Anna Brecken	Embed
Anna Brecken is a writer with extensive knowledge of nootropics. She also writes for several other supplement and brain enhancement websites.

Cognitive Enhancement  

A new systematic review of the so-called smart drug, modafinil has been published online and shows that the drug does indeed imbue significant cognitive benefits to users, at least on a particular subset of tasks. Could this study lead the way to wider acceptance and use of the drug thought to be the inspiration for the movie, Limitless?

University of Oxford and Harvard Medical School researchers have reviewed nearly all available academic studies on cognitive enhancement with modafinil from January 1990 to December 2014. They found 24 studies dealing with different benefits associated with taking modafinil, including planning and decision making, flexibility, learning and memory, and creativity.

The study was published in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology.

Modafinil, also marketed as Provigil, Modalert and Alertec, was developed to treat narcolepsy, but it is widely used off-licence as a ‘smart drug’ to promote cognitive enhancement, where qualities such as alertness and concentration are desired to assist someone with, for example, exam preparation.

Former studies on sleep-deprived individuals have shown a strong positive effect of modafinil on these functions, but there has been less attention and scientific consensus on the drug’s overall effectiveness as a cognitive enhancer in people that are not sleep-deprived – presumably the majority of people taking it.

The researchers, Dr Ruairidh Battleday and Dr Anna-Katharine Brem, found that the performance-enhancing capacity of modafinil varied according to the task. What emerged was that the longer and more complex the task tested, the more consistently modafinil conferred cognitive benefits.

Modafinil was found to make no difference to working memory, or flexibility of thought, but did improve decision-making and planning.

Very encouragingly, the 70% of studies that looked at the effects of modafinil on mood and side effects showed very little overall effect, although a couple reported insomnia, headache, stomach ache or nausea (which were also reported in the placebo group).

"It appears that modafinil more reliably enhances cognition: in particular 'higher' brain functions that rely on contribution from multiple simple cognitive processes."

"This is the first overview of modafinil's actions in non-sleep-deprived individuals since 2008, and so we were able to include a lot of recent data." said Battleday. "Interestingly, we found that the type of test used to assess modafinil's cognitive benefits has changed over the last few decades. In the past, people were using very basic tests of cognition, developed for neurologically-impaired individuals. In contrast, more recent studies have, in general, used more complex tests: when these are used, it appears that modafinil more reliably enhances cognition: in particular 'higher' brain functions that rely on contribution from multiple simple cognitive processes."

Related articles Coffee's Incredible Health Benefits  A Little Talk About the Future  Brain Imaging Study Reveals Deeper Understanding of Schizophrenia

According to Brem, a researcher at both the University of Oxford and Harvard Medical School, "We ended up having two main conclusions: first, that, in the face of vanishingly few side effects in these controlled environments,  modafinil can be considered a cognitive enhancer; and, second that we need to figure out better ways of testing normal or even supra-normal cognition in a reliable manner. However, we would like to stress the point that with any method used to enhance cognition, ethical considerations always have to be taken into account: this is an important avenue for future work to explore."

Professor Guy Goodwin, President of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) commented: "This overview suggests that, on current evidence, modafinil enhances cognition independent of its known effects in sleep disordered populations. Thus, the authors say that 'modafinil may well deserve the title of the first well-validated pharmaceutical nootropic agent'. In other words, it's the first real example of a 'smart drug', which can genuinely help, for example, with exam preparation. Previous ethical discussion of such agents has tended to assume extravagant effects before it was clear that there were any. If correct, the present update means the ethical debate is real: how should we classify, condone or condemn a drug that improves human performance in the absence of pre-existing cognitive impairment?

"As the authors point out, modafinil is not licenced for this use, and it will not be because it would be outside the current terms of reference of regulatory bodies. The non-medical use of mind altering drugs has hitherto broadly conflicted with the work ethic of many societies, has been very popular but leads to a range of demonstrable harms. Regulation has been and remains problematic. We cannot know either if demand for modafinil in the same societies will actually be significant, whether society will be more accepting and how regulation will then be framed.'

SOURCE  Oxford University

By 33rd Square

Embed

 Bio Hacking  

Recently "The Bulletproof Executive" Dave Asprey dropped by London Real to explain how his Bulletproof Coffee is free of mycotoxins and assists intermittent fasting, why he believes vegans are responsible for killing animals too, how he's always been upfront about his use of the anti-narcolepsy drug Modafinil, and why he optimises everything in his life for one factor, performance.

Recently "The Bulletproof Executive" Dave Asprey dropped by London Real to explain how his Bulletproof Coffee is free of mycotoxins and assists intermittent fasting, why he believes vegans are responsible for killing animals too, how he's always been upfront about his use of the anti-narcolepsy drug Modafinil, and why he optimises everything in his life for one factor, performance.

That's why Asprey has spent about $300,000 to make himself smarter and healthier through what he calls "biohacking," which is all about training your brain and your body using technology.

Related articles Stem Cell Transplant Restores Memory and Learning in Mice  Ray Kurzweil On The Computers That Will Live In Our Brains  Is Modafinil The Limitless Brain-Enhancing Drug?

When Asprey was in his mid-twenties, he weighed about 300 pounds and despite being a successful entrepreneur, having made $6 million from selling his company Exodus Communications when he was 26, his brain was starting to not work as well as he thought it could.

"I worked out all the time, I ate low calories, I did all the stuff I was supposed to do, as a Type A hard-worker, and it didn't work," Asprey says. "And I had this idea that maybe some days where I felt like I really was a zombie, maybe I actually was a zombie and I would measure it."

Asprey considers himself part of the quantified self movement.

"I desperately want this knowledge but I want to use the knowledge more quickly than I can consciously," Asprey says.

Asprey is a Silicon Valley investor, computer security expert, and entrepreneur who spent 15 years and $250,000 to hack his own biology. He upgraded his brain by >20 IQ points, lowered his biological age, and lost 100 lbs without using calories or exercise.

SOURCE  London Real

By 33rd Square

Subscribe to 33rd Square