Just a little thing

As you all know, I'm trying to get over some health things that have been hounding me for more than a decade.

Over the years I've been to many doctors and tried many things.

As my health issues have coalesced into more clinical symptoms, they have given me a more clear idea of the root cause of my illness.

Subsequently, that makes it easier to treat (if, by that time, it is treatable).

To that end, I've been working with amino acids, various vitamins and supplements, salt, and even a little sugar (formerly anathema in my world).

The powder's been fine for me (yay). I was told by my fibro doctor that I should take at least 1000 mg a day if I can stand it.

While I was on Diflucan, I just couldn't take more than about 250mg without getting trembly and anxious. But, without Diflucan (damn that drug), not only can I take more alcar, but it often (along with Co-Q10) gets rid of those headaches I can get in the morning.

So that's the backstory-- on to the little thing.

I was told, because alcar can be stimulating, never to take it too close to bedtime because it could keep you awake.

But then I read on a blog somewhere that taking alcar at night let's your body create HGH and other good things while you sleep.

Well, I've got problems with HGH and other critical hormones because of adrenal fatigue/exhaustion, so I thought I'd try taking some alcar before bed.

The first night I took a full 1000mg about forty minutes before bed, slept all night, woke up early feeling completely rested.

The next night, same thing except I took it about two hours before bed, and it woke me up four hours after I went to sleep, I couldn't go back to sleep for hours, was exhausted the whole day.

Next night, cut the dose, took it about an hour before bed, woke up about six hours later, couldn't go back to sleep, again exhausted.

Finally, I think I've hit on the right approach, about 500mg, right before bed, and I sleep throughout the night, and wake up feeling better than I usually do in the morning.

So I am thinking that yes, alcar can disrupt sleep, and that probably yes, it helps the body do good things while you are sleeping. I think it's a matter of dosage and when you take it as to how much sleep it'll disrupt.

Is there anyone else out there taking acetyl-l-carnitine before bed? What are your experiences with it?