What are ZMA and Sleep Aid Supplements?
ZMA, also known as zinc magnesium aspartate, contains three elements: zinc, magnesium, and vitamin b6. This supplement is famous among bodybuilders, athletes, and exercise enthusiasts.
It's crucial to intense trainers like bodybuilders. Since most of them suffer from mineral deficiency. These minerals are essential to keep the hormone levels balanced and for better quality sleep. The ZMA industry further admits that it's helpful to boost muscle growth, stamina, improves trength, and recovery that comes from amazing night sleep.
Heavy trainers sometimes have to settle for the lower levels of T(testosterone) and IGF-1. A study showed that throughout an eight-week training session, bodybuilders taking ZMA had a higher level of testosterone and IGF-1 than those taking a placebo.
Clearly, increasing testosterone and IGF-1 have a great impact on your bodybuilding. ZMA plays a significant part in increasing immunity effectively. There are a lot more benefits to consuming ZMA. Let's take a detailed look at them:
Zinc performs as a strong antioxidant. It helps activate the necessary enzymes that keep your body function properly. These enzymes are essential for several biochemical reactions and also protein synthesis - the molecular mechanism of increased and improved muscle recovery and progress.
Besides taking care of your health, it also improves the post-workout recovery. Zinc helps you both with your daily life chores and gym.
Moving on to magnesium - it's responsible for multiple physical reactions. Magnesium takes care of your cardiovascular system, metabolic rate ,and not to mention bone health.
These two minerals - zinc and magnesium -together can get great results. You'll notice the visible fat loss, increased muscle mass, and enhanced physique and performance advantages upon taking the ZMA.
Benefits of ZMA and Sleep Aid Supplements
- Chronic sleep disorders affect over 70 million Americans, making it one of the most ubiquitous disorders nationwide. Several studies have shown that zinc and magnesium can greatly enhance sleep quality, latency, and sleep duration.
In a double-blind, randomized controlled trial, 54 ICU nurses were randomly assigned to an intervention group ( n = 27) that received 220 mg zinc sulfate capsules every 72 hours for 1 month or a control group ( n = 26) that received placebo. The study found that all sleep parameters within the zinc group improved from baseline, suggesting that zinc supplementation improves sleep quality and sleep latency.
In addition to zinc, magnesium has an essential role in the neural transmission both in the pre and post synaptic membrane, as a natural agonist of NMDA and GABA which play a crucial role in sleep regulation.
Magnesium also activates the para-sympathetic nervous system, which is the system to help you calm down and relax. In order to fall asleep and stay asleep, your body and mind need to be relaxed. This is why anxiolytic ingredients and adaptogens such as theanine, valerian, and ashwagandha help regulate sleep so well.
Moreover, magnesium regulates the hormone melatonin, helping guide your sleep cycle.
Magnesium deficiencies have been linked to those that have less quality sleep, shorter sleep time, and decreased melatonin concentration. As you age, magnesium levels decline, putting you at major risk for magnesium deficiency. A 2012 study showed that 500 mg of magnesium taken daily for 8 weeks, significantly improved sleep time, sleep efficiency, and enhanced REM.
With the associated benefit of Zinc in cell division and growth, Zinc is directly correlated with repairing muscle mass and maintaining strength through the muscular and skeletal systems. Zinc also promotes the natural production of testosterone, growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), which all aid in building muscle mass.
Studies suggest that Zinc supplementation increases total and free testosterone without preventing the inhibition of testosterone concentration.
A cross-sectional study published in the journal Nutrition, examined the relationship between zinc concentrations and testosterone concentration. The study found that study participants with zinc deficiency or that lacked zinc in their diet, were associated with a significant decrease in serum testosterone concentrations. Zinc supplementation resulted. After six months of treatment with 30mg of Zinc per day, serum testosterone concentration and levels significantly increased amongst all participants.
Zinc is easily one of the best testosterone boosting ingredients. When you’re purchasing a test booster, make sure zinc is one of its main ingredients.
Research suggests that zinc and magnesium supplementation have positive effects on resistance training athletes. Deficiencies in zinc and magnesium have been associated with decreased testosterone production and insulin like growth factor, which can have an affect on strength and the ability to build lean muscle mass.
Theoretically, zinc and magnesium supplementation may enhance anabolic hormonal profiles, reduce catabolism, improve immune status, and/or improve adaptations to resistance training.
Better quality sleep, naturally promotes improved hormonal profiles, and testosterone production, which translates into increased strength and the ability to build more lean muscle mass.
Both zinc and magnesium supplementation have been shown to significantly decrease the levels of the catabolic “stress” hormone, cortisol. In a double blind, randomized study of 23 triathletes, serum cortisol was lower in the magnesium-supplemented group before and after competition compared to controls.
A study published in the journal Exercise Physiology conducted at Western Washington University, found that ZMA supplementation promoted significant increases in testosterone, IGF-1, and muscle strength in off season football players.
What Does ZMA and Sleep Aid Supplements Do?
In theory, the benefits of ZMA tablets are a result of its three elements: B6, zinc and magnesium.
Zinc is essential for metabolism, including reactions involved in immunity, cell division, digestion, cell growth, wound healing, and the breakdown of carbohydrates into energy.
Magnesium supports energy burn, muscle function, nerve function, blood sugar regulation, maintaining healthy blood pressure, and the synthesis of new bone tissue.
The body cannot make B6, so it must be obtained from the diet. Without B6 the immune system cannot fight infection from bacteria or virus or ease inflammation response.
Vitamin B6 further supports healthy function of the nervous system, the breakdown of protein, fats and carbohydrates to be used by the body, and the creation of red blood cells.
my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents.
I feel that I never was a greater artist than now. When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary.
A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart. I am alone, and feel the charm of existence in this spot, which was created for the bliss of souls like mine. I am so happy.
my dear friend, so absorbed in the exquisite sense of mere tranquil existence, that I neglect my talents.
I feel that I never was a greater artist than now. When, while the lovely valley teems with vapour around me, and the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the impenetrable foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary.