I'm curious: I've been trying to be good about a vitamin regimin recently... but I'm finding I have trouble sleeping as well. I wake up every few hours, something I never used to do. I've been taking all my vitamins in one big glomp before bed, which I'm guessing is not optimal, but it's easier to remember that way. :) Would first thing in the morning be better instead?

My current vitamins:

[list]
1 GNC UltraNurishHair I know you're supposed to take two, but swallowing one of them is hard enough. :-) )

1 generic grocery-store version of One-A-Day men's formula. (The women's version seems to take out all the minerals to put in calcium and biotin, which I'm already taking seperately)

600mg Calcium

500mg Vitamin C

500mg Flax Seed Oil

500mg Evening Primrose Oil

Half a 27mg iron tablet
[/list:u]

The Flax and Evening Primrose were supposed to get rid of cramps, but I'm not sure it's working. :?

Can those things keep you from sleeping well at night? Am I missing something important? I'm new to the whole vitamin thing here.

Hi Bethany,

When I first started any kind of vitamin regimen, I was here. I was told that the best time of day to take your vitamins is in the morning so that your body can go to work on them. My vitamin package said take with a main meal, see....and my main meal is usually in the evening.

It could be. Try taking them in the morning and see. Your body wants to go to sleep at night and doesn't like having much new stuff to digest unless it's very light (stuff that releasess tryptophan for example) and helps you to sleep. Your digestive tract does work during the night, but it tends to be the lower half i believe....which won't disturb you as much. So giving your stomach and stuff new things to deal with might disturb your sleep. Plus some of that stuff will hit your brain straightaway, and we don't want that, now do we?!! *grins* (I hate that, brain buzz late at night...yarg)

Put them somewhere you'll see them in the morning.......by your make-up, with your contact solution......anything!!

Bees

If you take vitamins in the morning, make sure you eat something first. Vitamins on an empty stomach = nausea or worse. I used to take all my vitamins with a protein shake in the morning, and would get an upset stomach. Maybe I'm just weird, but I have eat solid food before taking vitamins.

hth,

bunniee

Not weird, Bunniee! I have to have something fairly solid, too, or I'll actually throw them up.

Probably. One Dr. who recommended B5 for allergies said more than 250 mg/day made him have trouble sleeping. The ultranourishair's probably high in that- probably worse if taken right before bed. Other stuff probably affects too.

And vitamins on an empty stomach is bad for me too. I usually take them with lunch (since my breakfast is too light). (I have vitamin bottles in my drawer at the lab).

Well, I try not to take my vitamins at night, if only for the reason i'll be up having to pee every 3 hours :shock: and that is NOT fun when you are nice and comfortable, and ASLEEP!

I agree with bunniee and the others tho.. eat something with it. I find I absorb them better that way!

Well, I try not to take my vitamins at night, if only for the reason i'll be up having to pee every 3 hours :shock: and that is NOT fun when you are nice and comfortable, and ASLEEP!!

Well, that would certainly mess up my sleep. :-)

Thanks, everyone, for the responses. I'll try taking them with breakfast for a while and see if that helps.

i have heard also that you are supposed to take calcium separately from iron.

i have heard also that you are supposed to take calcium separately from iron.

That is correct!

I would take calcium and EPO in the evening before bed. Calcium calms you for the night... :sleep: Some say it absorbs better at night too.

Plus, taken separately from the other supplements, it won't inhibit them from absorbing... :scholar: