How to Use Nootropics for Gaming Performance

So you love gaming and you’re looking for ways to boost your performance and beat the competition. Maybe you’re used to knocking back the energy drinks and eating junk food to see you through, but instead of making you feel better they wear your insides down and leave you feeling a little sick. Fortunately, there are healthier ways for you to maintain your high score and leave your insides feeling fresh. Throughout this article, we will look in detail at Ashwagandha and Lion’s Mane; two health supplements that can help enhance your gaming performance. Don’t spend time away AFK because energy drinks got you glued to the toilet.

Gaming can also be a stressful environment, with high stake games and knuckle-biting online multiplayer. With a combined approach, Ashwagandha & Lion’s Mane for gamers is the perfect way to combat stress - we will look into this below.

Ashwagandha 

An ancient medical herb, Ashwagandha is an adaptogen it can be used to help your body manage stress. The herb also has qualities that benefit the rest of the body and brain. For example, it can combat depression and anxiety, as well as improve brain functionality. You can get Ashwagandha in capsules, tablets, powder, or extract.

Lion’s Mane

This fun adaptogenic mushroom, which grows like a Lion’s Mane, can be eaten raw, cooked, or steeped in a tea - the extracts are also used in over-the-counter supplements. Taste-wise, it has been compared with seafood like crab or lobster. The mushroom contains bioactive substances that do wonders for the brain, heart, and gut. At the moment there has been next to no research around the side effects of having too much - but evidence suggests it’s harmless.

Luckily, it doesn’t have to feel like a chore, and you don’t have to eat a handful of raw mushrooms to get your fix. There are countless recipes out there for you to get creative with your Lion’s Mane - one popular choice could be to mix with bananas, peanut butter, chia seeds, and milk and create a superfood milkshake.

Increased Brain Functionality 

Ashwagandha and Lion’s Mane have both been proven to increase brain functionality - making them the perfect supplements for gamers. At the moment, the majority of research carried out is on rats, but there are areas where human experiments have been rife and found positive results. The following are ways both supplements can benefit gamers - and anyone else looking for a brain boost.

Ashwagandha

• Improves brain functionality, including memory. One study compared men who took Ashwagandha against those who took a placebo and found that the men’s reaction time and task performance increased in those that took the supplement. 
• Reduces stress and anxiety. In a study of 64 people with a history of chronic stress, it was found that the group who took the supplement reported a 69% reduction in anxiety and insomnia.
• Reduces cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone and is released in response to stress and low blood sugars. There have been studies that show that taking Ashwagandha can reduce cortisol levels by up to 30%.

Lion’s Mane

• Could improve cognitive abilities. There is evidence that Lion’s Mane can protect against dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, although not enough research has been carried out for it to be conclusive. There have been studies into older males who took 3 grams of powdered Lion’s Mane - it found that mental functioning significantly improved until supplementation stopped. 
• Helps relieve mild depression and anxiety symptoms. This can be beneficial for anyone who is suffering from these issues, as they can inhibit a person’s desire to do anything. There hasn’t been a lot of research on humans, but studies on rats show that the extract can regenerate brain cells and improve the hippocampus functionality. 
• Manages blood sugars. Controlling blood sugars, as we know, can help reduce the stress hormone cortisol. Therefore, Lion’s Mane could be beneficial to lower stress this way. 

These are just a few ways that Ashwagandha and Lion’s Mane meet in the middle to promote increased brain functionality. When you’re gaming. it’s important to keep your stress levels low so that your brain can achieve higher. If you exhibit symptoms of depression and anxiety, taking both supplements can do wonders for your health as they complement each other. Take Lion’s Mane to look after your cognitive health and Ashwagandha to promote a stress-free environment up there. 

It Could Be Worth Looking Into

When you’re gaming, you sit down for long periods that can put a strain on your nervous system - which can cause significant trauma, like strokes. There is evidence that Lion’s Mane can promote recovery of nervous system damage. As a gamer, you could have injured yourself and need to take time away from your game time to heal. Fortunately, one of the many benefits of Ashwagandha is being anti-inflammatory. One study showed that taking the supplement increased the natural killer cells responsible for fighting infection. You could find yourself back to your games in no time.

We mentioned earlier that high quantities of energy drink can wreak havoc on your insides. If you ditch it for Ashwagandha and Lion’s Mane, you can find yourself with a much healthier digestive tract and a lower cholesterol level - which means you might just be able to game for longer.

By simply taking a herb and a bit of fun mushroom you can improve your quality of life greatly. Not only will your gaming performance improve but you may find yourself feeling better in general. Having anxiety and depression could be keeping you from fulfilling outdoor activities that you’ve been putting off - with the help of Ashwagandha and Lion’s Mane you can help fight these negative brain illnesses. Ashwagandha and Lion’s Mane aren’t some sort of miracle prevention and cure supplement, but they would be a beneficial swap out for some junk foods and energy drinks, which are only proven to be bad for you.