Does Julie Reynolds still take these 4 supps at bedtime??

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doodles
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Does Julie Reynolds still take these 4 supps at bedtime??

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I am listening to this 2017 interview. She said she takes these four at bedtime: Progesterone, melatonin, ashwagandha, Bacopa monnieri. Does she still take those? Anything else?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2h3p4URiw0
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Re: Does Julie Reynolds still take these 4 supps at bedtime??

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doodles wrote:I am listening to this 2017 interview. She said she takes these four at bedtime: Progesterone, melatonin, ashwagandha, Bacopa monnieri. Does she still take those? Anything else?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2h3p4URiw0
The video is a podcast with Julie Gregory, your subject line says Julie Reynolds, I'm assuming you mean Julie G. I know she still adheres strictly to the Bredesen protocol, so I would imagine she still takes those supplements and whatever other supplements her individual tests would indicate. After all, that's the essence of the protocol, addressing individualized needs based on a person's test results. I, too, am a 4/4, but the supplements I take are different. Additionally, supplements hold a minor role, lifestyle choices are the heart of the protocol.

For more information on the Bredesen protocol and tests with desired ranges, you can visit our wiki: Bredesen Protocol
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Re: Does Julie Reynolds still take these 4 supps at bedtime??

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I am listening to this 2017 interview. She said she takes these four at bedtime: Progesterone, melatonin, ashwagandha, Bacopa monnieri. Does she still take those? Anything else?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2h3p4URiw0
Hi doodles! Thanks for reaching out. I still take progesterone (alternate nights), melatonin, and ashwagandha at night, no Bacopa monnieri. I also take a whopping dose of magnesium glycinate, between 1,500-2,000mg and a small dose of low dose naltrexone 3mg. The combo of all helps me sleep very well.

How is your sleep? What supplements (if any) are you taking?
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Re: Does Julie Reynolds still take these 4 supps at bedtime??

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Hi Julie. As an e2/e4, I have no issues with falling asleep and staying asleep, but ONLY up to 5 to 5 1/2 hours when, every single night, I wake up suddenly, and stay awake for at least an hour and more!! I NEED approx. 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep and never get it. I force myself to lay there with my eyes closed, and "eventually" fall back asleep. But it takes quite awhile. Thus, I never feel totally refreshed during the day.

Yes, at bedtime, I've tried Ashwagandha, l-theanine, GABA, 9 drops cannabis oil (which I still take), melatonin, l-theanine, holy basil..on and on. I also take 6mg LDN for slight Hashi's. But again, I don't have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep even without those....until the 5 to 5 1/2 hour mark. BAM. I wake up, still feel tired, and it takes awhile to fall back asleep.

At the approx. 5 hour mark, I've tried taking holy basil and ashwagandha (to lower what seems like a high cortisol spike but shouldn't be there), but I STILL lay there awhile before I can fall back asleep. I've also tried l-theanine then--still takes awhile. I've tried GABA--still lay there awake. I've tried delaying the cannabis oil until that wakeup, but I still take a long time to fall back asleep.

All the latter leads me to wonder what is going on inside of me that leads BEFORE AND UP TO that approx. 5 hour strong wakeup, even though I'm still tired and nowhere near my optimal amount of sleep.

One thing I DO know is that cortisol starts its rise (depending on what you read) around 2-3 hours after you fall asleep, or "approximately" 3-4 hours before one wakes up for the day (when cortisol is at its highest and is for another hour or so). But that slow rise shouldn't be waking me up so thoroughly, nor does it to others. You sleep through that slow cortisol rise.

An exception is if you have LOW cortisol during the night. That causes low blood sugar/hypoglycemia, and that can wake you up. But I've tried taking adrenal cortex at that wakeup time...and still linger awake strongly. The only idea I have left is to eat a carb when I wake up like that...and see. But I'm dubious that's my issue.,..

So I have the following theories:

1) YEARS OF BIOLOGIC STRESS HAVE MESSED ME UP: Starting around 2015 and after I had fully treated a very serious mold inhalation, I had five years of health challenges I had to treat ultimately caused by that mold illness. Today, I'm still working to kill off some bad bacteria overgrowth I've had--seems like my last lingering issue. It's slow go, as the dieoff is miserable. And here I am, STILL having sleep issues, waking up suddenly after only 5 or so hours of sleep...

2) THE NEED TO RESET MY OVERREACTIVE SYSTEM: I have mitral valve prolapse (MVP). And MVP can go with an overreactive autonomic nervous system, which does fit me. Stress easily makes my heart go higher or palpitate. So my theory on this potential cause of my sleep issue is that I need to do a better job destressing/calming myself, taking adaptogens in the daytime, occasional use of ACE (adrenal cortex. I have started a good breathing protocol at bedtime, so perhaps I need to do it during the day .

3) CIRCADIAN RHYTHM: I've also been suspicious that all the stress I've been under has messed up my circadian rhythm. But...that doesn't totally fit, as I am still ready for bed by 11pm at the latest. That never changes. So this is my weakest theory. BUT, just in case, I'm working to get up every morning when the sun is still fairly low in the horizon, and sit outside in the sun.

Soooo, if you or anyone has any ideas, I'm open to reading about them. Perhaps I need something to monitor my sleep during the night? Would it even pick up WHAT is waking me up so thoroughly when I'm still tired and in need of a few more hours?
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Re: Does Julie Reynolds still take these 4 supps at bedtime??

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doodles wrote:Soooo, if you or anyone has any ideas, I'm open to reading about them. Perhaps I need something to monitor my sleep during the night? Would it even pick up WHAT is waking me up so thoroughly when I'm still tired and in need of a few more hours?
Recognizing that sleep is so important, my husband and I emphasize sleep hygiene and I am fortunate that with that, most of the time, I don't have the issue of not getting enough sleep, but maybe I can point you in some directions.

Julie helped Dr Bredesen write his second book, "The End of Alzheimer's Program" and I know that chapter 14 of that book is dedicated to sleep with a number of suggestions. It's a great read, I recommend the book.

We've discussed sleep, including folks with your concern, on these forums many times. It might be like looking for a needle in a haystack, but you might want to check out what's been discussed, here's a link to the search results: search.php?keywords=sleep&terms=all&aut ... mit=Search

We also have a wiki on sleep https://wiki.apoe4.info/wiki/Sleep. It's not one of our better wikis, but it might help. It's on my list of wikis to improve, along with many other things on my to do list (maybe I shouldn't sleep so much :D )
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Re: Does Julie Reynolds still take these 4 supps at bedtime??

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I also take 6mg LDN for slight Hashi's. But again, I don't have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep even without those....until the 5 to 5 1/2 hour mark. BAM. I wake up, still feel tired, and it takes awhile to fall back asleep.
Bless you, doodles. I suspect that LDN may be your culprit. What time are you taking it? Just as the dawn phenomenon triggers cortisol, suppressing endorphins with evening LDN triggers their release x 300% in the pre-dawn hours... providing the "BAM" effect. Some have concluded that the best time to take it is between 9PM and 3AM to get peak benefit and not disrupt sleep. Do you regularly wake up to use the bathroom at night? If so, that might be the perfect time to take it. Otherwise, consider pushing it back as late as possible. You can read more here. I also think that your relatively high dose is likely exaggerating the problem. FWIW, Dr. Bredesen, Dr. Hathaway and I are doing a FB Live on LDN this Friday at 3PM PT on Dr. Bredesen's page. They'll take live questions if you want to explore this further.
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Re: Does Julie Reynolds still take these 4 supps at bedtime??

Post by doodles »

Hi Julie. I take it literally at bedtime, so around 11pm. I don't wake up hardly at all to go the bathroom. I'll read what you linked.
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Re: Does Julie Reynolds still take these 4 supps at bedtime??

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Julie G wrote: FWIW, Dr. Bredesen, Dr. Hathaway and I are doing a FB Live on LDN this Friday at 3PM PT on Dr. Bredesen's page. They'll take live questions if you want to explore this further.
usually I avoid FB but I’ll want to tune in for this! Thanks for mentioning it here.
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Re: Does Julie Reynolds still take these 4 supps at bedtime??

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thank you so much for this information. I am a 33 y.o female who has suffered on and off from insomnia. Knowing that i am 3/4 I have done everything possible to rectify this. Sometimes it works and I have good weeks , sometimes it doesnt. I had a really bad period where I had to be on trazadone for over 3 months. Now I am finally back to only melatonin at night but still occasionally wake up about three times a night. I was curious as to the dosage of melatonin julie ( or anyone with sleeping problems) takes . I usually do 1 to3mg. Is it extended release? what about Ashwagandha.. i have it but not sure how much to take and how late . Sleep rules my life because it doesn't come easy for me ( no alcohol before 8, rushing to have all my meals before 8 pm, can't wait anything to rowdy on tv before bed etc...) so I would love to optimize my supplements to complete all the sleep hygiene techniques I've researched. Thank you guys again for your help!
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Re: Does Julie Reynolds still take these 4 supps at bedtime??

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adriana268 wrote:thank you so much for this information. I am a 33 y.o female who has suffered on and off from insomnia. Knowing that i am 3/4 I have done everything possible to rectify this. Sometimes it works and I have good weeks , sometimes it doesnt. I had a really bad period where I had to be on trazadone for over 3 months. Now I am finally back to only melatonin at night but still occasionally wake up about three times a night. I was curious as to the dosage of melatonin julie ( or anyone with sleeping problems) takes . I usually do 1 to3mg. Is it extended release? what about Ashwagandha.. i have it but not sure how much to take and how late . Sleep rules my life because it doesn't come easy for me ( no alcohol before 8, rushing to have all my meals before 8 pm, can't wait anything to rowdy on tv before bed etc...) so I would love to optimize my supplements to complete all the sleep hygiene techniques I've researched. Thank you guys again for your help!
A warm welcome to apoe4.info Adriana, I'm so glad you found this site! It sounds like you know how important quality sleep is and have done a lot of work and research already to make lifestyle changes to improve your insomnia. We have several threads here on melatonin and you may also find additional information on sleep in our wiki Index which offers a wealth of additional information and details the muti-factorial approach to taking control of your brain health. It's very useful for searching specific topics of interest.

The How-to-guide, it will help you get the most out of the ApoE4.info website. It is created to help new (and not so new) members navigate the site. This area explains how to use the quotes button so that the other member receives an email notification of your reply, how to search for topics, how to subscribe to topics of interest and more.

My favorite is the Primer, written by one of our member physicians, Stavia, who is APOE4/4. It is great introduction to ApoE4, biochemistry, and possible prevention strategies in addition to exploring areas such as the science behind the ApoE4 gene and the lifestyle factors that impact its expression. It is a wealth of information - a great place to start and to come back to time and again!

And, we would love to know more about you and what led you to intern, we invite you to share your journey by creating a new topic in Our Stories. This is something that we encourage all new members to do so they get the opportunity to engage further on the site, especially if their first post is low on details.

Enjoy your learning experience here in the forum, it truly is a wealth of information and the community may have more ideas to support you as well.

Sara Barthel
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