Can Nootropic Drugs Improve Your Brain’s Health?

From the dawn of time, humans have always been on a search for self-improvement. We have found a plethora of ways to make ourselves the strongest, the fastest, and the smartest. That has been a fact since the dawn of time and it’s certainly not slowing down now.

One of our more recent ventures into self-improvement are nootropics. These substances were introduced with the thought that they would improve our mental abilities. Nootropics are rising in popularity with no sign of slowing down.

But do they work? Or are we just wasting our money? We’ll take a closer look at nootropic drugs and whether or not they’re worth their salt.

What Are Nootropic Drugs?

Nootropic drugs, or “smart drugs,” are substances that have the aim of changing the way your brain works.

They do this by helping to protect cells in your brain from toxins and aging. They’re supposed to increase the blood and oxygen flow in your brain, which then works to stimulate the neurons and improves your attention span as well as your other cognitive brain functions.

Some nootropic drugs have been around for a long time. Think about substances like caffeine and the medication Adderall. These are two nootropics that have been shown to stimulate the way the brain functions.

But there’s new research and developing in the works for new nootropic drugs, and the results are pretty exciting.

Do Nootropic Drugs Work?

In order for something to be considered scientifically proven, it needs to be tested and studied in a peer-reviewed study. The process is lengthy and expensive, so things like over the counter nootropics don’t generate enough cash flow in order to justify this sort of experiment. So, the only two drugs that are scientifically proven to work are Adderall and caffeine.

That said, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to support the fact that nootropic drugs can work to enhance the mental function that you already have.

Here are some of the benefits of nootropic drugs.

They Enhance Memory

Degenerating neurons in the brain can lead to things like memory loss and confusion. Some nootropic drugs aim to help limit or eliminate the effects of diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia, as well as Parkinson’s disease.

People who start taking nootropic drugs earlier in their life have a better chance of protecting the cells and neural pathways that they have. However, there are some nootropic drugs that can work for short-term memory as well.

Some nootropic drugs that work for creatine, choline, and piracetam.

Improving Focus

The most popular type of nootropic drugs are, as we mentioned, Adderall and caffeine. These are substances that help to improve our focus and alertness, with the final goal of helping us achieve mental clarity. Some other popular nootropic drugs are Asian ginseng and CILTeP.

Lessening the Effects of Fatigue

Fatigue is a huge issue throughout all of America. We’re a nation of people who always want to work harder, faster, and longer hours. There are some nootropics that aim to lessen the fatigue we feel after long nights. They do this by allowing our bodies to create and use energy more efficiently and by blocking some of the receptors in our brains.

When we reduce fatigue, we can continue working for a longer time with less fatigue.

Increasing Creativity and Reasoning Skills

There are a few nootropic drugs that claim to be able to help improve our creativity and reasoning skills. Creatine and iodine are said to help with mental clarity and improve problem-solving skills.

The Downside of Nootropic Drugs

As with any medication, nootropic drugs do come with side effects. When you consider that we don’t understand all of the long-term side effects of some of these drugs, there’s some cause to worry.

Let’s take a look at a nootropic drug that we know and understand the long-term risks of well: Adderall.

By their senior year, over two-thirds of undergrad students take prescription stimulants for something other than a medical need. And while these drugs do work, and work well, there are some side effects that you have to consider before you add them to your daily brain routine.

Adderall is a stimulant, which means that it will increase your heart rate. Over a long period of time, this can lead to heart problems like high blood pressure. They can also increase your anxiety and, in extreme cases, can cause psychosis.

For this reason, it’s important that you don’t take Adderall without first alerting your doctor to the change so that they can be on the lookout for any sign of these problems.

On the other hand, we have drugs that aren’t researched as well thanks to poor funding. Just as we have no concrete evidence that they work, beyond the anecdotal evidence, we also have no idea what sort of effects these medications can have on us in the long term.

The Safe Way to Start Nootropic Drugs

If you’re interested in taking nootropics to help enhance your mental faculties, it’s important that you do it right. Here are some of the things you should do in order to take nootropics effectively.

Track Your Experiences

If you take nootropics but have no idea if they’re actually working or not, what’s the point? You need to find a system for tracking these experiences and use them on a regular basis. There are a number of apps out there that you can use to track the viability of specific nootropics, or you could just keep a journal the old-fashioned way.

Be Mindful of Addiction

There’s nothing wrong with using nootropic substances in order to enhance your brain function. People take medication all the time to change the way their bodies work, to improve their performance, and there’s nothing wrong with doing that for your mind. However, it’s important that you don’t become addicted.

These addictions will cause harm in the long run, so if you think you’re becoming dependent, it’s time to take a break.

Take Care of You

As we mentioned, there’s no concrete proof that nootropics will work to fix your brain function. In order to enhance your abilities, you need to have a sharp set of tools to start with. So make sure you drink enough water, get enough sleep, and train your brain the old fashioned way as well as working with nootropics in order to get the best experience.

For more information on beginning nootropics, check out this article.

Improving Your Brain’s Health

Nootropic drugs are changing the way we think of our brain development and enhancements. And while there are no official concrete studies that say that they work, they’re creating enough of a buzz that they’re worth mentioning as something that can help to sharpen a mind that is well taken care of in the first place.

If you’re interested in all areas of self-improvement, be sure to check out this blog post as well!