An excessive amount of B6 in the body can be harmful and cause sleeplessness.
Vitamin B6 for sustained vigor
B6 or pyridoxine helps with muscle repair, combating anemia, brain function and much more. More importantly, B6 converts proteins, fats, and carbohydrates to glucose. The vitamin manages energy use too and prolonged energy can be expected when taking a B6 supplement.
Taking vitamin B6 before bed could improve dream recall and vividness, study suggests. Vitamin B6 supplementation before bed may enhance dream vividness and recall, a pilot study of 100 participants published in the journal of Perceptual and Motor Skills found.
B Complex Vitamins
Especially since taking one before bed can keep you awake. There are eight B vitamins in all, which also go by the names of thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B7), folate (B9) and cobalamin (B12).
“Digestion slows down during sleep, so taking your nutrient supplement late at night would not be associated with an efficient absorption.” Neil Levin, a clinical nutritionist at NOW Foods, agrees that morning is best for multivitamins and any B vitamins.
However, taking too much vitamin B-6 from supplements can cause: A lack of muscle control or coordination of voluntary movements (ataxia) Painful, disfiguring skin lesions. Heartburn and nausea.
“Vitamin B6 helps the body produce a specific chemical messenger that inhibits impulses in the brain, and our study links this calming effect with reduced anxiety among the participants,” he said.
Folate and vitamin B-12 help you feel energized and alert. They play a role in red blood cell production, which helps you ensure that your brain can access the oxygen it needs to work.
People who are concerned about their low level of energy should be advised that unless they already suffer from a vitamin B12 deficiency, there is no strong evidence to support the notion that taking large doses of vitamin B12 will increase their energy levels.
Trouble is, B vitamins don't give you energy. No vitamin gives you energy. Calories give you energy. Specifically, calories in the form of glucose, which is found in carbohydrate-containing foods (grains, beans, vegetables, fruits, dairy).
Results: Vitamin B6 supplementation reduced self-reported anxiety and induced a trend towards reduced depression, as well as increased surround suppression of visual contrast detection, but did not reliably influence the other outcome measures.
Common side effects of Vitamin B6 may include:
nausea; headache; drowsiness; or. mild numbness or tingling.
Adults usually only need around 1.3 mg of vitamin B6 per day, but one study led by Pfeiffer found that taking 240 mg of vitamin B6 before sleep can improve dream recall. The study also concluded that inability to recall dreams can be due to a lack of vitamin B6 in the diet.
1. May Improve Mood and Reduce Symptoms of Depression. Vitamin B6 plays an important role in mood regulation. This is partly because this vitamin is necessary for creating neurotransmitters that regulate emotions, including serotonin, dopamine and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (3, 4 , 5 ).
Taking a supplement of vitamin B6 (10 mg 3-4 times daily) may be helpful, although it can take up to a week to experience results.
It helps calm the nervous system by blocking certain impulses between nerve cells, immediately slowing down brain activity. This, in turn, has a calming effect that can help relieve stress, anxiety, and fear.
Vitamin B12 is often used to improve cognitive function, depressive symptoms, and fatigue. In most cases, such complaints are not associated with overt vitamin B12 deficiency or advanced neurological disorders and the effectiveness of vitamin B12 supplementation in such cases is uncertain.
Deficiencies in cobalamin (vitamin B12) can result in diminished energy and exercise tolerance, together with fatigue and shortness of breath. These hematologic symptoms regress and disappear with supplementation with vitamin B12, for which doses and routes will depend on the cause and severity of deficiency [109].
Which is better to take: B6 or B12? Neither vitamin is better than the other—they're both equally essential to your well-being. To maintain a healthy lifestyle, you need to consume the correct amount of all vitamins and micronutrients.
The results suggest that the use of combined multivitamin supplements, as well as single vitamins, including vitamin B complex, hurts sleep maintenance, causes a higher rate of insomnia, and requires greater use of sleep medicine.
Vitamin B12
A well-known energizer, taking this B vitamin too close to bedtime could have you lying awake on your pillow long after you should have entered dreamland.
If you lead an active lifestyle, or you just need an energy boost, both Vitamin B12 and Iron can help reduce feelings of tiredness and fatigue.
Participants who took vitamin B6 saw a statistically significant reduction in anxiety symptoms, indicating improved functioning of GABA, the neurotransmitter associated with calming and relaxing.
Vitamin B2 and vitamin B7 help the nervous system, vitamin B3 and vitamin B6 are required to support neurotransmitters and cellular communication, and vitamin B9 eases mental fatigue. Taking a regular B complex supplement that includes all the necessary B vitamins can help to reduce symptoms of brain fog.
and Warnings
In some people, vitamin B6 might cause nausea, stomach pain, loss of appetite, headache, and other side effects. Vitamin B6 is possibly unsafe when taken in doses of 500 mg or more daily. High doses of vitamin B6, especially 1000 mg or more daily, might cause brain and nerve problems.