Have been having trouble sleeping for awhile now, was deciding between ZMA or melatonin as a sleep aid. Was initially contemplating between melatonin and ZMA but finally went ahead with ZMA as one of my gym buddy's told me about his terrible experience with melatonin. ZMA despite the "google-able" side effects which mainly consist of vivid dreams was one of my only more cost-effective options left.
As for the brand, Optimum Nutrition provided the best bang for my buck (active ingredients per serving), plus it's one of the most reputable companies in the industry at them moment so yeah thats pretty much a win-win situation. Do note I have never tried any overnight recovery or sleep aid products besides the RCSS Resurrect-P.M.
Serving Size: 30 capsules
Servings Per Container: 30 for men/ 90 for women
Effectiveness
I typically use 3 capsules about 1 hour or more before going to bed then have a protein shake or a light late night meal 30 minutes later to tide me through the night. Being a ectomorph, there is no way I can skip the last meal of the day and go to bed on an empty stomach. The rationale behind the 30 minutes as I found online is to allow the ZMA to be absorbed fully into the body before having your meal. I guess those of you who can go without the last meal can probably get away with popping the 3 capsules and going to bed on an empty stomach.
The first time I tried the ON ZMA, slept well throughout the night and woke up feeling refreshed. Subsequently, I did get a reduced "refreshed" feeling in the morning. However, I did get 6 to 8 hours of quality sleep. I judge this on the basis that, I usually wake up to use the toilet about 2-3 times at night due to the high volume of water (2-3 gallons) I consume daily. With the ZMA I can get quality sleep throughout the night without any disruptions which is awesome!
Anti-clockwise from left: Sealed bottle, freshness seal upon uncapping, cotton wool inside and sample serving size.
Taste & Mix-ability
Not really applicable here but the serving size of 3 capsules is pretty easy to swallow and doesn't have any weird aftertaste whatsoever.
Value
You could probably get this for like SGD$38 for 180 capsules from a local online retailer which in my opinion is pretty good value since it lasts for 3 months. Personally, I bought the 90 capsule bottle both times I used the product as the 180 capsule one's were out of stock and I was pretty desperate for some quality sleep. Got it for like SGD$23 so yeah, you could probably do the math there.
Overall
I would say that Optimum Nutrition ZMA does aid with sleeping and does the job pretty well at that. That said, based on my own personal experience it works best on an empty stomach and even better if you do not consume anything else before after use. I would definitely recommend this product to those of you out there who have problems sleeping.
As for the side effect of vivid dreams, throughout my 2 months use of the product, I experienced vivid dreams maybe once or twice at most and they were pretty tolerable and not that freaky and all. Upon stoppage of use, I still manage pretty decent quality sleep. However, I am not certain if this has anything to do with my change in lifestyle or diet.
