Lean Optimum » Exogenous Ketones » Can You Take Keton Supplements Before Bed?
by Lauren Zagorski
A lot of people who are new to keto give up this diet quickly after beginning it. This might even be you.
You can struggle to kickstart or maintain your ketosis because the first few days are rough, especially if you go through the keto flu. Keeping up with your macros and eating very few carbs is another struggle, as meal planning becomes a chore.
That’s why exogenous ketones can make or break your keto diet.
But many people have extremely hectic lives, and they forget to take their keto supplements, or they find it difficult to supplement during their workdays.
So, can you take ketones before bed?
What is the best time to take ketogenic supplements?
The answer is not straightforward, which is why you should read this article. Taking exogenous ketone supplements at the wrong time of day can affect your whole progress.
Read along to find out how to take pills like these correctly.
Table of Contents
How to Use Exogenous Ketones Supplement on a Ketogenic Diet
The recommended dosage of one scoop per serving, but you will need a few servings throughout the day taken according to the label instructions.
Here are some tips for taking these supplements:
- Start slowly, with just half a scoop to make sure you don’t have any negative reactions to the supplement.
- Reduce your carb intake, although it’s not mandatory to follow a strict ketogenic diet. If there is still a lot of glucose in your bloodstream, your body will prefer it as a source of fuel over ketones.
- Exercise to challenge yourself, to make sure you burn the extra fat.
- Use a ketone monitor. Blood ketone monitors are the most accurate, but you can also use urine test strips or ketone breathalyzers. The point is to make sure you keep your ketone levels within healthy limits.
- Drink plenty of water. Being on a keto diet depletes your sodium reserves, which is what makes you lose a lot of water weight at the beginning of ketosis. It’s important to keep hydrated and to make sure you have enough electrolytes.
- Reconsider if you have diabetes. Ketones can trigger ketoacidosis in diabetes patients, who may already have elevated ketone levels.
When Is the Best Time to Take Exogenous Ketones?
Now we’ve come to the truly interesting part of this article. When is the best time for your ketone drink? The answer depends on your purpose.But before you begin using the supplements, you need to make sure that you stick to the strict diet regime on the day you begin using Keto capsules. You need to get the weight off as quickly as possible. Once you succeed in shedding some pounds, you will require the use of these supplements. The main advantage of these supplements is that they are fast in releasing the essential energy that you need to recover quickly. Keto capsules are the most ideal weight loss supplements. They can boost your metabolism rate and allow you to stay in shape. Therefore, you can now consume Keto capsules safely without any fear of side effects.
For Mental Clarity
If you struggle with brain fog and have problems focusing on your tasks, you should take exogenous supplements on an empty stomach.
When deprived of glucose, your brain can use about 50% to 70% of the energy from ketones, which is why it’s better to start your day with a serving of BHB salts mixed in your coffee or morning drink.
This drink will boost your mental energy, improve your brain function and it will give you a clear focus for about five more hours than usual.
To Ward of the Keto Flu
If you’re new to the keto diet and haven’t tried going low-carb before, you are likely to experience the dreaded keto flu.
Keto flu happens because of your body shifts from using glucose to using fat cells as a main source of energy. You can supplement your healthy fat intake or your ketones to achieve ketosis, but your body also needs specialized enzymes to burn these fat cells.
If you want to minimize the impact of keto flu, take multiple smaller servings throughout the day.
That way, you won’t force your body to deal with huge ketone levels all of a sudden, giving it the chance to develop the needed enzymes for the job.
To Increase Your Athletic Performance
If you want to do better in the gym, you can take the supplement 30 minutes or an hour before the workout.
That way, you will have a steady energy supply that will help you train effectively, add some supersets and work out for longer.
For Weight Loss
One research study shows that people who take supplements on an empty stomach had decreased appetites by 50% compared to their fellow participants.
Ketones inhibit the hormone ghrelin, which triggers hunger. If you don’t have an appetite, you’ll eat less, right?
The catch is that you need to take these supplements on an empty stomach. First thing in the morning is the obvious solution, but you need more than one serving per day if you are to lose weight.
The other solution is before sleeping provided you haven’t eaten anything for the previous few hours.
To Kickstart Ketosis
You might be tempted to believe that, if you’ve fallen off track and indulged in a piece of cake for your birthday, you can immediately take a dose of ketones to kickstart ketosis again.
Right?
Wrong!
Research shows that taking ketones externally are not efficient after a carb-filled meal.
So if you want to get back into ketosis, it’s better to wait until the next morning when you’re in a fasted state. The other option is to take these ketones at night before going to sleep, but make sure not to eat anything a few hours before.
Dangers of Exogenous Ketones
Exogenous ketone supplements are considered to be a safe way to increase ketone body accumulation. Exogenous ketones are considered safe by the medical community, and many dietitians and medical practitioners deem them a valuable and versatile tool to fight several chronic diseases.
There aren’t any researched long-term dangers of exogenous ketones. But by taking this supplement, you expose yourself to some risks and side effects:
- Abdominal distension
- Abdominal pain
- Anxiety
- Chest pain
- Constipation
- Decreased appetite
- Diarrhea
- Dizziness
- Dyspnea
- Euphoria
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Insomnia
- Lethargy
- Nausea
- Palpitations
- Rhinitis
- Somnolence
- Vomiting
If you’d click the link above, you would see that these side effects are generally mild and not all test subjects experience them.
Another important side-effect to consider for the long-term is ingesting too many minerals because one serving of BHB salts includes about:
- 30% sodium DV
- 85% magnesium DV
- 55% calcium DV
If you take the recommended three servings per day, you’re tripling the numbers above. It’s wise to consult with your GP to see if you can eliminate the extra intake through urine or if elevated mineral levels can be problematic for you.
Do Exogenous Ketones Affect Sleep?
There is a reason why the American Academy of Sleep Medicine says, “Get your nightly kip in!” If you’re one of the three billion people who spend a large percentage of their lives in front of a computer screen, chances are, you aren’t sleeping well. And studies show that regular nightlies aren’t the only reason you’re not. Excessive computer use, stress, and a sedentary lifestyle are just a few of the reasons why sleep needs to be given the attention it deserves.
And sometimes sleep isn’t just a passing thing. It can be a permanent state of being. Any form of life is guided by circadian rhythms. These are simply defined as an internal clock that, when outside the body, reflects day or night. Circadian rhythms are driven by light and dark, which makes sense because they dictate the availability of a number of factors—food, activity, hormones—that play a role in our well-being.
Do Ketones Help You Sleep?
Weight loss is often accompanied by a dip in your energy levels. And if you’re someone who suffers from insomnia, the lack of appetite that comes with shedding those extra pounds can only add to your fatigue. But fear not, because it turns out that there are a few foods you can add to your daily diet that can help you get a good night’s rest, right from breakfast to dinner.
Giphy. When it comes to a good night’s rest, one of the things you’ll have to try is substituting carbs with fats, including those that are rich in carbohydrates but low on calories. This will help you feel more satisfied with your meals since your body can be less sensitive to the satiety signals that are released while you are eating carbs. And, as a bonus, a diet that includes fat helps with regulating your blood sugar levels, reducing the chances of you feeling a low-blood sugar slump after a hearty meal.
Do Ketones Help You Lose Weight?
So many people are looking for the perfect Keto Pills Shark Tank thinking they’ve found a miracle panacea for obesity.
On the other hand, Reddit users are especially adamant against taking them.
Here’s what the science says:
- IT can decrease appetite when you’re taking them in a fasting state.
- Don’t work as well after a meal.
- If your blood ketone levels are high, your body will stop burning fat stores to prevent ketoacidosis.
- Contain 50-100 calories/ serving, and you need several servings per day for them to work.
What I understand is that ketones help you lose weight because they decrease your appetite, but:
- They work better in a fasted state.
- They don’t help you lose weight if your blood ketone levels are already high, so you should monitor those levels with a ketone meter.
- You should control your calories because you’re adding at least 150-300 calories per day with your ketone drinks.
Related Questions:
Do Exogenous Ketones Lead to Immediate Weight Loss?
With a normal ketogenic diet, during the first few days, you will feel bloated and heavy. After day four, you will feel increasingly lighter as you lose water weight. After day seven, you can start losing fat weight.
But exogenous ketones increase your ketone levels immediately and put you into instant ketosis. So, if you mind your diet, you can start losing fat weight immediately.
Best Time of Day to Take Keto Pills
You could be drinking BHB salts with your morning coffee or supplement before bedtime if you want to achieve fast ketosis, increased mental clarity, and fast weight loss.
When Do I Take Keto Pills?
You can take them before sleep. You can take vitamins and keto pills at the same time in the morning with a big glass of water for extra hydration. Just remember keto supplements work better in a fasting state, or as close to it as possible.
Final Thoughts. My Experience
My experience with ketones is a tumultuous one. I started looking into supplements like these browsing through the shelves at Walmart even before Joe Rogan got wind of them.
I’ve experimented with several brands of ketone supplements, but my favorite remains Perfect Keto. I measured my progress while on Perfect Keto with the help of a physician.
I asked him, “Can I take some tests to tell my readers about them?” He said yes.
The morning after my cousin’s wedding where I indulged in lots of carbs, I took a serving of exogenous ketones and measured my blood ketone levels with a monitor – I was in ketosis within an hour.
Then I went to my doctor. He measured my blood glucose, oxygen rate consumption, the volume of carbon dioxide that I breathed out, and heart rate. Then I climbed on the treadmill.
I kept my keto diet for a whole week, but without taking supplements, then I went to the doctor again to retake the test.
We found that when I take an exogenous ketone supplement, I burn more fat (based on the oxygen and carbon dioxide measurements) and have a decreased heart rate, which proved me right.
I always felt better and more energized.
This can be your experience too if you take ketones correctly.
You can take it before going to sleep. The best time to take them is in a fasted state, in the morning, but you can also take them at night if you’ve not eaten for a few hours.
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