Your nitric oxide (NO) levels are a determining factor for health you should not ignore. Nitric oxide is a neurotransmitting molecule that the body produces in various ways. However, NO is used just as rapidly as it is produced. So the answer to the question, “can you take nitric oxide every day?” is a loaded question. Yes, you certainly can, and probably should depending on a multitude of factors. We will explore why you should take nitric oxide each day. We will also explore the best times to boost NO production to optimize your well-being. So while the answer is yes, I implore you to read on to learn why you can and should take NO every day.
What is nitric oxide?
Nitric oxide is a molecule produced by almost every cell in the body. Common precursors used by the body to create nitric oxide are the amino acids L-citrulline and L-arginine, and nitrates. Nitric oxide is one of the most important molecules for our health. This is due to NO being a vasodilator, responsible for widening the blood vessels. This benefit allows for many of the other health benefits nitric oxide offers to take effect. NO has a hand in cognitive function, sexual health, heart health, muscle growth, and more. The accolades bestowed upon nitric oxide are well-deserved.
When should you take nitric oxide?
NO can be boosted in many ways. Exercise, exposure to sunlight, and nasal breathing are all helpful in promoting NO production. While there is hardly ever a bad time to boost your NO levels, some instances would be a higher priority over others. Some of these include:
- Before exercising
- After exercising
- Any point when you need an energy boost
- When experiencing high blood pressure
- When experiencing certain heart problems
- When recovery is needed rapidly
This list is not the end-all-be-all of circumstances where boosting NO would be beneficial, but it’s a good starting point. For many people, it will depend on what kind of individual you are. Are you an average joe? Are you an athlete? Perhaps you’re someone trying to combat hypertension? We will look at specific populations of people and determine when the best time to take nitric oxide is for them.
When should you take nitric oxide if you want to improve athletic performance?
For athletes or anyone looking to enhance their performance, boosting your NO with something like beetroot juice will improve your endurance and stamina. This will help you push through more intense workouts for longer. This will also improve strength training efforts and help out with muscle recovery after the workout. These benefits occur because NO helps make blood flow more efficient. This in turn allows more oxygen and nutrients to be delivered to the muscles.
If you want to boost your NO levels before a workout, the timetable will look different depending on your method. If you want to drink beetroot juice, you want to drink up around 2-3 hours before the workout to maximize the benefits. However, if you’re going to use a more natural supplement like eating specific fruits and vegetables, you should do so within 90 minutes of your workout.
Furthermore, increasing your NO consumption overall will improve your endurance over time. So if you are a cyclist, runner, or swimmer, chances are you will reap the most benefits from the endurance-enhancement NO consumption provides.
When should you take nitric oxide to reduce muscle soreness?
It’s pretty normal to feel sore and fatigued after a grueling workout session. This is just a normal response to inflammation in the muscles. The body is working to repair itself from the tearing of muscle fibers that occurs when you work out. To repair itself, the body sends blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the muscles so they can replenish their levels and recover the energy expended.
When should you take nitric oxide to boost energy?
Make no mistake, plenty of other factors influence your energy levels. A balanced diet and 7-8 hours of quality sleep are the most important things you can look at for enhancing your energy. If you have already optimized these factors, then you can see what NO has to offer for energy.
NO levels fluctuate based on the 24-hour light/dark cycle. Because of this, humans have adapted to this cycle with the help of neuromodulators. These neuromodulators are messengers released from a neuron that affects the transmission of the signals between neurons. Neuromodulators essentially respond to variation in the environment by sending signals between neurons. NO happens to be a neuromodulator tasked with helping our cells optimize energy usage based on the light cycle.
Nitric oxide levels are lowest first thing in the morning, so this is the best time to take a booster. Consuming NO boosters in the morning can improve energy levels throughout the day, and can help improve your circadian clock. This makes sleeping easier.
Other reasons to take nitric oxide
Nitric oxide has been linked to other benefits such as stress relief, lowering blood pressure, easing anxiety, and improving overall health. Let’s take a look at some of these other benefits and see when the best time to take NO is for them.
Stress relief
NO boosting activities can be used to reduce stress. This requires you to do more than just drink a juice or take a capsule. This requires you to engage in exercises such as nose breathing. This works because nose breathing stimulates the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is responsible for activating your parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for making you calm and restful. As the parasympathetic nervous system is activated, your stress levels will drop. As a bonus, nose breathing boosts NO production via paranasal sinuses as you inhale.
How do we do this? Listed below are two common nose breathing practices you can use to reduce stress.
- Timed Breathing. For this, start by inhaling through your nose for seven seconds at a steady pace. Hold your breath for about three seconds, and exhale through your mouth for four seconds. Repeat this for a few minutes. This exercise will boost your nitric oxide as well as relieve stress by slowing down your breathing rate.
- Belly Breathing. For this, start by placing one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest. Breathe in deeply through your nose into your belly until it cannot expand anymore. Then exhale through your mouth. Your chest should not move during this exercise.
Both of these exercises encourage nose breathing, so will boost your NO levels as well as ease your stress if you do them for a few minutes each day.
Anxiety symptom relief
As some of you might know, anxiety is a broad term with many symptoms associated with it. Some that are prevalent include elevated heart rate, rapid breathing, and overall feelings of stress and tension. Similar to the stress exercises above, nose breathing exercises can minimize some of these anxiety symptoms. Here are a couple of things you can do that will boost your nitric oxide levels and ease your anxiety symptoms:
- Each day, set aside a few minutes each morning to practice deep breathing (inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth). This engages the parasympathetic nervous system and boosts NO levels. You can use the exercises above or Google a few other options as well.
- Walk around outside for roughly 20 minutes. Exposure to sunlight helps to boost our body’s ability to produce nitric oxide. Furthermore, exposure to sunlight increases vitamin D production and releases serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that affects mood and other processes. Low serotonin levels have been linked to increased anxiety.
As a note, do not forget that quality sleep, a balanced diet, and exercise can also have a positive impact on both stress and anxiety.
Improving overall health
To improve your overall health, you can maximize your NO levels. You can do this by adding in activities and supplements throughout the day that can optimize your nitric oxide and provide you with consistent levels throughout the day. Consistent NO levels will maximize all the benefits NO provides our bodies. Below will be the best times of the day to engage in NO boosting and how you can do it.
First thing in the morning
- nose breathing exercises
- exercise
- NO booster supplement
Midday/Afternoon
- Sunlight exposure
- exercise
- NO boosting lunch (leafy greens, beets, fruits, etc.)
- NO boosting supplement
Evening
- NO rich dinner
- nose breathing exercises
- NO boosting supplement before bed
The Takeaway
With so many nitric oxide boosters and activities at our disposal, it is easier than ever to reach and maintain optimal NO levels. To keep those levels high, daily boosting is encouraged. How you do so will be individually goal-based. You engage in the boosters and activities that you will enjoy and stick to consistently. So with all the benefits we know nitric oxide provides, we can definitely say you can take nitric oxide every day.