Timing Guides

When to Take Supplements

Morning or evening? With food or empty stomach? Expert timing recommendations for 52 supplements, sourced from 1000+ hours of research content.

Sleep Optimization

5.0/5

Take sleep supplements 30-60 minutes before bed. Delay caffeine 90-120 minutes after waking (Hube...

Omega-3

4.8/5

Take with a fat-containing meal to improve absorption. No specific time-of-day requirement. Consi...

Creatine

4.6/5

Timing is flexible. Post-workout may be slightly preferred to avoid GI distress when combined wit...

Zone 2 Exercise

4.6/5

Sessions should be minimum 45 minutes to reach metabolic steady state (Attia). Beginners start at...

Probiotics & Gut Health

4.4/5

Consume fermented foods with meals throughout the day. Time-restricted eating windows (9-12 hours...

Zinc

4.2/5

Take with meals to reduce nausea and improve absorption. Avoid taking at the same time as high-do...

Magnesium

4.1/5

Smaller, frequent doses throughout the day for better absorption. Carbonate in the morning (Attia...

Fasting

4.1/5

Avoid food for at least 1 hour after waking and 2-3 hours before bed (Huberman). Place the feedin...

Glycine

4.0/5

Before bed for sleep benefits — glycine helps lower core body temperature to facilitate sleep ons...

Iron

4.0/5

Take with vitamin C to enhance absorption (Johnson pairs heme iron + vitamin C in morning routine...

Cold Exposure

4.0/5

Morning cold exposure can increase core body temperature and boost alertness via cortisol and cat...

Vitamin D

3.9/5

Take with a fat-containing meal for better absorption. Morning or midday preferred — some evidenc...

Ashwagandha

3.8/5

Evening for cortisol management and sleep support (Huberman, Attia). Johnson takes it in the morn...

Astaxanthin

3.7/5

Take with a fat-containing meal to improve absorption, as astaxanthin is a fat-soluble carotenoid...

CoQ10

3.7/5

Take with a meal containing fat to maximize absorption, as CoQ10 is fat-soluble. Can be split int...

Collagen

3.5/5

Morning with meals is most common. Johnson takes it in his morning drink. Patrick adds it to her ...

Vitamin B12

3.4/5

Take with meals. Often taken as part of a B-complex or alongside methylfolate for optimal methyla...

Caffeine

3.4/5

Delay intake 90-120 minutes after waking to allow natural cortisol pulse to clear residual adenos...

Curcumin

3.4/5

Johnson takes curcumin in the morning with food as part of his Blueprint stack. Taking with food ...

Electrolytes

3.4/5

First thing in the morning with water for hydration (Huberman). During exercise per the Galpin eq...

Garlic

3.4/5

Take garlic supplements with food to reduce GI discomfort (Johnson takes his pills with his morni...

NAC

3.4/5

Take with food to avoid stomach upset. Johnson takes NAC in the morning as part of his Blueprint ...

Berberine

3.1/5

Take with meals to reduce GI side effects and align with its glucose-lowering mechanism. When use...

Glutathione

3.1/5

Take liposomal glutathione on an empty stomach for best absorption. NAC and supporting supplement...

Vitamin C

3.1/5

Can be taken any time of day with or without food. Johnson takes it in the morning with his suppl...

Vitamin K2

3.0/5

Take with a fat-containing meal for absorption, same as vitamin D. Morning or midday preferred. T...

Selenium

2.9/5

With food for better absorption. Can be taken with other thyroid-support nutrients (iodine, zinc,...

NMN

2.9/5

Morning; with or without food

Folate

2.8/5

Take with other B vitamins (B12, B6) for synergistic methylation support. Can be taken with or wi...

Melatonin

2.8/5

Before bed (30-60 minutes). Johnson takes it before bed alongside DHEA. Hyman recommends it for c...

Olive Oil

2.8/5

Johnson takes EVOO first thing in the morning as a shot, then adds it to meals throughout the day...

GLP-1 Agonists

2.6/5

Once-weekly injection. No specific time-of-day requirement. Must be combined with strength traini...

Rapamycin

2.6/5

Intermittent dosing (typically once weekly) is the approach discussed for longevity use, as oppos...

Sulforaphane

2.6/5

No specific timing recommendations emerged from the expert discussions. Patrick includes sulforap...

Metformin

2.5/5

Typically taken with meals to reduce GI side effects. Extended-release formulations are usually t...

MCT

2.4/5

Morning or before cognitive tasks; with or without food

DHEA

2.4/5

Evening/before bed (Johnson); based on individual testing

Phosphatidylserine

2.4/5

With meals; evening for cortisol management

NMN & NAD+

2.3/5

Morning dosing is most common. Sinclair emphasizes pulsatile dosing — cycling on and off rather t...

Theanine

2.3/5

30-60 minutes before bed for sleep; or with caffeine for calm focus during the day

Apigenin

2.3/5

30-60 minutes before bed

Taurine

2.1/5

With meals or before bed

Resveratrol

1.8/5

Morning with food containing fat for absorption

Quercetin

1.6/5

With meals

Green Tea EGCG

1.6/5

Between meals (tannins can inhibit iron absorption); avoid late in the day due to caffeine

Inositol

1.6/5

Before bed for sleep; or with meals for metabolic support

Rhodiola

1.6/5

Morning or early afternoon; avoid evening due to stimulating effects

Lions Mane

1.6/5

Morning or with meals

Tongkat Ali

1.3/5

Morning; cycle on/off monthly

Shilajit

1.3/5

Morning; with food

Spirulina

0.5/5

With meals or in smoothies

Boron

0.5/5

With meals