How Uridine Benefits Cognition, Sleep, Pain Management, and More
Uridine is a fascinating little compound that is naturally present throughout our body and plays an important role in various areas of human health. Uridine arguably plays the most important role in cognitive health where it helps support brain tissue health while also promoting both mood and memory. However, Uridine supplementation in the form of Uridine Monophosphate or Triacetyluridine can produce many other positive benefits which even extend to improving sleep quality and managing aches and pains! Below are the four main Uridine benefits that we will be discussing throughout this article.
Top Four Uridine Benefits
- Uridine may support cognitive function
- Uridine may promote a positive mood
- Uridine may support sleep quality
- Uridine may support pain management
To properly explain these great Uridine benefits, we need to first explain a little bit more in depth what exactly Uridine is and what makes it such a fascinating compound.
What Is Uridine?
Uridine is one of five nucleosides that are present in our body, and like the other nucleosides, can be used as a building block for RNA and DNA.Uridine, like some of the other nucleosides such as adenosine, has many other functions throughout the body and brain and this is where the focus lies with Uridine supplements. Supplemented Uridine, in bioavailable forms such as Uridine Monophosphate or Triacetyluridine, can have significant positive effects on overall health. This is in stark contrast to Uridine that is found in dietary sources such as yeast based foods which contain significant amounts of Uridine in the form of RNA. It has been found that dietary RNA-based Uridine is not absorbed and utilized well by the body. Luckily, we now have the option to boost Uridine levels by supplementing with a bioavailable Uridine supplement like Uridine monophosphate or Triacetyluridine.
A Uridine Supplement May Support Cognitive Function
It has been found that Uridine plays an important role in maintaining brain tissue and modulating acetylcholine levels. Both of these processes play a major role in overall cognitive function. By positively affecting them with a Uridine supplement, we can support optimal cognitive health.
A Uridine supplement, will help maintain brain tissue by boosting the synthesis of one of the main components of brain tissue: phospholipids. Phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine make up large amounts of brain tissue and other tissue in the nervous system such as our spinal cord. By boosting the synthesis of these phospholipids, especially phosphatidylethanolamine, Uridine can help maintain healthy and strong brain tissue which can help to protect our brains and boost overall brain function!
The next most important brain-related Uridine benefit is its ability to activate a very special brain receptor called the P2Y2 receptors. This receptor is not often discussed and is not a very popular nootropic receptor target. However, out of all of the receptors in the brain, this may be one of the most important targets for cognitive enhancement. The P2Y2 plays a wide modulating role in the brain and can increase acetylcholine levels, in addition to enhancing neuroplasticity via nerve growth factor (NGF). Enhanced acetylcholine levels, go hand in hand with NGF-induced neuroplasticity to help boost cognitive function (especially memory) which makes a Uridine supplement a fantastic natural nootropic!
A Uridine Supplement May Promote a Positive Mood
As an extension of the above section regarding how a Uridine supplement may help promote cognitive health, the increases in overall cognitive health may also help boost mood. It has been shown that low mood is linked to decreased brain neuroplasticity and decreased phospholipid levels. By taking a Uridine supplement, especially together with a DHA fish oil, we can help improve phospholipid levels thereby restoring healthy levels of neuroplasticity.
These mood-restoring effects of Uridine makes it a very interesting candidate for a daily, natural nootropic as it is fairly well known at this point in time that optimal cognitive function depends heavily on a positive mood. With a Uridine supplement, we can support both a positive mood in addition to a boost in cognitive function. In our opinion, this makes Uridine a versatile and valuable natural nootropic.
A Uridine Supplement May Support Sleep Quality
What good is a healthy and strong brain when we are constantly tired? Even though there are many supplements out there that can improve overall brain health, ensuring good restorative sleep is often neglected. This is because ensuring high-quality sleep can be somewhat of a tricky ordeal. We live in such a high demand world where getting a good night of sleep isn’t always a realistic opportunity. To make matters worse, a vast majority of cognitive enhancers and natural nootropics have stimulating effects. These stimulating natural nootropics help counteract tiredness from poor sleep and a busy schedule. Yet, taking stimulating natural nootropics late in the day can hinder achieving high-quality sleep.
Considering this, any natural nootropic aiding sleep quality earns a place in our top-tier category of natural nootropics! We highly value Uridine supplements for their ability to enhance sleep quality when taken approximately an hour before bedtime. Nootropics improving sleep quality are termed supplements supporting “overnight” memory enhancement. Ideal for busy schedules, Triacetyluridine is convenient for those unable to take natural nootropics before work or school. Take a Uridine supplement before bed for achieving higher quality sleep instead.
A Uridine Supplement May Support Pain Management
In addition to boosting cognitive function, mood and sleep, a Uridine supplement may even help regulate pain! In our opinion, this makes Uridine an incredibly versatile supplement. A Uridine supplement appears to be especially effective at helping manage nerve-related discomfort. Other supplements interacting with nerve growth factor (NGF) appear to share this feature. So, the NGF-modulating effects of Uridine are likely where the pain regulating effects of Uridine come from.
However, the evidence of Uridine supplements acting as pain regulators remains somewhat limited. Primarily, Uridine is studied as a modulator of pain-regulators rather than as a standalone pain-regulator. Uridine’s modulation of Vitamin B12, known as a pain regulator, enhances B12’s pain-regulation effects when supplemented together. This is interesting, as vitamin B12 can also have mood-elevating and cognition-enhancing effects. This led us to consider whether co-supplementing Uridine and vitamin B12 enhances their cognition-enhancing effects.
Conveniently, Natrium Health provides a highly effective Vitamin B12 supplement, prompting our informal test of its efficacy. We alternated between Uridine and B12 supplements on separate days, then combined them on the third day for comparison. Based on our subjective test, combining Uridine and Vitamin B12 supplements provided more energy compared to each supplement individually.
Which Uridine Supplement Should I Take?
As evident in this article, Uridine is a fascinating compound with numerous highly beneficial effects. Uridine supports brain health, enhances sleep quality, and regulates pain, offering comprehensive benefits for various health concerns. So which of the two Uridine supplements that we carry should you take?
The Benefits of Uridine Monophosphate
Uridine Monophosphate is the most basic, but also most well researched form, of Uridine. Phosphorylation enables Uridine Monophosphate to be readily absorbed and utilized in our body. Phosphorylated Uridine is able to exert the highest amount of beneficial effects in the body. Continuous production in our body makes it the most “natural” form of Uridine supplementation. For additional Uridine benefits, dissolve this Uridine Monophosphate under the tongue for sublingual administration. The taste is mild and a little bit salty. In fact, Uridine Monophosphate dissolves very readily, making it ideal for sublingual use. Sublingual Uridine Monophosphate acts faster and appears more potent compared to orally supplemented Uridine Monophosphate.
The Benefits of Triacetyluridine (TAU)
Triacetyluridine, also known as TAU, is a little bit more of an “advanced” Uridine supplement. It absorbs much more readily than Uridine Monophosphate, enabling much lower dosing. This makes it ideal for individuals looking purely for an oral Uridine supplement in a small dose. Other than enhanced oral-bioavailability, the effects of TAU and Uridine Monophosphate are very similar. For a straightforward addition of Uridine to your regimen, without sublingual experimentation, Triacetyluridine from our collection is ideal!
