Every single one of us knows how important it is to get our essential vitamins and minerals. Heck, this could even date back to your parents telling you every morning.
If your childhood was anything like mine, I'm sure you can hear your mom saying "Don't forget to take your vitamins!"
Well, it turns out that our parents weren't wrong. These essential vitamins and minerals can help support your overall health.
Most of us already know this. What most of us may not know is if there's a best time to take vitamins. How do you know whether you should be taking vitamins at night vs the morning?
That's what I'm here to discuss with you today! So, let's start there.
Should You Take Vitamins In The Morning or At Night?
You’ll see different opinions on the best time to take your vitamins. Some people say taking vitamins at night is best. Other people say taking vitamins in the morning is best.
So, which one is better?
At night, our digestion tends to slow down (1). For that reason, some people will make the argument that taking your vitamins at night isn’t as effective.
Your food is digested the best when you are active and there is light present (2).
Even still, "night" may not be referring to immediately before bed. Some people may take their vitamins with dinner. In that case, there could be plenty of time for their digestive system to do its job before bedtime.
Now, who's right in this case? Is it better to take vitamins in the morning or at night?
Well, the fact of the matter is that it depends! It depends on when you will take your vitamins most consistently!
It will also depend on when you can take them with a meal.
You see, vitamins are either fat-soluble or water-soluble. That means, your body will need these nutrients to absorb and utilize vitamins.
For this reason, it's normally recommended to take vitamins with a meal and some water. I would argue those are the two most important things to consider when it comes to taking your vitamins...
1. When will you be most consistent with taking them?
2. Which meal or snack is most ideal for you to take them with?
When it comes to taking vitamins at night vs the morning, that won't matter as much. Honestly, there's a good chance it has very little impact whatsoever.
Who Should Take Vitamins?
Now that you know whether you should take vitamins at night or in the morning ... Should you even be taking vitamins?
Well, as I said earlier, these essential nutrients are important for all of us.
If you’re a pregnant mother, vitamins can be important!
If you’re an athlete competing at the highest level of sports, vitamins can be important!
If you’re a person who wants to live a healthier, longer life, then vitamins can be important (2)!
Now, does everyone need to take a multivitamin or supplement to get their vitamins? No, that's not what I'm saying.
However, I don't personally know anyone with a diet so perfect that they are able to get all of their essential vitamins and minerals every single day through food alone.
That's where a high-quality multivitamin supplement could help out.
In my opinion, I think most everyone should be taking a daily multivitamin. I think of them as an insurance policy. They are designed to help make sure all your bases are covered from an essential vitamin and mineral standpoint.
Choosing The Right Vitamin Supplement
Now that you know when to take your vitamins and whether or not they make sense for you...
What comes next is making sure you choose the right vitamin supplement. Yes, there are quite a few different vitamins out there such as vitamins A, B, C, D, and so on. This isn't what I'm referring to though.
What I'm talking about is choosing the right multivitamin. Again, this is something I recommend for just about everyone. The problem is that not all multivitamins are created equally.
As someone who's tried out quite a few different multivitamin supplements ... I do have some recommendations when it comes to what to look for.
For starters, I prefer vitamins that come in powder-filled capsules or even in a flavored powder. In my experience, these vitamins appear to be absorbed and tolerated better from a digestive standpoint. I certainly feel a lot better with them as opposed to the heat-compressed, hard-coated tablet vitamins I've tried in the past.
On top of that, I'd take note of the dosing. The multivitamin should contain a full spectrum of essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to support whole-body health. Bonus points if there are additional ingredients outside of the multivitamin itself!
Now, what If you're someone who's looking to supplement with one vitamin in particular?
Well, you certainly can supplement with individual vitamins. However, this is something I only recommend in the case of a vitamin deficiency. Even still, it's best to consult your doctor before starting any new supplements if you’re dealing with a deficiency.
How To Get The Most Out Of Your Vitamins
So, does it really matter whether you take vitamins at night vs in the morning? Probably not.
What does matter is that you take them consistently, and take them with a meal. Remember, vitamins are either fat or water-soluble. That's why it's always recommended to take your vitamins with a meal.
If you can stick to those two things and pick a high-quality multivitamin ... It's hard to go wrong.
Are you looking for a good multivitamin to try out? If so, you came to the right place!
At 1st Phorm, our mission is to help real people like you and me earn real and long-term results. We know you don't take any shortcuts when it comes to your health and fitness goals. That's why we don't take any shortcuts with the supplements to help you reach them!
I use our Micro Factor complete daily nutrient supplement for that very reason! It gives me all the essential vitamins and minerals I need to feel and perform my best every day.
Not only that, but Micro Factor offers so much more. Each Micro Factor packet gives you a multivitamin, fruits & veggies, a probiotic, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and CoQ10!
Plus, if you're not much for capsules, Micro Factor is also available in a delicious, flavored powder.
Give Micro Factor a try today and I know you won't be disappointed!
If there's anything I can do to help out in the meantime, don't hesitate to reach out! We have a full team of NASM Certified Personal Trainers and Nutrition Coaches right here in St. Louis, Missouri. Just give us a call at 1-800-409-9732 or send us an email at CustomerService@1stPhorm.com any day from 6 AM to 10 PM Central. We'll be more than happy to help in any way we can!
References:
(1) Dantas, Roberto Oliveira, and Cynthia Gutierrez Aben-Athar. “Aspectos dos efeitos do sono no aparelho digestório” [Aspects of sleep effects on the digestive tract]. Arquivos de gastroenterologia vol. 39,1 (2002): 55-9. doi:10.1590/s0004-28032002000100010.
(2) Paranjpe, Manish D et al. “Self-reported health without clinically measurable benefits among adult users of multivitamin and multimineral supplements: a cross-sectional study.” BMJ open vol. 10,11 e039119. 4 Nov. 2020, doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-039119.
