I like the Emergen-C to help ward off oncoming illness.
Vit C and caffeine don't seem to do much for me for energy. I drink tea but if I ever get anything with high dose caffeine it just makes me jittery. I hate those energy drinks.
I tried about 20 different kinds of high quality food state and food derived multivitamins. I think they are probably all good products but I noticed an energy burst with only one. Unfortunately it's hard to find. It's called Life's Fortune. Even at half dose I get a nice long-lasting boost. I read the ingredient list to see what might be the "energy factor" and my guess is spirulina and chlorella. Those are easier to find but chlorella (a good one) is expen$ive!
I put a drop or two of pure lavender oil on my pillow at night to help me stay asleep. When I have the running-thoughts brain thing, I take Skullcap. It is a nerve tonic and will help me sleep at night. Not a sedative -- if you take it in the daytime (which I have done when I get nervous eyelid twitching) it won't put you to sleep.
Valerian has a sedative effect for me. I've taken it for hard sleep and pain relief after an injury but I rarely use it. I think it could be habit forming for some people and it can give you weird dreams. So I ONLY use it when I've had an injury that is tightened up and will heal better if relaxed. I discovered it because I'd had a sore shoulder for 3 months that nothing helped. I took it for pain and to help me sleep and the next day the pain was gone. I'm not saying it would work that way for any soreness but I think mine was only a lingering tightness.
Magnesium helps some people relax and sleep well. It helps me marginally. I think it has more to do with magnesium/calcium balance in the body, which might explain why some swear by it and others see no result at all.
Whatever is in Life's Fortune, lavender oil, and skullcap are my most effective ones though.
