You should take your multivitamins in the morning with a meal to facilitate absorption. However, if that causes stomach pain, try taking it before bed. Remember that the most important thing is to incorporate them into your daily routine. You can take most vitamins at any time of the day.
However, some nutrients may be better absorbed by your body if you take them with a meal that contains fat. Because of its ability to increase energy, the best time of day to take a B vitamin is after waking up. In addition, recent research indicates that vitamin B-6 may interfere with sleep and induce vivid dreams. To avoid this side effect, people may want to take them earlier in the day.
While research offers some recommendations for preventing side effects, scientists generally don't support any specific recommendations about taking vitamins at certain times. Pregnancy is a time when the body needs additional vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and other nutrients because they help the growth and development of the fetus. Therefore, people need to consume these vitamins from animal, plant, and sometimes supplemental sources. While some vitamins are better absorbed when taken first thing in the morning with water, others are better absorbed or work better when taken with meals or just before bedtime.
If your doctor has recommended that you take a supplement, the best time to take it would be as soon as the person remembers to take it. The time of day can also make a difference when it comes to getting the most out of your vitamin or mineral supplement. They can help you determine which supplements you should take and talk to you about the best time to take them. The time of day a person takes a supplement rarely makes a difference, except that it reduces the risk of some rare side effects of certain B-complex vitamins.
If you take vitamin B-12 at the same time as the other B-complex vitamins in the morning, you'll be fine. Vitamin C can help your body better absorb iron, so if a health professional has recommended that you take extra iron, you should take your vitamin C at the same time, regardless of the time of day. Vitamin D can be taken at any time of the day, and most of these supplements should be taken with meals or snacks that contain fats to ensure optimal absorption. With the plethora of serums, moisturizers, and beauty routines available (such as the new trend called the “skin cycle”), it's hard to know what really moisturizes your skin and what's a waste of time and money.
This is a summary of the best times to take specific vitamins and minerals, the best time to take multivitamins, and what supplements should be taken along with some calories from fat. More research is needed to determine how multivitamins affect sleep, if at all, and if the time of day you take them may affect this effect. You can take vitamin C supplements at any time of the day, with or without food, although taking ascorbic acid with food can help reduce potential gastrointestinal side effects caused by high acidity.
