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Heavy vs. Heady (and exercise)

recentreturn

Kava Enthusiast
I've been meaning to start this discussion for awhile. Does anyone else find the heady vs. heavy caricature incomplete? I find many heady kavas resolve themselves into a kind of fatigue or even sleepiness that heavy kava's don't. I find a lot of heavy kavas make me feel chilled out (with more or less muscle relaxation) without making me feel like sleeping. Lately, it seems like if I take a heavier kava like KT's Kadavu, I am actually more likely to exercise later in the day than if I were to take a heady kava. Does anyone else find this dichotomy between energetic daytime heady vs. muscle-melting nighttime heavy to be incomplete or out of step with practical experience?
Edit: Which kavas are you most likely to exercise after taking. I took Kadavu the other day and had a great workout a few hours later; counterintuitive.
 

muddywaters

Kava Enthusiast
I've been meaning to start this discussion for awhile. Does anyone else find the heady vs. heavy caricature incomplete? I find many heady kavas resolve themselves into a kind of fatigue or even sleepiness that heavy kava's don't. I find a lot of heavy kavas make me feel chilled out (with more or less muscle relaxation) without making me feel like sleeping. Lately, it seems like if I take a heavier kava like KT's Kadavu, I am actually more likely to exercise later in the day than if I were to take a heady kava. Does anyone else find this dichotomy between energetic daytime heady vs. muscle-melting nighttime heavy to be incomplete or out of step with practical experience?
Edit: Which kavas are you most likely to exercise after taking. I took Kadavu the other day and had a great workout a few hours later; counterintuitive.
They all seem to lead to the same place for me in the same night but heavy kavas linger longer for me. I couldn't drink kava and exercise within a few hours because I would be too relaxed, I drink when the day is done and I don't have much else to do. I been out on heady kavas before though for less serious things and it was a great experience, I can even eat a lot given I at least had an hour of space from drinking it and the food. The next morning though after rolling out of bed, having breakfast and coffee I'm off though. I don't have a car so I need to be very physically fit for miles every day. If it was really strong then I'll still feel it and feel less motivated but I power through it cause I'm a beast like that. I don't mind work either because since kava makes socializing much easier for me and I'm on register often, it's actually enjoyable to an extent and boosts my performance there.
 

recentreturn

Kava Enthusiast
Well, that is what am feeling like is more complicated for me. I feel like the positive feelings I get from heady kavas are a quick burn and the positive feelings I get from heavy kava are a slower burn. However, I feel altered for a long time from both. And the kind of alteration I feel from a lot of heady kavas, is actually less conducive to exercise than from heavy.
The experience just seems really counter intuitive. I probably "need" to experiment a bit more; but it sure seems to me that recent batches of GHK awa Mo'i and KT Savusavu (which I experience as having a strong heady element) drop from the quick heady rush into a long-lasting lethargic sleepiness. Whereas KT Kadavu (at moderate doses, like 3 tbs) is a much heavier experience, but tapers into a clear-headed, muscled slightly-melted state, that doesn't short-circuit my motivation to exercise (makes me question whether it is prudent or not, but doesn't destroy all motivation). I went jogging the other day a few hours after 3 tbs of kava time and, while I didn't feel that energized, I think I actually made better time and had better endurance than usual.
 

sɥɐʞɐs

Avg. Dosage: 8 Tbsp. (58g)
Review Maestro
For me, heavy kava makes a task like reaching behind a TV and plugging in an HDMI cable too energy intensive. Real physical labor would be absolutely annoying and extremely nauseating.

Heady kava, if it's strong enough, and it rarely is, gives me a floaty, goofy, eye spinning buzz and definitely leaves more capable of doing something physical, but I still don't have the desire to. Most heady kava just feels, mild and empty to me, but still offers some kava-i-ness...and they all end with me being sedated, to varying degrees. I never get energetic, focused or motivated from kava. Maybe after one shell...slightly.

But this is just how it behaves in my body.
 

recentreturn

Kava Enthusiast
For me, heavy kava makes a task like reaching behind a TV and plugging in an HDMI cable too energy intensive. Real physical labor would be absolutely annoying and extremely nauseating.

Heady kava, if it's strong enough, and it rarely is, gives me a floaty, goofy, eye spinning buzz and definitely leaves more capable of doing something physical, but I still don't have the desire to. Most heady kava just feels, mild and empty to me, but still offers some kava-i-ness...and they all end with me being sedated, to varying degrees. I never get energetic, focused or motivated from kava. Maybe after one shell...slightly.

But this is just how it behaves in my body.
Weird. I actually DO get focused and motivated after low doses of certain kinds. E.g. Kava Time's Kadavu does seem to clear my head, as does GHK's Moi. But the Mo'i wear off into a sleepiness that the Kadavu doesn't. The Kumakua (which some people have compared to Mo'i) is definitely not clear-headed for me, nor KT Savusavu, which I would normally consider more heady than Kadavu. Its almost most like the "short burn" ore heady kavas resolves itself into a hang-over. Man, I've had 7-7.5 Kava Ambae and I am getting double vision.
 

recentreturn

Kava Enthusiast
7 tablespoons or 7 shells ? ::KavaChug::
7 tbs, but the last two were heaping tbs (and I added and 8th heaping tbs, while I was at it), so maybe its really 8-9 tbs. 4 shells (about to do s 2nd wash on the last batch, which is just one heaping tablespoon)? But that stuff sure is something!!! And I do think it tastes a hint better that Kfd's Kava Supreme, though by the time I finished my 3 8+ oz. shell, I was scared of vomiting and grabbed a cake lid thing, just in case.
 

SelfBiasResistor

Persist for Resistance!
Any kava takes away the desire to exercise for me. The lighter, "headier" types that don't sedate me as much still take away my motivation to do much of anything besides watch a movie, play a video game or maybe sit and do some research on something without the stress of life cluttering my thoughts. I've found benefit in instants like moi, in the past, used in small doses to relieve work stress but unless it's a small amount, it gets hard to get much done.

I don't think it's a good idea to drink kava and then exercise anyway. A few years back there was that guy that collapsed after drinking kava and went for a bike ride. Anything that relaxes muscles should be considered post workout, IMO.
 

recentreturn

Kava Enthusiast
Any kava takes away the desire to exercise for me. The lighter, "headier" types that don't sedate me as much still take away my motivation to do much of anything besides watch a movie, play a video game or maybe sit and do some research on something without the stress of life cluttering my thoughts. I've found benefit in instants like moi, in the past, used in small doses to relieve work stress but unless it's a small amount, it gets hard to get much done.

I don't think it's a good idea to drink kava and then exercise anyway. A few years back there was that guy that collapsed after drinking kava and went for a bike ride. Anything that relaxes muscles should be considered post workout, IMO.
Yeah, I agree; but sometimes a low does of kava seems to make me feel better in the morning (which raises a question in my mind about whether kava is really non-addictive). Its just weird that, lately, on days that I take a low dow of heavy kava, I seem to be more likely to work out than on days I take a low dose of heady kava.
Its interesting to me precisely because it seems the opposite of conventional wisdom.
 

recentreturn

Kava Enthusiast
One possible subquestion to this could be: if you find the effects of a heady kava to be a quick onset and a quick fading away, do you also find it to proceed quickly into a hangover?
(That could be another way to phrase my question: anyone else notice heady kavas were off quickly and leave you with a hangover that just make you wanna sleep[?)
Edit: I just find it so odd that my personal experience is that many heady kavas make me want to just my eyes and just try (I never succeed) to nap and feel like not-thinking, where as Kadavu (a heavier kava) leaves me dreamy, relaxed, and clear-headed and not desirous of actually falling asleep; lazing around the house, sure; but actual sleeping, not as much as headier varieties.
 

recentreturn

Kava Enthusiast
I suppose what I am asking is already reflected in the review categories that distinguish between sedation and muscle relaxation. Normally people mark sedation and muscle-relaxation on the same (heavy) kavas. I'm saying that I've been experiencing more correlation between sedation and heady kavas. (Again, I could just have weird body chemistry; I do have ADHD and they say stuff like amphetamine in small amounts is actually calming for people with ADHD, but I've never tried stimulant ADHD medications.)
 

muddywaters

Kava Enthusiast
For me, heavy kava makes a task like reaching behind a TV and plugging in an HDMI cable too energy intensive. Real physical labor would be absolutely annoying and extremely nauseating.

Heady kava, if it's strong enough, and it rarely is, gives me a floaty, goofy, eye spinning buzz and definitely leaves more capable of doing something physical, but I still don't have the desire to. Most heady kava just feels, mild and empty to me, but still offers some kava-i-ness...and they all end with me being sedated, to varying degrees. I never get energetic, focused or motivated from kava. Maybe after one shell...slightly.

But this is just how it behaves in my body.
My favorite experience is a heady kava that fades into a sedation I can sleep on later and doesn't leave me feeling too heavy or mentally down the next day. My computer monitor is my gaming monitor so when I'm in the mood after to play some games which is ridiculously fun on kava I also gotta switch up the cable in back of it and on anything heavier it's a bit of a project.
 

Blinkyrocket

Kava Enthusiast
Well, I need to try Ambae's Kava from Kava Time again to make sure, but I think Ambae's may be more energetic and heady, to me, than Taveuni's Secret. Strangely, I'm not getting very much out of Taveuni's Secret. Maybe it's just because it's the first wash, but I'm pretty sure I've gotten better buzzes from the first washes of other Kava. I mean, I got double vision and dizziness before I got a good buzz out of Taveuni's Secret:wacky:. Maybe I just got a batch with high DHK.

Also, I think Kava's acute effects mask its pro-inflammatory effects. So, that would be why it makes you feel better in the morning. It's actually possible, too, that Kava has both anti and pro-inflammatory effects, but the pro-inflammatory effects last longer.
 
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recentreturn

Kava Enthusiast
Well, I need to try Ambae's Kava from Kava Time again to make sure, but I think Ambae's may be more energetic and heady, to me, than Taveuni's Secret. Strangely, I'm not getting very much out of Taveuni's Secret. Maybe it's just because it's the first wash, but I'm pretty sure I've gotten better buzzes from the first washes of other Kava. I mean, I got double vision and dizziness before I got a good buzz out of Taveuni's Secret:wacky:. Maybe I just got a batch with high DHK.

Also, I think Kava's acute effects mask its pro-inflammatory effects. So, that would be why it makes you feel better in the morning. It's actually possible, too, that Kava has both anti and pro-inflammatory effects, but the pro-inflammatory effects last longer.
Are you saying you got double vision and dizziness from one wash of Taveuni's Secret, but you aren't getting much out of it? What are you trying to get?
 

Blinkyrocket

Kava Enthusiast
Are you saying you got double vision and dizziness from one wash of Taveuni's Secret, but you aren't getting much out of it? What are you trying to get?
Well, no, I'd already had some Kava before that; I mentioned the dizziness to convey the point that I had drunk enough Kava to cause those effects, but it still didn't achieve the desired effect. The problem is I'm trying to get headiness and all I'm getting is heaviness. I don't particularly like the sedation. Well, I don't particularly like the lack of energy, anyway.
 

recentreturn

Kava Enthusiast
Well, no, I'd already had some Kava before that; I mentioned the dizziness to convey the point that I had drunk enough Kava to cause those effects, but it still didn't achieve the desired effect. The problem is I'm trying to get headiness and all I'm getting is heaviness. I don't particularly like the sedation. Well, I don't particularly like the lack of energy, anyway.
Interesting. I've only had 2 tbs out of the new batch of Taveuni's, so I can't really compare. I know I definitely felt heady effects. For me, if I feel something 7 minutes after I drink it, I know I'm getting heady effects. If I don't feel much of anything until 20 minutes after, then I know I'm getting heavy.
 

SelfBiasResistor

Persist for Resistance!
One possible subquestion to this could be: if you find the effects of a heady kava to be a quick onset and a quick fading away, do you also find it to proceed quickly into a hangover?
(That could be another way to phrase my question: anyone else notice heady kavas were off quickly and leave you with a hangover that just make you wanna sleep[?)
Edit: I just find it so odd that my personal experience is that many heady kavas make me want to just my eyes and just try (I never succeed) to nap and feel like not-thinking, where as Kadavu (a heavier kava) leaves me dreamy, relaxed, and clear-headed and not desirous of actually falling asleep; lazing around the house, sure; but actual sleeping, not as much as headier varieties.
I don't really think of it as being a hangover type of feeling but I do feel uncomfortable after I drink a purely head buzzing kava that comes on fast and strong, then wears off quickly without a good amount of sedation. Unless my dose is very small (small and effective has been hard to come by lately), then I really need a heavier, sedating experience to end the session. I feel off until I either sleep or drink more kava.
 

Krunkie McKrunkface

Kava Connoisseur
I've been meaning to start this discussion for awhile. Does anyone else find the heady vs. heavy caricature incomplete? I find many heady kavas resolve themselves into a kind of fatigue or even sleepiness that heavy kava's don't. I find a lot of heavy kavas make me feel chilled out (with more or less muscle relaxation) without making me feel like sleeping. Lately, it seems like if I take a heavier kava like KT's Kadavu, I am actually more likely to exercise later in the day than if I were to take a heady kava. Does anyone else find this dichotomy between energetic daytime heady vs. muscle-melting nighttime heavy to be incomplete or out of step with practical experience?
Edit: Which kavas are you most likely to exercise after taking. I took Kadavu the other day and had a great workout a few hours later; counterintuitive.
I think it can get fairly complex, subtle, nuanced, and often counter-intuitive, not to mention idiosyncratic for some.

For exercise I always do well with anything from Dua Na Bilo. But in general any Fijian root not toO strong or prepped too krunky works great with exercise, except for rowing, where I favour Vanuatu root. Nothing beats rowing n' Nambawan. I mean nothing in life.

But also this subject touches on the one subject we must never discuss here: the virtues of sometimes making deliberately weak kava by choice. In fact, making weak heavy kava grog is usually very good with exercise.
 
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Pauluk

Kava Enthusiast
I think it can get fairly complex, subtle, nuanced, and often counter-intuitive, not to mention idiosyncratic for some.

For exercise I always do well with anything from Dua Na Bilo. But in general any Fijian root not toO strong or prepped too krunky works great with exercise, except for rowing, where I favour Vanuatu root. Nothing beats rowing n' Nambawan. I mean nothing in life.

But also this subject touches on the one subject we must never discuss here: the virtues of sometimes making deliberately weak kava by choice. In fact, making weak heavy kava grog is usually very good with exercise.
Ive been doing that with Supreme this week. Not so much weak for me. Its my usual dessert Spoon in an alluball. But I've made it and then just had a swig. And saved, 80or 90% for the evening. I found I had no tiredness but still got a relaxed feel. Standardising your dose is important I think. Got to be quite clinical at the start.
 
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