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The brain functional connectome is robustly altered by lack of sleep

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Re: The brain functional connectome is robustly altered by lack of sleep

#51

Post by robotkilla »

amelius wrote: post #41
petilon wrote: post #9

I have had sleep issues for many years. I have seen sleep specialists regarding this issue. They basically tell you to reduce stress. But my daily life is not particularly stressful. But my job as a software developer involves brain-intensive work, and when I come home after work, I work on hobby software development projects, which means my brain is working intensely whenever I am awake. That may be the stress leadi…

You could also try meditation. It helps one to find a way to turn off the brain when it is not needed.

Logged in to say the same thing I've said in other threads: mindful meditation works for me. Had some overwhelming stress over the last couple of years which lead me to learn and attempt mindful meditation - works very well for me.

Re: The brain functional connectome is robustly altered by lack of sleep

#52

Post by jerf »

biot wrote: post #21
e40 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Instead of working on software when you get home, how about zoning out to some TV or movies? I find that after an hour of TV, it is very easy to fall asleep. I'd give this a try, because meds always have side effects.

Given that they said "But I can't give up my hobby" (zoning out to TV instead means giving up that hobby) and the fact that the solution they found largely solves the problem without the use of meds, why would they bother giving it a try?

Not "watch TV instead of programming", watch TV before bed instead of programming.

I have to do this. I've got a zone of about an hour before my usual 11pm sleep time where if I'm programming, I will not get to sleep until around 2-3am, and the next day will be at least subpar and possibly worse. Sometimes I get so into it that I just don't notice and end up blowing past it, and I pay every time.

It's actually kind of nice to have an hour where I can read for light entertainment or watch some video content or something and do so guilt-free by even the most rigorous standards of productive time use, because I don't have anything net productive I can do in that time. In fact, budgeting entertainment into that time slot is just about the most productive use of that time.

Re: The brain functional connectome is robustly altered by lack of sleep

#53

Post by alphydan »

petilon wrote: post #9

I have had sleep issues for many years. I have seen sleep specialists regarding this issue. They basically tell you to reduce stress. But my daily life is not particularly stressful. But my job as a software developer involves brain-intensive work, and when I come home after work, I work on hobby software development projects, which means my brain is working intensely whenever I am awake. That may be the stress leadi…

Do you ingest the daily recommended amount of magnesium? I'm not a medical doctor, so ask one ... but high magnesium levels apparently can lead to arrhythmias (they can also treat them in the right context and dosage). So just a word of caution.

Re: The brain functional connectome is robustly altered by lack of sleep

#54

Post by alphydan »

Jtsummers wrote: post #5
evilmushroom wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have never slept well my entire life. 4-6 hours a night is my average. It doesn't seem to impact me... I have always felt great, and I have always coded on complicated things without issue. There has to be a ratio difference for people.

Sleeping little != sleeping poorly. I only sleep 5-6 hours in a normal night. But usually very restful (not fitful or waking up a lot) hours.

I second this statement. I did polyphasic sleep for months with a very rigorous schedule, sleeping 4.5h/day, eating well, doing exercise, coding a lot, learning lots with great retention. After the adaptation period I felt great.

Otherwise, I usually sleep 7h - 8h, and that's restful. However, I once had to endure 2 months of pain, waking up every 1h - 3h and having to walk around at night. In total, I slept 7h - 7h30 ... but felt extremely tired, I had trouble remembering words, had no energy, was confused, and found it hard to think ...

Re: The brain functional connectome is robustly altered by lack of sleep

#55

Post by guiambros »

amelius wrote: post #41
petilon wrote: post #9

I have had sleep issues for many years. I have seen sleep specialists regarding this issue. They basically tell you to reduce stress. But my daily life is not particularly stressful. But my job as a software developer involves brain-intensive work, and when I come home after work, I work on hobby software development projects, which means my brain is working intensely whenever I am awake. That may be the stress leadi…

You could also try meditation. It helps one to find a way to turn off the brain when it is not needed.

+1

I'm not an active practitioner of meditation, but I've been using some light mindful exercises [1] when going to bed, and it helped me falling asleep faster. It used to take me 30-45 minutes to shut down my brain; now I can do in 5-10.

Melatonin also helps, particularly when it's getting late and I'm too excited to sleep. I only take 300mcg, which is enough to make me want to sleep. But I use only as a last resort. It sometimes causes very vivid (and infrequently even lucid) dreams, and then my brain doesn't rest as much, and I wake up tired next morning.

[1] Nothing too fancy; just some tips from "Search Inside Yourself" [2]. Basically control your thoughts, empty your brain, focus on breathing, and consciously think on every muscle of your body. Rinse and repeat.

[2] http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0070XF474/

Re: The brain functional connectome is robustly altered by lack of sleep

#56

Post by petilon »

alphydan wrote: post #53
petilon wrote: post #9

I have had sleep issues for many years. I have seen sleep specialists regarding this issue. They basically tell you to reduce stress. But my daily life is not particularly stressful. But my job as a software developer involves brain-intensive work, and when I come home after work, I work on hobby software development projects, which means my brain is working intensely whenever I am awake. That may be the stress leadi…

Do you ingest the daily recommended amount of magnesium? I'm not a medical doctor, so ask one ... but high magnesium levels apparently can lead to arrhythmias (they can also treat them in the right context and dosage). So just a word of caution.

> but high magnesium levels apparently can lead to arrhythmias

Not true. It is low levels of magnesium that can cause heart disease. See: http://content.onlinejacc.org/article.aspx?articleid=1121693

Re: The brain functional connectome is robustly altered by lack of sleep

#58

Post by hackercomplex »

petilon wrote: post #9

I have had sleep issues for many years. I have seen sleep specialists regarding this issue. They basically tell you to reduce stress. But my daily life is not particularly stressful. But my job as a software developer involves brain-intensive work, and when I come home after work, I work on hobby software development projects, which means my brain is working intensely whenever I am awake. That may be the stress leadi…

"chew some valerian root and get more exercise" - Fight Club

Re: The brain functional connectome is robustly altered by lack of sleep

#59

Post by thewhitetulip »

I had paid less attention to sleep until I got hit by Appendicitis and I had to be operated, that was a waking call for me to take health seriously, so I stopped all the late night waking and started sleeping at least 6-7 hrs daily. What I have observed is that if you keep everything under check then it won't impact your health much, too much of anything is bad, so I started to daily exercise, meditate You have no idea how awesome it feels to meditate at 5.30am under a giant tree listening to the sound of birds chirping. Sadly I shifted to a Metro now, so can't sit under a tree, but I do meditate, it helps to clear my mind, meditation + daily exercise = good health

Re: The brain functional connectome is robustly altered by lack of sleep

#60

Post by Alchemista »

thewhitetulip wrote: post #59

I had paid less attention to sleep until I got hit by Appendicitis and I had to be operated, that was a waking call for me to take health seriously, so I stopped all the late night waking and started sleeping at least 6-7 hrs daily. What I have observed is that if you keep everything under check then it won't impact your health much, too much of anything is bad, so I started to daily exercise, meditate You have no id…

I understand how any trip to the hospital might lead to a reflection on your health. However, I fail to see how appendicitis is related to a lack of sleep.
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