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Nootropics

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Re: Nootropics

#221

Post by Lynolix »

hasbroslasher wrote: post #123

So you're telling me you alter your biochemistry to become more productive without a care for how it affects your overall (mostly mental) health? Hell, I started smoking cigarettes at 16, which I rank near the top of my worst decisions ever, despite the fact that it helped me hack my brain chemistry as I powered through numerous difficult math and CS classes with top scores. As a result, I spent years thrashing, kick…

It's a trade-off between risk vs. reward.

Whatever constitutes risk and reward is with respect to one's own morality.

Re: Nootropics

#222

Post by abrichr »

chillacy wrote: post #149
throwaway__123 wrote: post #117

Zoloft I am afraid of sounding like a shill, but the fact is I'm 30 engineer, who has been trying to feel better my whole life through experiments with: ketamine, CBD, various nutrients, various dietary changes, exercise, being more social, meditation. None of them made lasting improvement like sertraline has, I wish I had been open-minded enough to try it years ago. In retrospect, maybe it was ridiculous to try to f…

I'd like to offer a story of caution, and I do so with some hesitation because it sounds like it's been good for you so far. A friend of mine lost his life after committing suicide a month after starting Zoloft. His last messages to me were a discussion of what serotonin syndrome was like. He was excited and curious as always, which after reading online is common. I know I shouldn't blame the drug since he was depres…

This is a well documented reaction to the beginning of treatment for depression. Essentially the reason is that before they started treatment, they had no motivation to do anything. After they start the treatment, but before they've waited long enough to realize the benefits, they have enough motivation to end their lives.

Re: Nootropics

#223

Post by Disruptive_Dave »

rsync wrote: post #127
mettamage wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard for me to fall asleep. I haven't cracked it yet how to do it perfectly. What helps: view the problem as improving your likelihood to sleep. Before I viewed the problem as falling asleep 100% of the time, which is a really defeating view to have when I can't fall asleep. Sleep tips that help me: 1. meditation: still experimenting with body-scan vs. breath meditation, they both help but have different effects…

"It's hard for me to fall asleep. I haven't cracked it yet how to do it perfectly. What helps: view the problem as improving your likelihood to sleep. Before I viewed the problem as falling asleep 100% of the time, which is a really defeating view to have when I can't fall asleep." I did not respond to your sibling comment who speaks of anxiety. It sounds like a real pathology and something I have no business general…

> and also a 1.5 to 2 hour intense weightlifting workout (primarily focused on your thighs/legs[1][2], since they are the biggest muscles.

being nitpicky here but we shouldn't be promoting "time in the gym" as a measurement of a workout's success. frankly, if you're doing an "intense" workout for "2 hours" something's wrong.

Re: Nootropics

#224

Post by aninhumer »

forloop wrote: post #211
HalfwayToDice wrote: post #74

The best nootropic is getting a good nights sleep. It takes effort! Preparing for bed early and disciplining yourself to put the light out is not easy. Not nearly as easy as popping a pill. But it's so much more effective than any drug listed here. And for a safe and provable quick cognitive boost, take some caffeine, preferable green tea with theanine.

Sleep isn't a nootropic. This happens quite a lot with noobs. They conflate nootropics with sleep/food/water/exercise. It wouldn't be that bad, but it derails the actual subject: I.e. nootropics. Here's a concise definition[0]: "(of a drug) used to enhance memory or other cognitive functions" There are other definitions. All the ones I've seen have exogenous substances as a common denominator, however. [0] https://en…

>Sleep isn't a nootropic. This happens quite a lot with noobs.

It's a figurative usage. The OP is not suggesting sleep is literally a nootropic, but that it is something that performs the same function. Like "the best defence is a good offence".

And I don't think it's derailing the topic to talk about relevant alternatives.

Re: Nootropics

#225

Post by cr1895 »

media-narrative wrote: post #161
mettamage wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard for me to fall asleep. I haven't cracked it yet how to do it perfectly. What helps: view the problem as improving your likelihood to sleep. Before I viewed the problem as falling asleep 100% of the time, which is a really defeating view to have when I can't fall asleep. Sleep tips that help me: 1. meditation: still experimenting with body-scan vs. breath meditation, they both help but have different effects…

I'm of the opinion that stuff like f.lux and Apple's Night Shift are both products that exploit pseudoscience to take advantage of the placebo effect. They're a "gluten free" feature for contemporary software — for those suspicious of childhood vaccinations. Macworld wrote a decent breakdown of the Night Shift quackery when it was introduced: http://www.macworld.com/article/3047121/iphone-ipad/ios-93-t...

Purported sleep benefits aside, the reduced eye strain from warmer colors is invaluable to me. Sometimes I'm working on a ship's bridge where it's dark or under low reddish light. Turning on a bright, blue laptop screen is brutal. At home it's much more pleasant to look at than the colder daylight colors.

Re: Nootropics

#226

Post by gf263 »

abrichr wrote: post #222
chillacy wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd like to offer a story of caution, and I do so with some hesitation because it sounds like it's been good for you so far. A friend of mine lost his life after committing suicide a month after starting Zoloft. His last messages to me were a discussion of what serotonin syndrome was like. He was excited and curious as always, which after reading online is common. I know I shouldn't blame the drug since he was depres…

This is a well documented reaction to the beginning of treatment for depression. Essentially the reason is that before they started treatment, they had no motivation to do anything. After they start the treatment, but before they've waited long enough to realize the benefits, they have enough motivation to end their lives.

Wow. That sounds like a sick joke.

Re: Nootropics

#227

Post by forgetsusername »

rsync wrote: post #127
mettamage wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hard for me to fall asleep. I haven't cracked it yet how to do it perfectly. What helps: view the problem as improving your likelihood to sleep. Before I viewed the problem as falling asleep 100% of the time, which is a really defeating view to have when I can't fall asleep. Sleep tips that help me: 1. meditation: still experimenting with body-scan vs. breath meditation, they both help but have different effects…

"It's hard for me to fall asleep. I haven't cracked it yet how to do it perfectly. What helps: view the problem as improving your likelihood to sleep. Before I viewed the problem as falling asleep 100% of the time, which is a really defeating view to have when I can't fall asleep." I did not respond to your sibling comment who speaks of anxiety. It sounds like a real pathology and something I have no business general…

>1.5 to 2 hour intense weightlifting workout

How do you manage doing intense work for 2 hours? Professional hockey players don't even do that kind of work on game night.

Edit: I see a few people are asking the exact same question. Guess I should read first.

Re: Nootropics

#228

Post by cr1895 »

bambax wrote: post #186
RachelF wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of us take drugs like caffeine and alcohol pretty often. The person who made this site has been willing to test, meticulously document and analyse his results. He's pretty informed as to the side-effects, so no, I don't think he's "bat shit crazy", he's doing us a service.

I take alcohol and caffeine (and sugar!) but consider doing it batshit crazy, as most people do: there are very few articles explaining how these substances could be good for you. They are not. The fewest drugs the better, let's not try adding more.

>I take alcohol and caffeine (and sugar!) but consider doing it batshit crazy, as most people do

Hang on now...most people find consuming caffeine and alcohol batshit crazy? Do you live in Utah or something?

Re: Nootropics

#229

Post by dave84 »

pavs wrote: post #116
HalfwayToDice wrote: post #74

The best nootropic is getting a good nights sleep. It takes effort! Preparing for bed early and disciplining yourself to put the light out is not easy. Not nearly as easy as popping a pill. But it's so much more effective than any drug listed here. And for a safe and provable quick cognitive boost, take some caffeine, preferable green tea with theanine.

I agree, but it's very difficult for me to fall asleep naturally. I have tried all the well-known advice and even tried long workouts late in the day so that it would help me to get tired and fall asleep. The only thing that works for me is melatonin and making sure I am away from all kinds of blue lights 2-3 hours before bed. I have been sleeping great for the last 6 months or so. I have tried to get off of melatoni…

With respect to the daytime tiredness have you investigated sleep apnea as a possible cause?

Re: Nootropics

#230

Post by chimprich »

mettamage wrote: post #212
a-saleh wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thing that probably helped me and my wife to improve our sleep routine the best, is switching to ambient lights ~1 hour before sleep. Because the sun sets usually some time between 17 00 and 21 00 depending on the season, and we usually go to sleep between 22 00 and 24 00, we usually switch of the main lamps around 21 00 and maybe even switch from ambient lamps to candles later on. My wife introduced this because it…

Interesting! I thought about having better light control, now I really think it's a good thing to do. I'll Google ambient lights and see what they are and what it means.

I like to read my Kindle for a while after going to bed, just using the backlight only - I find this is sufficiently dark to trigger my sleep reflex, and it feels much more efficient to spend 20 minutes or so reading rather than lying in bed waiting for sleep.
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