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The antidepressant effect of sleep deprivation

mosaicscience.com

101–110 of 162 posts

Re: The antidepressant effect of sleep deprivation

#101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm also skipping breakfast. Trying to keep at least 16 hours between dinner and lunch. Started nearly a year ago. Generally I feel better, and intend to continue, but: * Somehow I didn't lose much weight. I wasn't particularly overweight to begin with though. Maybe lost 1-2kg over this period(?) * My blood tests showed increase in cholesterol. I was reading about it and it seems common (or not very uncommon). It's s…

You should be careful doing that too regularly. Once a week is the maximum I’ve understood would be healthy for typical first world lifestyles. It will otherwise coax your body into starvation response. This is true even with low calorie diets. You can cause you’re body to retain store energy and retain fat rather than in a constant state of burning what you take in. If you’re looking to lose weight you’re better off…

> Once a week is the maximum I’ve understood would be healthy for typical first world lifestyles.

As far as I understand, the 16-hour fasting (skipping breakfast) is something you keep doing rather than once a week. Unlike a 24/48+ hour fasting some people do once in a while... Maybe I missed some crucial piece of information?

Re: The antidepressant effect of sleep deprivation

#102
Personally I find it's the opposite if I'm not well rested I feeling death and feel super depressed. I had a job that believed this and limited us sometimes to only 90 minutes sleep. I never worked with a more angry group of people. I'm 46 years old, working like that at 45 almost killed me. Oversleeping can also be a factor in depression but there is a golden sweet spot of just enough sleep and not too much that can vary greatly between individuals you have to find out for yourself what that sweet spot is. Certainly 90 minutes is not enough to sustain health

Re: The antidepressant effect of sleep deprivation

#103
I disagree with that study. Myself and a colleague used to go for days on what were called "micro naps". After a certain amount of practice you can train your mind to hit REM within the first few seconds of shutting your eyes for sleep.

Over time it really messes with your head. You become very irritable. Lookup "Peter Tripp, radio DJ". A very famous story with a very sad ending. Long-term sleep deprivation is very bad for you. I know, I've tried it.

Re: The antidepressant effect of sleep deprivation

#104
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a friend with psychotic depression and it was the only thing that made him functional again. Effects would last for a week or two.

I have a childhood friend who now has schizophrenia. He is afraid of medication, so he currently just stays on cannabis all the time in a state where it’s legal. (He has been medicated before, but his paranoia won’t let him now.) He’s more stable, and while he does still believe his hallucinations/delusions of persecution, he is able to handle them better. I wonder how psilocybin would treat him. I know psychosis is…

Have you seen him before and after smoking up? Anecdotally (my own eyes) cannabis does not improve schizophrenia.

Interestingly, administering enough THC to a healthy adult will produce schizophrenia and psychosis type symptoms, while administering CBD to a psychotic person was found in one study to work as well as first-line antipsychotics (and with fewer side-effects).

Unfortunately almost all modern cannabis hybrids have been optimized for THC, such that the natural balance between the psychotic and antipsychotic elements has been completely lost. There are a few "CBD only" strains but they are quite rare.

It is possible to buy CBD oil however, made from non-psychoactive hemp. All things considered, CBD oil should be much more helpful to your friend than smoking, and less risky (both legally and psychologically).

> The FDA of the United States considers hemp oil (and it's derivative CBD) to be a dietary supplement (not a medication), since they are made from industrial hemp plants. If you live in the US, this means you don't need a prescription and can legally purchase and consume Cannabidiol in any state.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional but this subject is very close to my heart.

Re: The antidepressant effect of sleep deprivation

#105
post #86

This article confuses depression and bipolar disorder quite a bit. They're inducing mania through sleep deprivation in patients with bipolar disorder going through a period of depression. This is somewhat dangerous, as mania can have severe consequences. The article even states that there's a 95% relapse into depression for those not taking lithium. Only people with BPD take lithium. It's not about the lithium, it's…

Please don't use uppercase for emphasis on HN. This is in the site guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html .

Understood. My bad.

Re: The antidepressant effect of sleep deprivation

#106

For me, the big shock has always been the extent to which sleep can kill a fantastic streak of productivity. I sometimes have weeks of incredible energy, where I work 12 or even 14 hours every day, and I do my best work, and I have deep insights, and invent new products and new kinds of software. And generally, over the course of a week or two, I become more productive each day. And finally I have a day when I am on…

I noticed this to that's why I scheduled Thursday and Friday off and do all my socializing and relaxation Thursday night through Sunday. Then Sunday, I would start work at night and finish around Monday around 5pm. With this schedule (working 20 hour shifts Sun-Mon, Mon-Tue, Tue-Wed, Thur) I was extremely productive.

Re: The antidepressant effect of sleep deprivation

#107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You should be careful doing that too regularly. Once a week is the maximum I’ve understood would be healthy for typical first world lifestyles. It will otherwise coax your body into starvation response. This is true even with low calorie diets. You can cause you’re body to retain store energy and retain fat rather than in a constant state of burning what you take in. If you’re looking to lose weight you’re better off…

> Once a week is the maximum I’ve understood would be healthy for typical first world lifestyles. As far as I understand, the 16-hour fasting (skipping breakfast) is something you keep doing rather than once a week. Unlike a 24/48+ hour fasting some people do once in a while... Maybe I missed some crucial piece of information?

Yes, that calorie reduction to that degree increases the chance (body type-dependant) that your’ll induce starvation prevention reactions in your body. An at rest adult human typically requires 2000 calorie sharing a day to maintain weight. That’s if you never left your bed. Regularly reducing that further will cause your body to store more energy which results in fat gain. And not always the good kind.

The simple way for me to put it is move your body and fuel it regularly for the best results. You don’t have to fast 16 hours a day, and I d wager you’d meet better results without doing so.

If you don’t want to move your body then that’s a whole other world of questions. But if you’re generally healthy and capable, you should.

Re: The antidepressant effect of sleep deprivation

#108
post #31
post #4

It sounds like the theory behind this is kicking the circadian rhythm to see if it improves. > Depression is also associated with altered daily rhythms of hormone secretion and body temperature, and the more severe the illness, the greater the degree of disruption. Like the sleep signals, these rhythms are also driven by the body’s circadian system, which itself is driven by a set of interacting proteins, encoded by…

I can attest that for me a regular sleep schedule works, but only so far. At first it works kinda well as I feel increasingly settled as days go by, but at some point it seems being too restful kicks my mind into overdrive mode. From experience I can now detect such events, as it starts with a general feeling of everything being awesome, incredible energy, and fantastic happiness as I just am there (as with mindfulne…

If you're using nicotine to help regulate your mood, I would definitely recommend grabbing a vape; your lungs will thank you.

On the flip side, a vape 'may' not be as effective, as it is possible its one of the other chemicals in tobacco that's helping. Tobacco is known to act as an MAOI, and MAOIs tend to be prescribed as antidepressants

Re: The antidepressant effect of sleep deprivation

#109
post #96

Haven't read the article yet, but it sounds grim, I don't think it can be good for me. Instead of forced sleep deprivation, try this for a week: intermittent fasting and calorie restriction, good nutrition (veggies, nuts, olive oil, eggs, etc.), no drinking (at all), going to bed early (like 10 pm), waking up early (at dawn in the summer at 4 am would be perfect), but naturally, without an alarm clock. Doing this, yo…

> good nutrition (veggies, nuts, olive oil, eggs, etc.)

I'd highly recommend reducing carb intake; cut out your bread, sugar, starch, pasta and try to stick with meat and greens. Low carb diets (Keto, Adkins, etc.) made a huge difference for me health wise.

Re: The antidepressant effect of sleep deprivation

#110

Personally I find it's the opposite if I'm not well rested I feeling death and feel super depressed. I had a job that believed this and limited us sometimes to only 90 minutes sleep. I never worked with a more angry group of people. I'm 46 years old, working like that at 45 almost killed me. Oversleeping can also be a factor in depression but there is a golden sweet spot of just enough sleep and not too much that can…

> I had a job that believed this and limited us sometimes to only 90 minutes sleep.

Can you elaborate on that? How could your employer possibly control something like how long you sleep?

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