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Sleep Scientist Warns Against Walking Through Life 'In an Underslept State'

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Re: Sleep Scientist Warns Against Walking Through Life 'In an Underslept State'

#91

Post by baxtr »

coldtea wrote: post #3

> Sleep is not like the bank, so you can't accumulate a debt and then try and pay it off at a later point in time. And the reason is this: We know that if I were to deprive you of sleep for an entire night — take away eight hours — and then in the subsequent night I give you all of the sleep that you want, however much you wish to consume, you never get back all that you lost. You will sleep longer, but you will neve…

This seems to contradict recent study that I came across [1]:

The mortality rate among participants with short sleep during weekdays, but long sleep during weekends, did not differ from the rate of the reference group. Among individuals ≥65 years old, no association between weekend sleep or weekday/weekend sleep durations and mortality was observed. In conclusion, short, but not long, weekend sleep was associated with an increased mortality in subjects

[1] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jsr.12712

Re: Sleep Scientist Warns Against Walking Through Life 'In an Underslept State'

#92

Post by praveer13 »

Reason077 wrote: post #77

In the UK we have a fantastic service called Radio 4 which has remarkable sleep-inducing powers. Much better than any narcotic sleep aid, in my experience. Podcasts also work well, in my experience.

I've found podcasts to be incredible tools to induce sleep. It's very difficult to stay awake for me while listening to any podcast or audiobook. I really don't know how people do it.

Re: Sleep Scientist Warns Against Walking Through Life 'In an Underslept State'

#93

Post by joveian »

darkerside wrote: post #75
Puer wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have. I was diagnosed with Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder and Type I Chronic Insomnia.

What recommendations did the doctor have for next steps?

The doctor will almost certainly have recommended "sleep hygiene" (including things like a dark and quiet room at night, not staying in bed when your mind is racing, don't use your bed for non-sleeping activities, try to wake up at the same time every day), light therapy, and melatonin. That helps some pople, but many (maybe most) people it doesn't help and in that case you are considered untreatable. The vast majority of sleep medicine is focused on sleep apnea at this point and it sounds like this is unlikely to change any time soon.

For anyone with circadian issues, the Circadian Sleep Disorders Network is a patient advocacy group that has some helpful info:

https://www.circadiansleepdisorders.org

There is also an independent mailing list mentioned on that site for people with circadian disorders. I'm not sure what similar resouces are available for just insomnia.

Edit: Oh, there is also "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia", which is a structured approach to "sleep hygiene".

Edit2: My overall impression with insomnia is that things like racing thoughts or caffine keeping you awake can be treated but if you deal with all of that stuff and still can't sleep, there is no treatment (and often circadian issues are involved).

Re: Sleep Scientist Warns Against Walking Through Life 'In an Underslept State'

#94

Post by matwood »

corysama wrote: post #66
giardini wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Easier yet, use any opaque dark cloth (bath towel, handkerchief, etc.) and drape it over your eyes so that all light is extinguished. I take a nap every afternoon preferably at 1:15 p.m.. I waken 20 minutes later, refreshed and ready for the rest of the day.

I’ve started throwing a black t shirt over my eyes at night. Looks stupid, but it works. 1) I thought I had lost my ability to sleep in when needed because of my age. Turns out I’m just more sensitive to light. 2) It even helps in the middle of a dark night. It’s a little darker, a little quieter, a little warmer. There was a paper recently about how maybe REM sleep warms the brain. Maybe there was something to night…

I do this and it’s amazing. A dark t-shirt or even a super soft pillow let’s me sleep whenever I have time.

Re: Sleep Scientist Warns Against Walking Through Life 'In an Underslept State'

#96

Post by henriquemaia »

praveer13 wrote: post #92
Reason077 wrote: post #77

In the UK we have a fantastic service called Radio 4 which has remarkable sleep-inducing powers. Much better than any narcotic sleep aid, in my experience. Podcasts also work well, in my experience.

I've found podcasts to be incredible tools to induce sleep. It's very difficult to stay awake for me while listening to any podcast or audiobook. I really don't know how people do it.

I have to be engaged in something physical* to listen to podcasts/audiobooks. If I just try to listen, I inevitably fall asleep.

*I usually listen to audiobooks while I ride my bicycle to college.

Re: Sleep Scientist Warns Against Walking Through Life 'In an Underslept State'

#97

Post by Bradenski »

Tomte wrote: post #49

If you‘re feeling tired over the day, maybe in the afternoon or early evening when you get home from work, go to a doctor and have your sleep monitored. You get a portable machine that reads your breathing, your oxygen level in the bloodstream and your sleeping position. There is a chance you have sleep apnoea, and you stop breathing a few times over the course of your sleep at night, lowering your oxygen levels unti…

I've tried the take home mask, and it was very uncomfortable to sleep with. I did wake up once in a way I normally don't, so I felt the study was invalid at that point. Surely the technology has changed in 5 years, but for light sleepers like myself, sleep studies with equipment attached to your body don't feel like fair trials. MRI sleep studies can be an option, and if I had to do it again I think that would be optimal for me.

Re: Sleep Scientist Warns Against Walking Through Life 'In an Underslept State'

#98

Post by dyadic »

jmartrican wrote: post #29

I'm no expert but I thought that the whole 8 hour a night thing was not true, at least not for everyone. If I force myself to get 8 hours of sleep, by forcing myself to stay in bed after I wake up, I get a headache. If I let myself wake up on its own without an alarm, it averages around 6.5 hours. If I get below that, then at some point I will sleep more than the 6.5 hours, and maybe even 8 hours. So from personal ex…

His book (Why We Sleep) is full of studies and evidence backing up what he claims. It's quite an enjoyable read and I'd recommend reading it if you have doubts or want to know more.

Re: Sleep Scientist Warns Against Walking Through Life 'In an Underslept State'

#99

Post by jcims »

guiambros wrote: post #21

I've read a lot about sleep over the years (and wrote a bit [2]), but I just finished reading the book mentioned in the article ("Why We Sleep" [1]) and found it fascinating . The author presents a vast amount of scientific evidence amount pretty much every corner of why we sleep, from its evolutionary roots thousands of years ago, to the importance of dreams and REM sleep for your memory, reasons and impact of insom…

Matthew Walker, the author of Why We Sleep, was on the Joe Rogan Experience recently.

I've been in material cognitive decline over the past year or so and I'm nearly certain it's due to my abhorrent sleep patterns. This episode really helped me prioritize a fix over other things that would normally result in a night of 3-5 hrs in bed or on the floor (who knows how much actual sleep).

It's a great episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwaWilO_Pig

Re: Sleep Scientist Warns Against Walking Through Life 'In an Underslept State'

#100

Post by IndrekR »

hugja wrote: post #13
Puer wrote: post #4

I'm currently in my 20s and I've been a type 1 chronic insomniac my whole life. Physically, I'm healthy and fit and I have been my whole life, but mentally my mind feels slower and foggier than my peers and I struggled through high school and college because of it. I know this might sound morbid, but I am fully expecting to die early despite doing everything in my power to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle. I can't…

I'm curious have you ever tried working out in the early hours after waking up? This alone determines if I'm getting good sleep or not. I'll end up staying up way later into the night unless I worked out that morning.

Waking up early and doing a workout for an hour or two helps me to sleep very well for next 3-4 hours after the workout -- or keeps me sleepy for half the day. Works totally differently in the evening. Brain just goes at double speed after an evening workout.
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