My sleep schedule the past few months have been completely shocked. Often I'm up all for an entire night or two not being able to pass out till the sun is up (or on workdays, not till long after). The resulting day I typically have pretty bad brain fog and have more trouble than normal focusing or keeping a good train of thought. Anything I can do to temporarily suppress this?
Ask HN: Can I temporarily combat the brain fog from lack of sleep?
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Re: Ask HN: Can I temporarily combat the brain fog from lack of sleep?
#2I find short naps are good if you have the discipline to keep them so. I've tried a few different timers setting and for me 17 minutes seems to work for enough time to fall asleep, feel refreshed but not him deep sleep where its hard to come back.
But really fixing the wider problem is best. The usual answer is exercises, sunlight and avoiding screens for a hour or so before bed.
Re: Ask HN: Can I temporarily combat the brain fog from lack of sleep?
#3I think, there is too much energy accumulated in you due to various reasons, making it difficult for your body to relax. I'll suggest take deep breaths, (exhale time should be greater than inhale). Just try to relax body with each exhale. If possible, read first two chapters from the book `Attention revolution - by B. Alan Wallace`, and practice it for few days. If nothing works, seek professional help either from doctor or meditation teachers.
Re: Ask HN: Can I temporarily combat the brain fog from lack of sleep?
#4Take a day off and sleep whenever you feel tired. You may need some day sleep.
Re: Ask HN: Can I temporarily combat the brain fog from lack of sleep?
#5Welcome to the club :( Sorry to hear - and no, I don't think there are temporary solutions, it's extremely hard to make up for significant lost sleep. Having a few nights of good sleep definitely helps with the brain fog but there are studies (and, of course counter-studies) saying that damage acquired from loss of sleep is mostly permanent. You should get to the root of why you are having such bad nights and eventually fix that root cause. If this keeps up I'd suggest seeing a specialist (but first you can try to observe what's happening when you can't go to sleep, is it your thoughts racing? Is it the short-term feedback loop of social media and HN?)
Re: Ask HN: Can I temporarily combat the brain fog from lack of sleep?
#6Welcome to the club :( Sorry to hear - and no, I don't think there are temporary solutions, it's extremely hard to make up for significant lost sleep. Having a few nights of good sleep definitely helps with the brain fog but there are studies (and, of course counter-studies) saying that damage acquired from loss of sleep is mostly permanent. You should get to the root of why you are having such bad nights and eventua…
I’m not sure I follow. What do you mean with mostly permanent? A period of bad sleep can surely be devastating, but will it really mean you’re damaged for life just because of that…?
Re: Ask HN: Can I temporarily combat the brain fog from lack of sleep?
#7nothing legal, however if youre willing to bend the rules a little then there are some options available:
Amphetamines (adderall/vyvanse/amfexa etc): these will easily clear the fog from lack of sleep, the downside being theyre expensive
Modafinil: this chemical was developed for narcolepsy but was soon found to be useful for cognitive enhancement, itll keep you going up to 48 hours with almost no loss of focus or ability and in some cases youll even be better. the other up side to this is that Modafinil is very cheap
Re: Ask HN: Can I temporarily combat the brain fog from lack of sleep?
#8nothing legal, however if youre willing to bend the rules a little then there are some options available: Amphetamines (adderall/vyvanse/amfexa etc): these will easily clear the fog from lack of sleep, the downside being theyre expensive Modafinil: this chemical was developed for narcolepsy but was soon found to be useful for cognitive enhancement, itll keep you going up to 48 hours with almost no loss of focus or ab…
>...itll keep you going up to 48 hours with almost no loss of focus or ability
That isn't true. Sleep deprivation will significantly impact your cognitive abilities even so, perhaps just not as much as it otherwise would.
Quality sleep on a regular basis is the foundation for anything sustainable, regardless of drugs.
Re: Ask HN: Can I temporarily combat the brain fog from lack of sleep?
#9nothing legal, however if youre willing to bend the rules a little then there are some options available: Amphetamines (adderall/vyvanse/amfexa etc): these will easily clear the fog from lack of sleep, the downside being theyre expensive Modafinil: this chemical was developed for narcolepsy but was soon found to be useful for cognitive enhancement, itll keep you going up to 48 hours with almost no loss of focus or ab…
dexamfetamine might mean you don't feel the fog, but its your Working Memory will still be shot.
Re: Ask HN: Can I temporarily combat the brain fog from lack of sleep?
#10My current strategy: Use emacs org-mode as a crutch to store information that keeps falling out of your Working Memory.