Last night I worked out and my nose opened up and I slept so much better. Anyone experienced something similar?
Probably, but also at age 44 I bought one of those nose hair trimmers, and it may be the best investment I've ever made.
Sleep duration is associated with brain structure and cognitive performance
41–50 of 336 posts
Re: Sleep duration is associated with brain structure and cognitive performance
#42I average 6 hours and 8 minutes. Not enough.
Re: Sleep duration is associated with brain structure and cognitive performance
#43I have a very weird problem/issue, maybe someone can help. In my school days I used to maintain a dream diary, where I would note down every dream I had after waking up. I stopped doing that when I got into college, but dreams never stopped and I never stopped analysing and trying to remember the dreams. Fast forward to present time (10 years from school), whenever I want to wake up i.e. after 6-7 hours of sleep I ca…
Wow you explained me to a tee. I never kept a full blown journal but it was something often discussed in my household. The later dream and wakefulness cycle you describe is something I’ve been trying to “fix” since it often leads to an extra several hour in bed.
Re: Sleep duration is associated with brain structure and cognitive performance
#44Interesting. I found after some trail and error that I'm more rested and perform better on less than recommended 8h of sleep. My sweet spot is somewhere around 7h. Fitbit "magic" sleep score also seems to confirm that (better sleep score on less sleep). I also found that stress is the biggest factor in getting good night sleep. When stressed I can sleep 8h and still feel bleh. I wonder if 8h of sleep is the cause of…
I've been sleeping approximately 9:30 to 4 and feel way better. Groggy upon waking up, but okay by 4:30, getting stuff done. Feels like there's a lot more time in the day. Probably because late nights were mostly wasted time eating junk food anyway. Allow myself some catch up sleep on the weekends, and it seems to work out.
It was hard at first but now that I am used to it, I'm hooked.
Re: Sleep duration is associated with brain structure and cognitive performance
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have this strange experience where I only remember my dreams if I am woken up from sleep unnaturally. When it happens it feels as if my mind knows that in the future I'll be woken up by something. Obviously this isn't how the brain chemistry works, but I can't help but feel this way when it happens.
Yeah I totally get what you are saying. I have also noticed that my dreams adapt to outside sounds/lighting changes in realtime. What's more spooky is that the entire dream preserves it cohesion and nothing feels out of place, even when the events outside (in the real world) are completely random. Like sound of the door closing or someone walking by the bed, all of that integrates seamlessly into the dream.
>the entire dream preserves it cohesion and nothing feels out of place
Well, from within the dream at least.
I remember once dreaming that my grandpa was tickling me with static electricity from his arm hairs (for some reason he had very hairy arms in this dream), and inside the dream that didn't seem weird at all. Then I woke up and realized that a fly was walking on my skin and that was the cause of the tickling sensation.
Re: Sleep duration is associated with brain structure and cognitive performance
#46I'm bipolar so I've gone through periods where I sleep 18 hours a day and periods where I sleep 2 hours a night if at all. Caffeine intake doesn't seem to matter. Medication and good mental hygiene helps a lot with this issue.
Is ineffectiveness of caffeine a symptom / indicator of a mental difference? I, too, am not phased in the slightest by caffeine and have had sleep schedules vary, though not as large of a range... just curious
Re: Sleep duration is associated with brain structure and cognitive performance
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
Very interesting. I often wake up at night or early in the morning to go to bathroom, or take water. I found that the best way to go back to sleep after waking up is to think about the dream I just had. It seems like this 'forced' dream continuity is somehow sleep inducing. What may be happening to you is the same thing: your firs instinct is trying to remember your dream, as you trained yourself through years of dre…
That's a really interesting take. I stopped journalling because I noticed I was interpolating the missing bits of my memory while writing down the dream. It became more like writing an imaginary story inspired from my dream, then recording my actual dream. But that said, I definitely think this is good way to force myself out of the loop.
I think thats the point of dream journaling - the dream itself doesn't matter, what matters is how your subconscious mind fills in the blanks to create meaning relevant to your waking life.
Very interesting ideas in this thread: 1. Remembering the dream you were just having re-induces sleep 2. Writing a dream journal first thing every morning as a means of warming up higher levels of cognition (to help break through the morning haze) 3. Given #1 and #2: if you stop journaling, you might end up with a habit that puts you back to sleep in the mornings.
Re: Sleep duration is associated with brain structure and cognitive performance
#48I feel vindicated in insisting on 8-9 hours every night, and limiting any caffeine (few cups a month at most).
Do you feel basically fantastic every day?
Re: Sleep duration is associated with brain structure and cognitive performance
#49Interesting. I found after some trail and error that I'm more rested and perform better on less than recommended 8h of sleep. My sweet spot is somewhere around 7h. Fitbit "magic" sleep score also seems to confirm that (better sleep score on less sleep). I also found that stress is the biggest factor in getting good night sleep. When stressed I can sleep 8h and still feel bleh. I wonder if 8h of sleep is the cause of…
The amount of sleep required depends on the person and their living situation.
I normally feel best on 7-8 hours of sleep. When training hard I require 9 hours.
There are genetic outliers who require less sleep (google it).
Anecdotally: I have a friend who performs like anyone else, but only requires around 5-6 hours of sleep. I've known him for over a decade now, he seems to be doing fine.
Re: Sleep duration is associated with brain structure and cognitive performance
#50Don't get anxious. These kinds of studies are almost always overturned by another one within 12-24 months. Weak correlations are not worth worrying about.
True, other things like DNA and training have a much bigger effect.