Live data from Hacker News

One sleepless night can rapidly reverse depression for several days in mice

news.northwestern.edu

101–110 of 312 posts

Re: One sleepless night can rapidly reverse depression for several days in mice

#101

Queue people blogging about their monthly “sleep fast” for optimized mood and focus.

That's exactly where my brain went. Now I need a Huberman Labs podcast telling me how I can incorporate this with my supplements and cold showers to achieve my maximum potential.

Re: One sleepless night can rapidly reverse depression for several days in mice

#102
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you claiming that 2-3h of sleep is enough or healthy?

Why don't you try it and see? Some of my best sleeps were after a sleepless night and for only like 1-3 hours, caffeine or other stimulants in the blood be damned Edit: also make sure you have bright blue light during wakeup/morning/day and mellow non-overhead orangey/amber/yellow light (nothing east of yellow) at evening/night. Red 2 hours before bedtime for bonus "points"

> Why don't you try it and see?

I feel great after a few beers, but keeping that state is a very bad idea. "try it and see" is not a great idea when it comes to your brain.

Re: One sleepless night can rapidly reverse depression for several days in mice

#103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My anxiety now is that using THC to sleep will cause issues long term. But without it I literally cannot get to sleep anymore. Edit: I regret pulling focus off parent comment and OP, but also deeply appreciate everyone’s comments.

If you can, try Semaglutide. I am a top % light sleeper - hard to sleep, inconsistent, never could sleep outside of basically ideal conditions. Was prescribed Tirzepatide (similar to Semaglutide) and it fixed my sleep like nothing else has - I actually feel tired at a normal hour and doze off , two thing I never really did before. At the lowest dose you won't lose weight beyond the first few months, and you can maint…

I appreciate this greatly. After reading a lot of these comments I think I’m smart enough to realize it’s time to get help. I’ll speak with them about this idea and others.

Re: One sleepless night can rapidly reverse depression for several days in mice

#104
The mice's symptoms when sleep deprived sound very similar to hypomanic symptoms. The same electrochemical circuits are likely involved, in one case a chemical imbalance inducing sleeplessness, and in another sleeplessness inducing a chemical imbalance.

Re: One sleepless night can rapidly reverse depression for several days in mice

#105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My anxiety now is that using THC to sleep will cause issues long term. But without it I literally cannot get to sleep anymore. Edit: I regret pulling focus off parent comment and OP, but also deeply appreciate everyone’s comments.

Try Type III cannabis (high cbd hemp). Nowadays it looks and smells like Type I cannabis (the high thc standard variety of weed). It has all the various combinations of cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids that contribute to the entourage effect except for THC ( i.e. amongst non-psychoactive hemp flower there are relaxing indicas for insomnia, functional hybrids for chronic pain, sativas for a pick-me-up, etc.

I've not tried it yet, but CBN seems to be the winner in this category. It's legal in all states if pure. Black Friday is coming and I plan on getting some from a vendor I've used in the past. Ping me for that info if you wish. YMMV.

Re: One sleepless night can rapidly reverse depression for several days in mice

#106
post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So I feel like you exactly identified the long term problem in the same paragraph. I learned years ago that any chemical that helps you sleep ensures that you can't sleep without it. I've used everything from thc to Benadryl to lavender and everything in between. It all had the same effects: slowly degrading effectiveness and sleeplessness without it. Pro-tip: find the source of your insomnia. Is it chemical or is it…

Yeah. I’ve tried. My problem is that 3-4 days of no sleep and I’m just about ready to sign off from this life. I’ve managed with 5mg THC pills for years. Never had to increase the dosage. I’ve never ever slept well. But back before kids it was easier to just sleep in if I had to. As best as I can tell, the cause is my adhd or related. My brain will simply. Not. Stop. Racing.

Have you tried exercising (>2h before you go to bed, IME), staying away from screens 4h before bed, and dimming the lights 1h before bed?

That was a life-changer for me.

Re: One sleepless night can rapidly reverse depression for several days in mice

#107

Having suffered from severe depression for over forty years, this reminds me of when I was 17, 18, etc. and suddenly discovered that if I stayed up for two days, the problem went away. So I knew this a very long time ago; but it always seemed to me that, besides smoking, this was just about one of the worst habits you could develop. By my mid-twenties, I had stopped.

My anxiety now is that using THC to sleep will cause issues long term. But without it I literally cannot get to sleep anymore. Edit: I regret pulling focus off parent comment and OP, but also deeply appreciate everyone’s comments.

I had a period when I used THC (edibles) for sleep every night. This was one of the worst things I have ever done to myself. At first, you don't notice much side effects, but slowly it creeps up on you. It makes you depressed, depletes of any motivation, gives brain fog and you may just feel weird over all. When I quit I was amazed by how much better I started feeling and by how much my cognitive function improved.

I would highly recommend getting off it asap. Maybe taper off if you can't quit right away. First nights will be tough: sleepless, cold sweats, crazy dreams, but then it should get much much better. Be well!

Re: One sleepless night can rapidly reverse depression for several days in mice

#108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My brother basically needs THC to sleep. Or strenuous physical activity all day.

> Or strenuous physical activity all day. The lack of strenuous physical activity all day is a real problem with modern life. We did not evolve to be sedentary.

I’ve added an hour of exercise to my day and while it hasn’t solve my sleeping problems, I can’t live without it anymore. It just makes everything else feel easier.

Re: One sleepless night can rapidly reverse depression for several days in mice

#109
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you claiming that 2-3h of sleep is enough or healthy?

Why don't you try it and see? Some of my best sleeps were after a sleepless night and for only like 1-3 hours, caffeine or other stimulants in the blood be damned Edit: also make sure you have bright blue light during wakeup/morning/day and mellow non-overhead orangey/amber/yellow light (nothing east of yellow) at evening/night. Red 2 hours before bedtime for bonus "points"

[]

Re: One sleepless night can rapidly reverse depression for several days in mice

#110
post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My anxiety now is that using THC to sleep will cause issues long term. But without it I literally cannot get to sleep anymore. Edit: I regret pulling focus off parent comment and OP, but also deeply appreciate everyone’s comments.

You'll get plenty of advice and it's worth evaluating it all (as we're all different), but trazodone has been a miracle worker in aiding sleep. It's cheap, well understood, and the only negative aspect I've encountered is the risk of priapism (which can sound like a joke but should be taken very seriously)

Trazodone felt like a Nuke to me, tried it for sleep but whew what a crazy strong (bad) feeling it gave me.
Post reply on HN