Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration (2023) • Hacker News Board

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration (2023)

#151

Post by monster_truck » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 2:40 PM UTC

rootusrootus wrote: post #134

petilon wrote: post #82

Magnesium supplementation solved my sleep issues. I have seen many doctors, including sleep specialists, regarding insomnia. They all pointed to one source as the reason for the sleep issues: stress. And they all wanted to put me on prescription sleeping pills. I said no to that. Sleeping pills can cause dependence, and they often treat the symptom rather than the underlying cause. As a software developer, I am used…

> As a software developer, I am used to finding and fixing the underlying problem instead of relying on the quick fixes these doctors were offering me. Bro Science, HN Edition in one sentence. Nice.

In Mice!!!!

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration (2023)

#152

Post by small_model » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 2:41 PM UTC

I do bi/tri phase sleep, 6 hours at night, and 1-2 naps a day (I work remotely so allows me to nap when I want) This is the best, sleep when you need to you body knows best.

Do you think our ancestors slept exactly 8 hours a night from 10pm to 6am? No they slept when they wanted.

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration (2023)

#153

Post by Aurornis » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 2:44 PM UTC

dharmatech wrote: post #131

petilon wrote: post #82

Magnesium supplementation solved my sleep issues. I have seen many doctors, including sleep specialists, regarding insomnia. They all pointed to one source as the reason for the sleep issues: stress. And they all wanted to put me on prescription sleeping pills. I said no to that. Sleeping pills can cause dependence, and they often treat the symptom rather than the underlying cause. As a software developer, I am used…

Yes, magnesium has helped. For me, avoiding high histamine foods as well as histamine liberators had helped tremendously. The theory: Anti-histamines like Benadryl make you sleepy by blocking histamine. Well, instead of blocking the histamine, get rid of it in the first place by avoiding histamine foods (for example aged or preserved meats).

Histamine has different pools, functions, and receptors in the body. You’re reducing it all to one single level that goes up or down with diet but that’s not how it works.

The brain histamine in your neurons is primarily synthesized from an amino acid. The histamine levels in neurons are different than the levels in mast cells.

There are a lot of degrees of hand waving in your theory that don’t work.

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration (2023)

#154

Post by petilon » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 2:44 PM UTC

Aurornis wrote: post #149

petilon wrote: post #82

Magnesium supplementation solved my sleep issues. I have seen many doctors, including sleep specialists, regarding insomnia. They all pointed to one source as the reason for the sleep issues: stress. And they all wanted to put me on prescription sleeping pills. I said no to that. Sleeping pills can cause dependence, and they often treat the symptom rather than the underlying cause. As a software developer, I am used…

> A special form of magnesium called magnesium L-threonate may be especially helpful for the brain because it appears to raise brain magnesium levels more effectively than some other forms. The study that made this claim was performed by the person who patented magnesium L-threonate and sells it at a high price. They go after any company that tries to sell cheap generic versions. The study was in mice and only showed…

Good point about L-threonate. It is indeed expensive. I use some of it, but mostly I rely on Magnesium Glycinate.

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration (2023)

#155

Post by teitoklien » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 2:46 PM UTC

johndough wrote: post #121

petilon wrote: post #82

Magnesium supplementation solved my sleep issues. I have seen many doctors, including sleep specialists, regarding insomnia. They all pointed to one source as the reason for the sleep issues: stress. And they all wanted to put me on prescription sleeping pills. I said no to that. Sleeping pills can cause dependence, and they often treat the symptom rather than the underlying cause. As a software developer, I am used…

Your comment sounds like an AI-generated advertisement.

So where's the advert link to his favourite supplement, search those phrases and there will be 200 different brands selling this same commodity so which one is paying him commission ? All?

Hmmmmmmm

People sharing their experience doesnt immediately mean AI-generated advert

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration (2023)

#156

Post by plutomeetsyou » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 2:46 PM UTC

> Adjusted R2 values for each model were 0.085 (linear), 0.118 (quadratic), and 0.125 (cubic)

I get the study design is not causal and all, but this R^2 looks very underfit for a study that claims a stronger predictor?

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration (2023)

#157

Post by mikepurvis » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 2:47 PM UTC

shiftingleft wrote: post #95

petilon wrote: post #82

Magnesium supplementation solved my sleep issues. I have seen many doctors, including sleep specialists, regarding insomnia. They all pointed to one source as the reason for the sleep issues: stress. And they all wanted to put me on prescription sleeping pills. I said no to that. Sleeping pills can cause dependence, and they often treat the symptom rather than the underlying cause. As a software developer, I am used…

> Sleeping pills can cause dependence, and they often treat the symptom rather than the underlying cause. I found gwern's take on Melatonin interesting: https://gwern.net/melatonin A small excerpt: > One might object that they do not wish to tamper with their natural sleep, even if melatonin is a normally-secreted hormone. > Sad to say, I would point out to such readers that they are already profoundly tampering with…

I take melatonin to sleep on a redeye, but otherwise don't use it. I find the effect is similar to taking a weed edible to fall asleep— basically, my wearable registers a lengthy period of deep sleep but instead of waking up feeling refreshed and ready for action, I'm groggy and fog-headed for several hours, or dependent on coffee to reverse the lingering effects.

As someone who has never been a regular coffee consumer, I really didn't want to end up with the dual dependence of melatonin at night and then caffeine in the morning.

This thread is stimulating me to want to get my magnesium checked, but barring that I've found the most effective sleep interventions are the basic ones: get some exercise earlier in the day, and don't do screens for the last few hours before bed.

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration (2023)

#158

Post by gloryjulio » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 2:48 PM UTC

bigmadshoe wrote: post #104

shiftingleft wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Sleeping pills can cause dependence, and they often treat the symptom rather than the underlying cause. I found gwern's take on Melatonin interesting: https://gwern.net/melatonin A small excerpt: > One might object that they do not wish to tamper with their natural sleep, even if melatonin is a normally-secreted hormone. > Sad to say, I would point out to such readers that they are already profoundly tampering with…

The problem with that take is that the evidence for melatonin is quite poor outside of jet-lag and certain more serious sleep disorders, and there can be unexpected effects elsewhere in the body when supplementing hormones, e.g. increased rates of depression for melatonin in particular.

This. Melatonin is a hormone. You should always be extra careful when dealing with any kind of hormone as it might affect your own body's regulations.

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration (2023)

#159

Post by cafebabbe » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 2:48 PM UTC

tempfile wrote: post #105

cafebabbe wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't eat pills. Fix your diet.

Why?

Because it's unlikely that a specific deficiency is your only single problem.

Re: Sleep regularity is a stronger predictor of mortality risk than sleep duration (2023)

#160

Post by stingraycharles » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 2:49 PM UTC

small_model wrote: post #152

I do bi/tri phase sleep, 6 hours at night, and 1-2 naps a day (I work remotely so allows me to nap when I want) This is the best, sleep when you need to you body knows best. Do you think our ancestors slept exactly 8 hours a night from 10pm to 6am? No they slept when they wanted.

There’s plenty of evidence that people used to sleep very early, and have a period of activity in the night, before having a second period of sleep.

I follow the same schedule as you do, and also work remotely, and usually take a single 1-2h nap somewhere between 12pm - 3pm. It makes me have two moments of “morning productivity”, which works very well for me.

In the end, listen to your body.