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

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

#401
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…

For me glycine helps amazingly. It's an amino acid that the brain needs during sleep. I take about 5 grams in water about an hour before I go to sleep. I'm not sure how much the glycinate in magnesium glycinate has the same effect. Oddly, it has the opposite effect as sleeping pills on me, it doesn't make me sleep more but I'm more rested when I wake up. It even happened a few times that I only slept 5 hours but stil…

Same here. Only thing that’s ever worked.

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

#402
post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Holy Dunning-Kruger effect… Do you know they’re wrong? Please don’t invoke Dunning Kruger like this, it’s cliché and also wrong to do. There’s no indicator for whatever it is Dunning & Kruger showed, you cannot know if it applies to a single person. Their main plot showed a positive correlation between confidence and competence. Their paper has problems, their methodology has been rightly questioned, and some attem…

The claim is anecdotal and entirely possible that it's a placebo effect. But the author is making it sound like a definitive root cause to their issue. This is so typical of the software dev community.

> entirely possible that it’s a placebo

Placebo Effect is not Dunning Kruger. Making incorrect assumptions or having incorrect beliefs is not Dunning Kruger either.

Possible is not certain. So if it’s not a placebo effect? If the author found a solution that is in fact a better root cause fix for themselves than sleeping pills? What does that make their comment? What does it make yours?

> This is so typical of the software dev community.

IMO this is a worse assumption with less evidence than the one you’re complaining about, and it’s pure unsupported assumption and far more likely to be wrong. Distrust of doctors and “western medicine” is common enough to hear it all the time, I know more non-devs than devs who carry such beliefs. Unless you have statistics on devs compared to the general population, your personal sampling is entirely anecdotal, and biased.

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

#403
post #175
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…

Holy Dunning–Kruger effect... As a software developer, I am a much better doctor than actual trained doctors, and am definitely immune to any placebo effects.

Doctors simply don’t treat things well that are not classified as a particular disease. If you want to get stronger or more fit, you may well be better off asking your local bro than your PCP.

Sleep is sadly in the same category. If you don’t have sleep apnea, and you want to get treated for sleep, you will be offered any number of pharmaceuticals, all of which are terrible. Better advice comes from other people dealing with sleep issues in this case.

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

#404
post #285

Sleep is a predictor of poverty and poverty is a predictor of mortality. But i suspect if you hop over the second part there will be more funding in telling poor people to sleep there way to longevity.

> Sleep is a predictor of poverty Curious. Any sources for this. How does this work? Feel like many high paying, stressful jobs are actually bad for your sleep.

plenty of studies into this;

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S13899...

https://futurecarecapital.org.uk/latest/deprivation-linked-t...

https://www.nature.com/nature-index/topics/l4/socioeconomic-...

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

#405

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 consum…

This sounds like you may be taking a very high dose. What dose do you take?

The tablets in my OTC jar are 10mg, and they're pretty small already, not easily divisible, and certainly not to 1/100th of a dose as the sibling comment is suggesting. This is an interesting suggestion though, maybe I'll try just licking one some night and see if that has a noticeable positive effect sans the downsides.

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

#406
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…

Magnesium absolutely helps, and with our modern farmed diet, most people are deficient. It it part of over 300 chemical reactions in the body.

I've also been seeing a lot of comments about melatonin. For those taking it, as long as you aren't on an SSRI or other seratonin regulator, take 500mg (up to 2g) of L-Tryptophan. It's one of 9 essential amino acids (of like 22) that we only get from food, and is the basis of seratonin. The chemical process in the body is Tryptophan -> 5HTP -> Seratonin -> Melatonin. Again, because of our modern diet, we don't get enough of these essential amino acids. Many people with mild anxiety have gotten off anti-anxiety meds by switching to just taking tryptophan. Anyway, it's helped me, but it gets a bad rap because "tryptophan makes you sleepy after Thanksgiving". Actually, no it doesn't, it's the amount of food you eat, honestly.

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

#407
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…

Magnesium, melatonin and none of the other supplements really worked for me.

I microdose with an specific drug and it did help improve my sleep. I know it's not placebo because sometimes I forget to take it and it coincides in the sleep log with worse sleep.

Anyway this drug isn't a panacea but a paliative while a treat the root cause. In my case it is a stress-related disorder and the real treatment isn't quick and easy, it requires life changes.

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

#408

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This sounds like you may be taking a very high dose. What dose do you take?

The tablets in my OTC jar are 10mg, and they're pretty small already, not easily divisible, and certainly not to 1/100th of a dose as the sibling comment is suggesting. This is an interesting suggestion though, maybe I'll try just licking one some night and see if that has a noticeable positive effect sans the downsides.

Pretty much all the melatonin in physical stores is hilariously overdosed, yes. If you're in the U.S., you'll have to look for products from specialty supplement brands. I take a tiny 300mcg capsule.

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

#409
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…

Magnesium also solved my restless leg syndrome at night. I take magnesium glycinate. I bought the powder and sprinkle some on my nighttime ice cream sundae a few hours before bed.

>nighttime ice cream sundae I assume that’s a joke.

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

#410

Earlier quoted context omitted.

100 the same. I tried magnesium before but didn’t see any effects after a week so threw in the towel. Then I read a comment by someone here that had the exact same symptoms as me (brain wouldn’t turn off), explained the underlying cause, suggested L-threonate, and explained that it’s a long-term deficiency and might take some time to build up sufficient reserves. I have had insomnia my entire life, since I was a chil…

But how come you have magnesium deficiency in the first place, what are you not eating? People who need magnesium supplements still absorb magnesium, so the problem isn't absorption must be consumption.

Fresh fruit and veg, nuts, and other fresh things. Thing is, modern farming and distribution practices have negatively affected the magnesium content. Drinking water also used to naturally contain more minerals but in many places is removed to cause less issues with plumbing and because “hard water” also makes it harder for soap to lather. Absorption also depends on vitamin D, so if you’re low in D, you won’t absorb as much magnesium. I have also read that magnesium is required by the body to make GABA and melatonin; supplements other commenters are mentioning.
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