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Trying to hack a good night's sleep

arstechnica.com

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Re: Trying to hack a good night's sleep

#3

I thought this is an interesting article since so many of us try to cheat sleep in order to gain more productivity. Perhaps you guys can share some tips on what works for you to get a good night's sleep.

A glass of whiskey and a few pages of HP Lovecraft always does it for me. But the dream, the dreams...

Seriously, a drink and a bit of light reading followed by 5-10 minutes of pillow talk works fine for me. I avoid the computer for at least a half hour before going to sleep: it's the routine of settling down for the evening that helps me sleep, rather than any individual components. The reading material is usually something I've read before rather than something new which I Must Complete.

Re: Trying to hack a good night's sleep

#4
no television (read somewhere that tv gets the brain revved up in a way that's counter-productive to sleep)

meditation (15-30min) - settles the whirring mind before sleep

following through with the meditation once i'm lying down (as in not getting hooked by thoughts of the day - keeping focused on inhaling and exhaling)

Re: Trying to hack a good night's sleep

#5
Surprised that Zeo wasn't mentioned in the article. The startup just launched their product 2 weeks ago. It helps track your sleep patterns using a head band that reads brain activity. The software analyzes this information to help improve your sleep. It also has an alarm clock that waits until you are no longer in deep sleep to wake you up.

Re: Trying to hack a good night's sleep

#6
post #5

Surprised that Zeo wasn't mentioned in the article. The startup just launched their product 2 weeks ago. It helps track your sleep patterns using a head band that reads brain activity. The software analyzes this information to help improve your sleep. It also has an alarm clock that waits until you are no longer in deep sleep to wake you up.

Looks very interesting since their technology actually measures brain waves instead of just physical activity. However, the cost of it $400 is a bit expensive.

Re: Trying to hack a good night's sleep

#7
I've never had trouble sleeping but in my start-up journey the alarm clock and working to improve it has become part of my life. Most people just want to hear a noise, like an mp3; maybe because that's what they are use to. FOr us we want you to hear a 5 seconds of information that tells you to go back to sleep(i.e. heavy snow) or helps u with day ahead (flight's canceled).

Do people want such a fancy alarm wake up sound; we hope so!

Re: Trying to hack a good night's sleep

#8

I thought this is an interesting article since so many of us try to cheat sleep in order to gain more productivity. Perhaps you guys can share some tips on what works for you to get a good night's sleep.

A glass of whiskey and a few pages of HP Lovecraft always does it for me. But the dream, the dreams... Seriously, a drink and a bit of light reading followed by 5-10 minutes of pillow talk works fine for me. I avoid the computer for at least a half hour before going to sleep: it's the routine of settling down for the evening that helps me sleep, rather than any individual components. The reading material is usually s…

For me it's an hour away from the computer. TV works if I'm watching something interesting enough so that I won't change the channel but not so much that it will stimulate me. Plus I have to remember to set the off-timer otherwise I'll feel really tired in the morning. Pillow talk on the other hand works wonders on me but not on my gf's temper.. ;)

Re: Trying to hack a good night's sleep

#9

I thought this is an interesting article since so many of us try to cheat sleep in order to gain more productivity. Perhaps you guys can share some tips on what works for you to get a good night's sleep.

A glass of whiskey and a few pages of HP Lovecraft always does it for me. But the dream, the dreams... Seriously, a drink and a bit of light reading followed by 5-10 minutes of pillow talk works fine for me. I avoid the computer for at least a half hour before going to sleep: it's the routine of settling down for the evening that helps me sleep, rather than any individual components. The reading material is usually s…

I've read that alcohol is generally not recommended because it disrupts your sleeping patterns. Certainly, large amounts of it do so for me.

A while ago I tried eliminating all caffeine (I typically drink a lot of diet Coke and coffee). The first few days were hell, and I pretty much sat staring blankly at my computer. Then I had a couple of really magical days where I felt quite alert even in the typically drowsy afternoons. And what was weird was that I seemed to dream more vividly (and remember my dreams). Then I fell off the wagon... at some point I need to try that experiment again, because I think I was onto something.

Re: Trying to hack a good night's sleep

#10
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A glass of whiskey and a few pages of HP Lovecraft always does it for me. But the dream, the dreams... Seriously, a drink and a bit of light reading followed by 5-10 minutes of pillow talk works fine for me. I avoid the computer for at least a half hour before going to sleep: it's the routine of settling down for the evening that helps me sleep, rather than any individual components. The reading material is usually s…

I've read that alcohol is generally not recommended because it disrupts your sleeping patterns. Certainly, large amounts of it do so for me. A while ago I tried eliminating all caffeine (I typically drink a lot of diet Coke and coffee). The first few days were hell, and I pretty much sat staring blankly at my computer. Then I had a couple of really magical days where I felt quite alert even in the typically drowsy af…

Yeah a big drink will do that. If I'm having a nightcap then it's just a thimbleful rather than a tumbler; I like fine whiskey, and it's sufficiently expensive that I restrict myself to little sips rather than full measures.
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