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Trying to hack a good night's sleep

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Re: Trying to hack a good night's sleep

#21

Post by metaguri »

i have the opposite problem -- i can't wake up. i'm not horribly sleep deprived, although my schedule isn't very regular (and i don't think it ever will be).

has anyone else had and overcome this problem? i'm talking about a sleep-through-your-alarm-and-never-remember-it-going-off inability to wake up.

i once read that you could try "rehearsing" waking up (getting ready for bed, turning out the light, having your alarm clock 5 minutes later and springing out of bed, repeat ad infinitum). but i don't know if that'll help.

Re: Trying to hack a good night's sleep

#22

Post by stjohn »

metaguri wrote: post #21

i have the opposite problem -- i can't wake up. i'm not horribly sleep deprived, although my schedule isn't very regular (and i don't think it ever will be). has anyone else had and overcome this problem? i'm talking about a sleep-through-your-alarm-and-never-remember-it-going-off inability to wake up. i once read that you could try "rehearsing" waking up (getting ready for bed, turning out the light, having your ala…

I've had the same problem. To solve it, I bought a 24-hour timer switch like this one: http://www.cnaweb.com/productimages/215030.jpg, and plugged it in near my bed. To that I hooked up a cheap garden water pump. Next, I cut out the back of a cardboard box and taped it over the timer with lots and lots of duct tape. The box has a lid so that I can adjust everything as needed.

Now, when I need to wake up at a certain time, I set the timer accordingly, lock the cardboard box lid shut with a padlock, and place the key somewhere outside.

In the morning, the water wakes me up and I can't go back to sleep without turning it off. To do that I need to get up and go outside to get the key, and by the time I've returned, I'm awake enough to make a rational decision to stay awake.

Re: Trying to hack a good night's sleep

#23

Post by swombat »

metaguri wrote: post #21

i have the opposite problem -- i can't wake up. i'm not horribly sleep deprived, although my schedule isn't very regular (and i don't think it ever will be). has anyone else had and overcome this problem? i'm talking about a sleep-through-your-alarm-and-never-remember-it-going-off inability to wake up. i once read that you could try "rehearsing" waking up (getting ready for bed, turning out the light, having your ala…

I'm trying something new at the moment, to deal with that. It's actually working pretty well so far.

The key realisation is that there are several aspects of me that can be brought up. Daniel-the-heavy-sleeper doesn't give a damn about alarm clocks, work, commitments, etc, and will stay in bed at every opportunity. Daniel-the-hacker, on the other hand, has no problems doing difficult stuff that requires a log of willpower. So the question is, how do I get Daniel-the-hacker to wake up, rather than the other guy.

My latest solution: set up a TED talk as an alarm clock. Since those talks are almost all very interesting, it immediately brings out the higher Daniel in me, who likes to pay attention to the interesting points being made. This Daniel has no problem making a decision to stay awake long enough to have a caffeinated drink (a Red Bull at the moment, but I might switch back to coffee, depending), which pretty much guarantees I'll wake up fully.

And of course there is the secondary but important advantage of watching one new mind-expanding TED talk every day...

Re: Trying to hack a good night's sleep

#24

Post by [deleted] »

weaksauce wrote: post #19
anigbrowl wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

It's probably the routine more than the liqueur that gets you primed for bed at those levels.

[deleted]

Re: Trying to hack a good night's sleep

#25

Post by anigbrowl »

ryanspahn wrote: post #15
anigbrowl wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting idea. Actually, I don't want to know that on waking up unless it's really urgent. I'd rather read it, because I don't like noise in the morning. What I would like is an alarm clock with a graduated volume control, as opposed to the silence followed by loud noise that usually prevails, and which is guaranteed to put me in a pissy mood. Mrs Browl has a blackberry, which sounds so obnoxious out of the box I…

So you don't use an alarm clock that uses noise to wake you? We have made the noise extremely short and it repeats til you stop it. This weekend I was gonna go on a hike that was 2 hours away with some friends. Forecast woke me saying hot with thunderstorms. In my slumber and fumble to stop noise I only grasped one point - thunderstorms and went back to sleep! 2 hours to hike in thunderstorms no thanks.

Ah, what I meant was one that starts quiet and gets gradually louder, as opposed to one that SUDDENLY GOES OFF AT FULL VOLUME. I do like the sleep.fm idea though.

Re: Trying to hack a good night's sleep

#26

Post by nikz »

swombat wrote: post #23
metaguri wrote: post #21

i have the opposite problem -- i can't wake up. i'm not horribly sleep deprived, although my schedule isn't very regular (and i don't think it ever will be). has anyone else had and overcome this problem? i'm talking about a sleep-through-your-alarm-and-never-remember-it-going-off inability to wake up. i once read that you could try "rehearsing" waking up (getting ready for bed, turning out the light, having your ala…

I'm trying something new at the moment, to deal with that. It's actually working pretty well so far. The key realisation is that there are several aspects of me that can be brought up. Daniel-the-heavy-sleeper doesn't give a damn about alarm clocks, work, commitments, etc, and will stay in bed at every opportunity. Daniel-the-hacker, on the other hand, has no problems doing difficult stuff that requires a log of will…

How did you set this up? I'm interested to give it a go ;)

Re: Trying to hack a good night's sleep

#27

Post by swombat »

nikz wrote: post #26
swombat wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm trying something new at the moment, to deal with that. It's actually working pretty well so far. The key realisation is that there are several aspects of me that can be brought up. Daniel-the-heavy-sleeper doesn't give a damn about alarm clocks, work, commitments, etc, and will stay in bed at every opportunity. Daniel-the-hacker, on the other hand, has no problems doing difficult stuff that requires a log of will…

How did you set this up? I'm interested to give it a go ;)

Using a Mac app called "Awaken", though I've heard good things about "Aurora" too.

Re: Trying to hack a good night's sleep

#29

Post by VinzO »

anigbrowl wrote: post #3
ktharavaad wrote: post #2

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…

Alcohol can help to fall asleep, but it is known to reduce the quality of sleep.

Re: Trying to hack a good night's sleep

#30

Post by VinzO »

ktharavaad wrote: post #2

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.

I have had troubles for years to get up in the morning. Here are some tips I use fix it. It has help me a bit to get up earlier.

   - Reduce Caffein intake. the half life of caffein is 6h on average... 

   - Reduce sugar intake.

   - Try to go to bed at a regular time.

   - Eat more fruits and vegetables.

   - No coffee or tea in the afternoon.

   - try to respect sleep cycles.
Here are two links that give interesting informations about sleep :

   www.supermemo.com/articles/sleep.htm

   www.sleepwarrior.com
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