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Real Men Go to Sleep

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Re: Real Men Go to Sleep

#161

Post by jtreminio »

nlh wrote: post #118
enraged_camel wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you're getting sufficient amounts of quality sleep at night, there is no reason why you should need 20-minute "power naps" in the middle of the day. (There may be exceptions, such as extremely demanding manual labor, but I think we're talking about white collar jobs in this context.)

Not for me. I can get 10 hours of sleep at night but I'll still hit an afternoon lull post-lunch. I'm sure if I really worked at it I could figure out why (too big a lunch? blood sugar spike?) but regardless, I'm good to go for 6+ more hours w/ a 20-minute nap. Meanwhile everyone else sits and forces their eyelids open, stares at YouTube videos, and downs espresso shots...

I turn into a zombie whenever I eat carbs during lunch.

Try it and see - the next time you go out to lunch, don't eat pasta, bread, potatoes, corn, tortillas, dessert, coke.

Have a steak and green veggies. I can eat an enormous 24oz prime rib plate and not suffer the zombie state that I would if I ate a hamburger and french fries.

Re: Real Men Go to Sleep

#162

Post by recuter »

surement wrote: post #154
thomasahle wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you considered if you're waking up in the middle of a cycle? Maybe you could experiment with the length of the nap and/or cycle detecting apps or gear.

This is important. I've found that 22.5 x 2^ k min for any reasonable k has me waking up feeling refreshed.

Wait, what? These numbers seem off..

k = 1 => 45 minutes

k = 2 => 1.5 hours

k = 3 => 3 hours

k = 4 => 6 hours

k = 5 => 12 hours

Re: Real Men Go to Sleep

#163

Post by smtddr »

ggchappell wrote: post #135
jwcrux wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was eating wheat for me as well. Once I started eating according to the ketogenic diet, I no longer needed naps during the day.

I'm another one of these: stopped eating wheat, immediately needed less sleep. Does anyone know of any research on this phenomenon? There are obviously lots of anecdotes, but I can't find any studies.

I knew someone who traced it down to this: http://www.wikihow.com/Recognize-Gluten-Intolerance

He's fine as long as he eats gluten free wheat.: http://udisglutenfree.com/products/whole-grain-bread/

He ultimately blames GMOs: http://maninisglutenfree.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/the-histor...

Re: Real Men Go to Sleep

#164

Post by pavel_lishin »

thomasahle wrote: post #149
pavel_lishin wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's worse for me. I fall asleep, then wake up groggy, often times with a headache. Every once in awhile I achieve the perfect nap - and that's usually in a noisy place, very well lit - and after it, I barely feel like I was really "asleep" - not the same way that I feel after I sleep in a dark room under a blanket.

Have you considered if you're waking up in the middle of a cycle? Maybe you could experiment with the length of the nap and/or cycle detecting apps or gear.

Probably. But I find it difficult to will myself to go to sleep, so I can't use a timer; I guess I could try using something on my phone

Re: Real Men Go to Sleep

#165

Post by surement »

recuter wrote: post #162
surement wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is important. I've found that 22.5 x 2^ k min for any reasonable k has me waking up feeling refreshed.

Wait, what? These numbers seem off.. k = 1 => 45 minutes k = 2 => 1.5 hours k = 3 => 3 hours k = 4 => 6 hours k = 5 => 12 hours

That's exactly it (except that k=5 is not reasonable). The REM periods get longer and longer as you sleep; that is, the "cycles" do not have the same period.

Edit: also, k=0 is valid, and what most people have been advocating here (as 20 minutes).

Re: Real Men Go to Sleep

#166

Post by yetanotherphd »

spuz wrote: post #39

It was my understanding that while Google has nap rooms in some offices, they are seldom used. The culture is geared around long hours and if you are seen to be napping that is seen as a potential sign of weakness. Of course I could be completely wrong (I'm just pulling this idea out of a vague memory of reading about it here on HN) so I hope a Google employee will correct me. However, it seems reasonable that a comp…

I work at Google, as far as I know no one uses these. I never have, although I considered using one when I didn't have any accommodation for the night (I ended up staying with a friend).

That said, people do not work long hours. Only very few people consistently working more than 45 hours a week. Napping is not going to reduce your workload, it's just a lifestyle choice that most people choose not to make. Similarly, people take breaks either to socialize with other employees, or because they can't handle working solidly for 3-4 hours.

Re: Real Men Go to Sleep

#167

Post by mark_l_watson »

spuz wrote: post #39

It was my understanding that while Google has nap rooms in some offices, they are seldom used. The culture is geared around long hours and if you are seen to be napping that is seen as a potential sign of weakness. Of course I could be completely wrong (I'm just pulling this idea out of a vague memory of reading about it here on HN) so I hope a Google employee will correct me. However, it seems reasonable that a comp…

I work as a contractor at Google MTV. My building has a very large lounge area and I sometimes see people taking naps on the couches. I work from 6:30am to 4pm (beat the traffic!) and I use this room not for naps, but to go read for 10 minutes or so to unwind. Long walks also help me stay fresh. In any case, I have always believed that frequent breaks are important. A bit off topic, but when I work at home (which I have mostly done for the last 15 years) then I almost always take a 20 minute nap after lunch.

Re: Real Men Go to Sleep

#168

Post by yetanotherphd »

I feel that it's somewhat unfortunately that comments tend to hijack articles and focus on something the article isn't about. This article only mentioned napping in passing. The main topics were cultural attitudes towards sleep, allowing for flexible work schedules, and eliminating graveyard shifts.

Re: Real Men Go to Sleep

#169

Post by yetanotherphd »

nlh wrote: post #93

The culture of "napping = weakness / laziness" is still so prevalent in the US workforce. It's frustrating - because it's not logical, it's just pretty deeply ingrained. I set up a (rather nice) nap room at my company's office and I'm the only person who EVER uses it. It turned into a storage room. I sent articles about the virtues of napping - the studies - the benefits - the facts - to all of my employees, and nobo…

For my part, I see napping as something that requires a big investment (learning how to nap) with an uncertain payoff, while coffee is something that works and seems to be beneficial for health. I certainly am not tired enough to fall asleep at 2-3pm given my current ability to fall asleep quickly.

Also, there are other strategies to deal with the 2-3pm slump, e.g. doing less intensive work.

Re: Real Men Go to Sleep

#170

Post by robg »

ekianjo wrote: post #159
nlh wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not for me. I can get 10 hours of sleep at night but I'll still hit an afternoon lull post-lunch. I'm sure if I really worked at it I could figure out why (too big a lunch? blood sugar spike?) but regardless, I'm good to go for 6+ more hours w/ a 20-minute nap. Meanwhile everyone else sits and forces their eyelids open, stares at YouTube videos, and downs espresso shots...

That's biorhythm, it has nothing to do with food intake. You will have a tendency to fall asleep around 2 pm, more or less, everyday, based on your internal clock.

I hacked this with Vitamin D supplements.
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