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Why Can’t We Fall Asleep?

newyorker.com

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Re: Why Can’t We Fall Asleep?

#21

Post by marak830 »

spuz wrote: post #18

It's interesting that the article mentions the importance of not disrupting the body's natural ability to produce melatonin but does not mention melatonin when talking about sleep medication. As far as I understand artifial melatonin actually increases REM sleep, does not trigger sleep walking and can be taken for longer than a week. In my experience it does increase the intensity of dreams which could be a negative…

Im on melatonin at the moment. Its nice to hear about someone else, id nnever heard of it before the doctor recommended it before sleeping tablets.

Re: Why Can’t We Fall Asleep?

#22

Post by marak830 »

silencio wrote: post #6
wodenokoto wrote: post #4

Does anyone know what the cognitive behavioural therapy the article refers to is? I know what it is in general, but how does it relate to sleep?

It's basically CBT tailored towards insomnia. Identifying and addressing behaviors and thought patterns that make it difficult to sleep. Sleep hygiene, mindfulness, etc. As a sidenote, I did find a lovely PDF a while ago with a bunch of good sleep hygiene tips. As always, it's implementing the suggestions that is difficult, but :) http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/docs/Info-sleep%20hygiene.pd...

Thank you for the link, ill definatly read that when im home.

I also agree with its hard to do the recommended sometimes :-s. 8 hour work, 2 hour total travel, then i need to code my own project -.-

Re: Why Can’t We Fall Asleep?

#23

Post by [deleted] »

silencio wrote: post #6
wodenokoto wrote: post #4

Does anyone know what the cognitive behavioural therapy the article refers to is? I know what it is in general, but how does it relate to sleep?

It's basically CBT tailored towards insomnia. Identifying and addressing behaviors and thought patterns that make it difficult to sleep. Sleep hygiene, mindfulness, etc. As a sidenote, I did find a lovely PDF a while ago with a bunch of good sleep hygiene tips. As always, it's implementing the suggestions that is difficult, but :) http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/docs/Info-sleep%20hygiene.pd...

[deleted]

Re: Why Can’t We Fall Asleep?

#24

Post by PepeGomez »

m_fayer wrote: post #10

I'm surprised the article mentions the blue light problem and devices but does not talk about flux, it's a little app that shifts the color temperature of your display to match what you're supposed to see at your location given the time of day. So, after sunset your screen basically turns orange. Although it's a bit annoying and takes some getting used to, I've tried it on and off and whenever I'm using it I fall asl…

There is also some evidence that yellow light causes nearsightedness, so be careful with that.

Re: Why Can’t We Fall Asleep?

#25

Post by shanth »

m_fayer wrote: post #10

I'm surprised the article mentions the blue light problem and devices but does not talk about flux, it's a little app that shifts the color temperature of your display to match what you're supposed to see at your location given the time of day. So, after sunset your screen basically turns orange. Although it's a bit annoying and takes some getting used to, I've tried it on and off and whenever I'm using it I fall asl…

For phones there are apps like "Screen Filter".. that only reduces lighting exposure though..

Re: Why Can’t We Fall Asleep?

#26

Post by KJKingJ »

marak830 wrote: post #20
ikurei wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only flux-like app on Android I know of is Twilight[0]. I've been using it for longer that I can remember and I have no complains. [0] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.urbandroid...

Thanks ill try this one out.

There's also CF.lumen [0], which I have running. It works best if you are rooted and can install the display driver. However, on non-rooted devices it behaves in a similar fashion to the other night time colour shifting apps.

[0] https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.l...

Re: Why Can’t We Fall Asleep?

#27

Post by dimitar »

But it may be that the most important aspect of sleep hygiene has to do with light I'm not convinced.

The most important thing for sleep is your eating habits - if you want to wake up early eat very early dinners. If you want to wake up at 8 am, your last meal of the day should be at 6 pm (14 hours before that).

This works so well, that it overrides the effects of alcohol and caffeine and often even how tired you are. Even if you usually stay up until 3 am you'll get very sleepy at midnight and you'll wake up at 8. If fact even if you are prevented from sleeping until 3, you'll still wake up at 8 after just 5 hours of sleep. Have a full breakfast to avoid sleeping during the day - the next day you'll probably get sleepy at midnight again, even if you have dinner a bit later than 6.

Why does this work? Your 'food clock' will override all the other timers that govern your sleep habits. I cannot find the sources for this, but there are pretty good biological reasons this works. I know that I have used this rule many times for my benefit when working shift work or travelling or even getting back in rhythm after a vacation.

Edit: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7414437.stm - I've added this report from the BBC as a source. I've used 14 hours instead of 16 but I find it works about the same for me.

Re: Why Can’t We Fall Asleep?

#28

Post by DanielBMarkham »

marak830 wrote: post #21
spuz wrote: post #18

It's interesting that the article mentions the importance of not disrupting the body's natural ability to produce melatonin but does not mention melatonin when talking about sleep medication. As far as I understand artifial melatonin actually increases REM sleep, does not trigger sleep walking and can be taken for longer than a week. In my experience it does increase the intensity of dreams which could be a negative…

Im on melatonin at the moment. Its nice to hear about someone else, id nnever heard of it before the doctor recommended it before sleeping tablets.

I've been on melatonin for a very long time. Maybe 10-15 years.

It took a very long time for it to not work as well as it used to, but that finally happened.

I find that even with poor sleep, you get more REM and more "recharge" with a healthy dose of melatonin. As far as sleep goes, in my mind it's a miracle drug.

Re: Why Can’t We Fall Asleep?

#29

Post by veidr »

m_fayer wrote: post #10

I'm surprised the article mentions the blue light problem and devices but does not talk about flux, it's a little app that shifts the color temperature of your display to match what you're supposed to see at your location given the time of day. So, after sunset your screen basically turns orange. Although it's a bit annoying and takes some getting used to, I've tried it on and off and whenever I'm using it I fall asl…

Acting on a tip from an HN user on a similar thread this year, I ordered these blue light blocking glasses[1] for only $10.

If you can get past the goofy look (perhaps a bit more problematic at work than at home), they work great, and obviously they work with any device.

[1]: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000USRG90?psc=1&redirect=t...

Re: Why Can’t We Fall Asleep?

#30

Post by jwdunne »

veidr wrote: post #29
m_fayer wrote: post #10

I'm surprised the article mentions the blue light problem and devices but does not talk about flux, it's a little app that shifts the color temperature of your display to match what you're supposed to see at your location given the time of day. So, after sunset your screen basically turns orange. Although it's a bit annoying and takes some getting used to, I've tried it on and off and whenever I'm using it I fall asl…

Acting on a tip from an HN user on a similar thread this year, I ordered these blue light blocking glasses[1] for only $10. If you can get past the goofy look (perhaps a bit more problematic at work than at home), they work great, and obviously they work with any device. [1]: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000USRG90?psc=1&redirect=t...

Not just goofy. Most people in the UK would associate glasses like that with ali G:

http://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/deedfyOGpiI8a2UWYdSCFLjbX...

In all seriousness, how do they affect colour? If you're working on a front-end web project or design, could these be problematic?

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