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Ask HN: How Do You Sleep?

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Re: Ask HN: How Do You Sleep?

#11

Post by phailhaus »

raztogt21 wrote: post #4

1. Cut caffeine (coffee, tea or energy drinks). The first 3 days suck. You should start sleeping better without stimulants. 2. Avoid blue screens 1 or 2 hours before sleep. I used to read my books on a Kindle Fire. I started reading paper books at night. 3. Exercise. The best time for exercising is when you have the time. These three things should account for a significant improvement.

On top of 2: if you can't avoid screens, at least get a blue light filtering app like flux. It'll feel weird at first but you'll quickly get used to it.

Re: Ask HN: How Do You Sleep?

#12

Post by peapicker »

stphnlngdn wrote: post #8
peapicker wrote: post #5

I had that problem. Even 9 hours wouldn't rest me, as I wasn't getting quality sleep. Went to an ENT, who scheduled a sleep study. I have sleep apnea. Got a CPAP (on my third now, 14 years later). Since then, I'm fully charged with 6.5 hours of sleep. Consider a sleep study. Caffeine after ~3pm is a no-go for me (other friends of mine have different cutoff times) Also don't forget that alcohol can make sleep lower qu…

I have a cpap. How to you keep it on while you're asleep? I always end up taking mine off in my sleep an hour into the night

I have a "nose pillows" type CPAP mask - about as small and low-profile as they get. I hated the other types. You have to be able to keep your mouth shut for it to work... I tend to now always sleep on my side because of this. I sleep so well now, I actually look forward to putting the ugly thing on.

Re: Ask HN: How Do You Sleep?

#13

Post by mcgoo »

stphnlngdn wrote: post #8
peapicker wrote: post #5

I had that problem. Even 9 hours wouldn't rest me, as I wasn't getting quality sleep. Went to an ENT, who scheduled a sleep study. I have sleep apnea. Got a CPAP (on my third now, 14 years later). Since then, I'm fully charged with 6.5 hours of sleep. Consider a sleep study. Caffeine after ~3pm is a no-go for me (other friends of mine have different cutoff times) Also don't forget that alcohol can make sleep lower qu…

I have a cpap. How to you keep it on while you're asleep? I always end up taking mine off in my sleep an hour into the night

I tried maybe 5 different kinds of mask until I found what worked. Interestingly, according to the supplier I get stuff from, the masks are all pretty much compatible between manufacturers so there is a lot of scope if mask discomfort is the problem.

Re: Ask HN: How Do You Sleep?

#14

Post by mnorton »

Some tricks I like:

- Magnesium bath (aka epsom salts)

- Orally supplemented liquid magnesium (though I have heard folks say that absorbing magnesium through the skin is actually a better way than orally.)

- Cold shower for 2-5 minutes, warm shower for 4-8 minutes, repeat and play with the times, ending on warm if your goal is sleep. Ending on cold if your goal is to be awake/get over a sickness.

Edit, also:

- exercise, but not too late into the day

- minimize late night screen time (duh. only mentioning it because I recently discovered the Accessibility-->Display Accommodations-->Color Filters on the Iphone. If you set it up to use a custom color tint and slide INTENSITY and HUE to max, then turn on the Accessibility Shortcut at the bottom of Accessibility, you can basically get your phone display set up to toggle a red light mode, which is much easier on the eyes at night)

- somewhat controversially: cannabis

- if you're dieting, save your carbs until the end of the day

- meditation, yoga, foam rolling, stretching - immediately prior to bed

I also do random shit like wear a bite guard to prevent grinding and occasionally go through phases where I'll tape my mouth shut to promote nasal breathing

Re: Ask HN: How Do You Sleep?

#15

Post by quambene »

I prefer to stay up until I'm dead tired. Unfortunately, you can only do this if you have flexible working time and can adjust your sleep pattern accordingly. For me this is working because of self-employment.

Re: Ask HN: How Do You Sleep?

#16

Post by rye-neat »

Black out curtains and block all other sources of light, sleep mask, ear plugs, and white noise (floor fan). It's silly but when I find my mind running I visualize myself putting that thought or idea on a shelf like it's a book.. this goes on maybe two or three more times and I'm OUT like a lightbulb on a switch.

Re: Ask HN: How Do You Sleep?

#18

Post by jolmg »

It might help to be more descriptive of your issue, so people can give better advice.

Is it that you're finding it difficult to decide to lay down and call it a day? Is it that you lay down, but can't fall sleep? Is it that you do fall sleep, but you don't feel rested on waking up? Is it that you're waking multiple times during the night and can't get into deep sleep? Do you feel physically or mentally tired? etc.

Re: Ask HN: How Do You Sleep?

#19

Post by justsomeguy3591 »

Surprised nobody's mentioned it in this thread yet, but Matthew Walker's Why we Sleep [0] is a great in-depth look at sleep and how complex its interactions with our day-to-day routines/quality of life are. It has a lot of practical advice on improving it, most of which is summarized here [1].

I went from a varied sleep schedule, trying to catch up on the weekends, etc to a solid 7.5-8h routine every night and it's made a tremendous difference. Best of luck to you!

[0] https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZ1YGJ5/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_...

[1] http://routineexcellence.com/why-we-sleep-book-review-summar...

Re: Ask HN: How Do You Sleep?

#20

Post by mnorton »

justsomeguy3591 wrote: post #19

Surprised nobody's mentioned it in this thread yet, but Matthew Walker's Why we Sleep [0] is a great in-depth look at sleep and how complex its interactions with our day-to-day routines/quality of life are. It has a lot of practical advice on improving it, most of which is summarized here [1]. I went from a varied sleep schedule, trying to catch up on the weekends, etc to a solid 7.5-8h routine every night and it's m…

Great book. He's also making the podcast rounds.

I enjoyed the term 8 hour sleep "opportunity", that he uses. Much more relatable for me.

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