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Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

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Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#181

I think a lot of it has to do with mental status, which can be concluded with one sentence -- "Are you happy with your life, and if not do you have a clear path to reach that?". People who say no probably has a lot of trouble to get fit, get enough sleep -- sometimes NOT because they do not have the resources, but because they are not happy. They hate life, so why makes it better? I have observed this in myself so I…

I agree. In my case I am physically very fit but sometimes neglect my health in other ways, including mentally and definitely including poor sleep habits. Regarding what you said about focus, I think an ADHD diagnosis might help a lot of people here. I suggest asking for a full profile including WAIS testing, which assesses intelligence, because it is the "deficit" between various types of intelligence and attention…

How do you concretely get a diagnosis? Do you just ask your doctor for one?

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#182
post #42

How can I explain to my 6 months old girl that we all need to sleep :D This is a bug in the universe! We need to sleep so that the levels of dopamine, and hormones of hunger and not hunger are at good levels, so that we can be healthy and strong, so that the immune system is stable and strong... And we need to get good sleep so that we can protect our children and be sane.... BUT the nature decided that the kids will…

> This is a bug in the universe! Is it? Couldn't it be a bug in our society/economy instead? What if nature wanted us to take some naps through the day and not just one period of sleep in the night? Waking up multiple times at night wouldn't hurt too much then.

It's also a fairly recent phenomenon that we expect small children to sleep all alone in a big room without anyone else around them. Nature tells them they are small and the world (and the dark) is full of danger. Our biology doesn't give a damn if that is no longer true.

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#183
post #94
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can relate to this. Got two kids and I must say if someone told me that it will be this hard I wouldn't believe it. Raising kids is the hardest and most fulfilling job.

Same for me and I just got the one. It's so incredibly hard, I was not ready for it at all.

Somehow, neither schools nor parents prepared us in any meaningful way for the hardest challenges in our lives. School curriculums are next to useless beyond basic reading/writing/counts.

Where is self sufficiency, team work, communication, taxes, relationships, understanding various addictions, understanding other people, good nutrition, savings and retirement, and of course having and raising kids?

I get they dont want to scare shit out of clueless young, its certainly easier to let them hit walls of life and see who can swim and who goes down. But, as a preparation for life, school is useless and I believe it shouldnt be. I would love to see teachers having doctor's or wall street salaries but be proper experts and psychologists, all of them. Thats the future of given nation.

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#184

I think a lot of it has to do with mental status, which can be concluded with one sentence -- "Are you happy with your life, and if not do you have a clear path to reach that?". People who say no probably has a lot of trouble to get fit, get enough sleep -- sometimes NOT because they do not have the resources, but because they are not happy. They hate life, so why makes it better? I have observed this in myself so I…

When your dreams and visions die, you don’t have any reason to believe in yourself, and you’re pretty much the walking dead

Yep that's what I feel when I have lost my purpose. "Man shall not live by bread alone", so said Dostoevsky.

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#185
post #170

I think a lot of it has to do with mental status, which can be concluded with one sentence -- "Are you happy with your life, and if not do you have a clear path to reach that?". People who say no probably has a lot of trouble to get fit, get enough sleep -- sometimes NOT because they do not have the resources, but because they are not happy. They hate life, so why makes it better? I have observed this in myself so I…

On the other hand, outcome-driven fitness (pursuing a goal like "i want to get shredded") never worked for me as well as process-focused. I have strong legs not because that was a goal, but because I fell in love with cycling and never set ANY goals, just enjoyed getting out and riding my serotonin machine. That might be more sustainable for some people, but if your interests/hobbies are constantly in flux (which min…

I wish I could be like that. I'm more or less a result-driven person, but whenever a result is achieved (e.g. complete all xv6 labs) I became lost and frustrated, and was eager to find the next one. But my mind was usually burnt out during the previous process, so it usually takes a few months of frustration to get everything settled so that I could move on.

The "pinball" concept in "The Soul of a New Machine" rings very true to me -- "The motivational system is akin to the game of pinball, the analogy being that if you win this round, you get to play the game again." -- this is exactly what I feel. But the pinball game is more and more difficult, sometimes too difficult for my fragile mind -- and I still have a day job and a family to take care of.

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When your dreams and visions die, you don’t have any reason to believe in yourself, and you’re pretty much the walking dead

Yep that's what I feel when I have lost my purpose. "Man shall not live by bread alone", so said Dostoevsky.

Interesting, I didn’t know Dostoevsky also made this popular (unless you’re just tongue-in-cheek ignoring the earlier source, which is the Bible)

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#187

> There is only one formula for healthy and refreshing sleep: Go to sleep only when you are very tired. Not earlier. Not later. Wake up naturally without an alarm clock. This is very easy to say when you're not suffering from insomnia and other sleep disorders.

He does go on to say “this is basically impossible if you want to live in society”, but yeah the order in which the information is communicated isn’t optimal for skimming.

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. In my case I am physically very fit but sometimes neglect my health in other ways, including mentally and definitely including poor sleep habits. Regarding what you said about focus, I think an ADHD diagnosis might help a lot of people here. I suggest asking for a full profile including WAIS testing, which assesses intelligence, because it is the "deficit" between various types of intelligence and attention…

How do you concretely get a diagnosis? Do you just ask your doctor for one?

yep, or call a clinic that does it. Search for MOXO, DIVA 5. The most important part is education. Sure, the medication helps, but understanding the root causes of mood swings, motivation, executive functions, hyperfocus, perfectionism, and emotional dysregulation is so important.

Educating yourself on how the brain works, the most important organ, is hugely underrated. Imagine playing a game with only half the screen visible. You wouldn’t see your stats, enemy info, or the map. It would be frustrating to play.

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#189
post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. In my case I am physically very fit but sometimes neglect my health in other ways, including mentally and definitely including poor sleep habits. Regarding what you said about focus, I think an ADHD diagnosis might help a lot of people here. I suggest asking for a full profile including WAIS testing, which assesses intelligence, because it is the "deficit" between various types of intelligence and attention…

What drove you to get the diagnosis? My wife was diagnosed within last 2 years and thinks it has changed (and helped) her come to terms with a number of behaviors. And learn how to resolve/improve. I wonder about me, too. Haven't done it. Is it the case (honest) that may we all have just a little bit anyways?

>Is it the case (honest) that may we all have just a little bit anyways?

Hear me out on this, while it often may seem to be the case that it looks like everyone has it, it very well may just be that you unknowingly choose your surrounding in a way that simply everyone around you has it.

Re: Good sleep, good learning, good life (2012)

#190
post #167

I've never had sleep issues but lately I've been in a bit of a rut. I've always maintained a sleep schedule of going to bed around 00/01hs (not that uncommon in my country) and waking up around 8/9am. However lately I've been arriving VERY tired from work around 19hs. It's very easy to fall asleep right after work and some days I go to sleep for a few hours but then I wake up super late for dinner around 10/11pm and…

How is your physical activity? I used to get really tired at work after lunch, and after I started regularly going to the gym it fixed that. My energy levels throughout the day are now a lot more stable. Didn't fix my insomnia though :-)
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