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Impacts of lack of sleep

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Re: Impacts of lack of sleep

#21

Post by FirmwareBurner »

MarkusQ wrote: post #7
mmanfrin wrote: post #3

I'd wager most people here who don't get enough sleep aren't doing so out of some sort of grindset mentality, but because they simply cannot. I find it very hard to fall asleep, nearly impossible to sleep in (a consequence of getting older?), and more interrupted sleep. I'm reticent to try drugs to enable sleep because I've heard that the sleep they provide is not true sleep.

Physical labor. Or exercise. If you push yourself to the point where you're physically tired, you'll sleep like a rock. If it doesn't, you're either not pushing hard enough or you ought to see a doctor.

Heavy exercise, like lifting weights after work(5PM), makes me fall asleep eve harder.

I can still feel the adrenaline and elevated heart rate and body temperature that just makes it even more difficult to fall asleep so I have no idea how people who go to the gym at 9PM manage to fall asleep. I wish I knew their secret or had their genetics.

Lighter exercises that don't stress the body, like long walks and yoga are much better for sleeping but not good for building muscle.

My problem isn't falling asleep, it's staying asleep for long enough to feel rested. I usually wake up after 4-5h and can't easily fall back to sleep. By the time I get sleepy again(7-8AM) it's already morning and time to get up for work.

So far I haven't found a (natural) cure for this. There's medication that aids with getting long sleep but the side effects (drowsy ness and brain fog) are nearly just as bad as the lack of sleep.

Re: Impacts of lack of sleep

#22

Post by SoftTalker »

notsurenymore wrote: post #13
mmanfrin wrote: post #3

I'd wager most people here who don't get enough sleep aren't doing so out of some sort of grindset mentality, but because they simply cannot. I find it very hard to fall asleep, nearly impossible to sleep in (a consequence of getting older?), and more interrupted sleep. I'm reticent to try drugs to enable sleep because I've heard that the sleep they provide is not true sleep.

I have this pattern of getting really tired in the early afternoon, and then by night time, I would be fully awake. I couldn’t just sleep when I was tired because then I won’t sleep at night, and it just become this terrible cycle. I can’t stay awake at night because things need to be done during the day. It’s been better recently, but some years ago, I would come home from work just completely exhausted and pass out…

I've always been sort of a "night owl" I can stay up to 2 or 3 am pretty easily and like sleeping until 10 or 11am. I seem to get my best "deep" sleep between 6am and 10am.

Re: Impacts of lack of sleep

#23

Post by voidhorse »

MarkusQ wrote: post #7
mmanfrin wrote: post #3

I'd wager most people here who don't get enough sleep aren't doing so out of some sort of grindset mentality, but because they simply cannot. I find it very hard to fall asleep, nearly impossible to sleep in (a consequence of getting older?), and more interrupted sleep. I'm reticent to try drugs to enable sleep because I've heard that the sleep they provide is not true sleep.

Physical labor. Or exercise. If you push yourself to the point where you're physically tired, you'll sleep like a rock. If it doesn't, you're either not pushing hard enough or you ought to see a doctor.

I do think sufficient physical activity helps, but timing is important. I find that if I work out too late in the evening remnants of adrenaline are still coursing by the time I try to go to sleep and actually hamper, rather than help getting to sleep.

Re: Impacts of lack of sleep

#25

Post by notsurenymore »

SoftTalker wrote: post #22
notsurenymore wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have this pattern of getting really tired in the early afternoon, and then by night time, I would be fully awake. I couldn’t just sleep when I was tired because then I won’t sleep at night, and it just become this terrible cycle. I can’t stay awake at night because things need to be done during the day. It’s been better recently, but some years ago, I would come home from work just completely exhausted and pass out…

I've always been sort of a "night owl" I can stay up to 2 or 3 am pretty easily and like sleeping until 10 or 11am. I seem to get my best "deep" sleep between 6am and 10am.

Yeah that sounds similar to what my sleep schedule has been since I’ve been out of work. Prior to that I was doing mostly 12a-8a, but I was working remotely so it was easier.

I do enjoy the night, it’s cooler and calmer, sadly there’s just not much that can get done. I remember years ago working a night job, where I would often work very long hours, but I would get accusations of being lazy from people who just saw me as sleeping all day.

Re: Impacts of lack of sleep

#26

Post by voidhorse »

alwayslikethis wrote: post #8
behnamoh wrote: post #2

My partner suffers from this. She tried many solutions but to no vail. But it seems having an intentional period of wind down before bed (e.g., 1 hour on the couch, scrolling social media and listening to podcasts) helps. When she goes to bed after that, she never uses her phone and can sleep much better. I'm in the same boat except that I only go to bed when I'm absolutely completely drained and exhausted, which is…

It's not just phones, it's the light. Consider turning lights off as much as possible 1-2 hours before bed.

Definitely. I live in an area with a lot of light pollution, so much so that even when it's supposed to be full dark, there's enough ambient light outside that it's more like "late evening" at best. I find that any time I'm away from home, I actually sleep better because there's no extreme light pollution keeping me up.

Re: Impacts of lack of sleep

#27

Post by nehal3m »

operatingthetan wrote: post #12
foundart wrote: post #4

The article itself points to prior discussion on HN from 2022 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30184796

The article feels like it could have afforded a lot more depth. It's like it was designed as an HN prompt.

Is there something you find wrong with that? I generally find comments on HN to be thoughtful and people tend to invest some effort. There’s also a surprising amount of subject matter experts lurking until their subjects come up. A “prompt article” seems a decent way to get some of that going, no?

Re: Impacts of lack of sleep

#28

Post by guidoism »

elteto wrote: post #24
markus_zhang wrote: post #18

I have been missing sleep since child was born. The post is pretty accurate. I now fully understand why some people don't want to get kids.

[flagged]

I’m fairly confident that the lack of sleep during my first child’s first two years permanently altered my brain in way that has seriously affected my ability to do my job. I think there is research to back my claim that sleep can change your brain just as trauma does.

Re: Impacts of lack of sleep

#29

Post by bentcorner »

elteto wrote: post #24
markus_zhang wrote: post #18

I have been missing sleep since child was born. The post is pretty accurate. I now fully understand why some people don't want to get kids.

[flagged]

It does sound shallow, that's because having children impacts you more than for a year or two and it's more than just losing sleep.

Re: Impacts of lack of sleep

#30

Post by cma »

guidoism wrote: post #28
elteto wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

I’m fairly confident that the lack of sleep during my first child’s first two years permanently altered my brain in way that has seriously affected my ability to do my job. I think there is research to back my claim that sleep can change your brain just as trauma does.

The thing to realize is your (I am presuming) inflexible job was probably as responsible as your kid. They should let you work very flexible hours if you just had a kid unless by nature it just can't be done for that job.
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