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Sleep: Everything You Need to Know

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Re: Sleep: Everything You Need to Know

#21
post #15

I really wonder how much sleep people lose worrying about their sleep habits. Trying to micromanage everything from your sleep schedule to your work schedule to your calorie intake to your fat intake to your social media intake to your exposure to cell phone radiation results in being even more stressed out than you would be if you weren't attempting to keep track of eighty different pseudoscientific lifestyle prescr…

I reject the idea that optimization leads to burnout. If you're consciously thinking about ALL of those variables at once, yes, you will achieve burnout. But the entire point of life optimization isn't to sit around thinking about all of this, it's to build healthy habits that allow our "autopilot" to pilot us down previously consciously decided paths. You should be unconsciously a better person after reinforcing new…

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Re: Sleep: Everything You Need to Know

#23

I thought it was a good article, but a lot of it seemed like opinion stated as fact. I wear ear plugs at night, but no mask. I suffer from "night terrors" however, and when they strike I am very disoriented. The earplugs make that worse, and I imagine a mask would be a bad idea too. I use these earplugs because we go through a lot. http://www.amazon.com/SparkPlugs-Disposable-Earplugs-Nascar-... They are large, but st…

Totally anecdotal, but I suffer from occasional night terrors too, and have found that an eye mask actually helps quite a bit. Something about the consistent deeper darkness seems to stop me from 'waking up' and having a spell. Mine were also much worse when I slept in new places, and having the eye mask seems to eliminate that distinction as far as my body is concerned.

Between the eye mask, limiting eating large meals later at night, and cutting back on caffeine, I've reduced my night terrors by about 90% in the past 2 years. YMMV.

Re: Sleep: Everything You Need to Know

#26

I really wonder how much sleep people lose worrying about their sleep habits. Trying to micromanage everything from your sleep schedule to your work schedule to your calorie intake to your fat intake to your social media intake to your exposure to cell phone radiation results in being even more stressed out than you would be if you weren't attempting to keep track of eighty different pseudoscientific lifestyle prescr…

I don't think many on the Hacker News crowd are worried about harmless cellphone radiation. At least, I hope so.

Re: Sleep: Everything You Need to Know

#27
post #9
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for your feedback! I worked for Zeo a year ago, however they've since shut down so I have no affiliation to them. I'll be sure to go in add the relevant sources.

Sure thing. I don't mean to imply that you are intentionally misguiding. Your general advice (i.e. sleep enough and do it consistently) is good and the post was fairly well-written. Cheers, good sir.

I'm not picking on you specifically, but I think this is an example of a very common problem on HN. Someone posts a very harshly-worded negative comment. Then the OP responds to it, and the commenter walks back their comment and praises the post.

It seems like once people realize they're communicating with other real-life human beings, they are much more civil. Couldn't we try to consider that ahead of time, and avoid the off-handed negativity in the first place? It would make HN (and nonverbal communication in general) much more productive and enjoyable.

If the two comments combined fully capture your viewpoint, why not say something along the lines of, "Your advice is good and the post is fairly well-written, but it sort of comes off as a product advertisement. You cite scientific evidence, but you don't provide any sources, which makes it seem unsubstantiated."

Just a suggestion.

Re: Sleep: Everything You Need to Know

#28

Who lifts daily ? Don't do that, bud.

> Who lifts daily?

I lift 5 times a week, with another day of cardio and I'm in my mid 30's. My life is pretty good.

> Don't do that, bud.

Based on what information? Many popular lifting schedules call for 5 days on and 2 off per week. I think your projecting your own personal experiences here.

Re: Sleep: Everything You Need to Know

#29
One tip which I didn't see: set an alarm for going to bed, not waking up. You should be able to wake naturally, but artificial lighting changes your perception of when you should go to sleep, shifting you from a naturally 23-hour circadian rhythm to a 25-hour one.

So just set an alarm for 11pm, and when you hear it, immediately stop what you're doing, save any open documents, turn the TV or computer off. The next 30 minutes are for brushing teeth, settling into bed, and preparing for the following morning only. By then you should be settling into a good night's sleep.

Re: Sleep: Everything You Need to Know

#30
OP mentions that earbuds (plugs) are one of the best things he's done to improve sleep. Has anyone out there reviewed a few different brands of earplugs? I've used Hearos Ultimate Softness but I'm reading that there are better plugs out there. It looks like the best consumer grade plugs have a NRR of 33. Anyone have suggestions or insight into this?
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