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Impacts of lack of sleep

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Re: Impacts of lack of sleep

#41

Post by yasp »

d--b wrote: post #40

Bluntly Stated: FUCK. YOU. I have tried everything there is. - lost 20 pounds - check - stopped smoking, alcohol, coffee - check - more sport - check - no screen - check - melatonin - check - light therapy - check - hypnosis - check - phytotherapy - check - accupuncture - check - that thing in your mouth - check - not working for a while - check You think I don't know being tired makes me an asshole? Well rejoice, ap…

Have you had your vitamin d levels checked? Worth checking out what Dr. Stasha Gominak has written on the subject.

Re: Impacts of lack of sleep

#42

Post by lr4444lr »

areichert wrote: post #27

I've struggled with sleep for as long as I can remember, but my issue isn't falling asleep -- it's staying asleep throughout the night. I usually sleep ok from 12am-5am, but after that, I wake up and fall back asleep every ~30 mins or so til I get up around 8. Does anyone else have this issue? Curious if there are any good solutions...

You might be phototropic, which is not a bad thing. If you go to bed at 10 and wakeup at 5, congrats. That's your issue, and you should probably listen to your body. If you go to bed at 10 and wake up at 3, maybe make a lifestyle change.

Re: Impacts of lack of sleep

#43

Post by smashem »

Tangentially, anyone tried dry sauna therapy sessions at night before bed? It's helped me tremendously with sleep and more. It's a bit considered a luxury, but maybe you can find a gym or spa membership that's low cost.

Re: Impacts of lack of sleep

#44

Post by lloydatkinson »

yasp wrote: post #41
d--b wrote: post #40

Bluntly Stated: FUCK. YOU. I have tried everything there is. - lost 20 pounds - check - stopped smoking, alcohol, coffee - check - more sport - check - no screen - check - melatonin - check - light therapy - check - hypnosis - check - phytotherapy - check - accupuncture - check - that thing in your mouth - check - not working for a while - check You think I don't know being tired makes me an asshole? Well rejoice, ap…

Have you had your vitamin d levels checked? Worth checking out what Dr. Stasha Gominak has written on the subject.

And iron

Re: Impacts of lack of sleep

#46

Post by fleddr »

uoaei wrote: post #17

My sleep problem is not that I can't fall asleep when in bed, it's that I can't tell myself to go to the bed to sleep. I think it's some kind of chronic FOMO / productivity bug, but obviously it results in lowered productivity overall because of my effectiveness when fatigued. Has anyone else addressed this issue in their own lives or know some resources tailored to this problem to learn how to better approach bedtim…

I have the same problem. I sleep within 5 minutes but I won't go to sleep. I stay up. I may waste 2 or 3 extra hours doing absolutely nothing productive instead of just going to sleep.

My positive interpretation is that it's introvert me. I need significant alone time and this is the only time slot where I'm not constantly bothered or interrupted.

The negative interpretation is that it's plain addiction. To distractions. News. Updates. Whatever.

Whatever it is, I can't solve it. I need a kick in the butt. Somebody to force me to bed.

Re: Impacts of lack of sleep

#47

Post by munificent »

mikenew wrote: post #15

I've struggled with sleep for as long as I can remember. I have improved it considerably in the past year (still not perfect). Out of the dozens upon dozens of things I've tried, here's what I think made the most difference, in order of importance. 1. Very consistent bedtime and wake up time. +/- 30 minutes, but ideally less. Obviously if you struggle with sleep you can't count on falling asleep at the same time, but…

I really like your list, but I also want to point out that humans have way more variability than we realize. A sure fire solution for some will do nothing for others. It doesn't mean it's bad advice, just that context is everything when it comes to health, diet, and fitness for people.

A few other things I would suggest that might help some.

8. Cut down on caffeine. The whole point is that it's a stimulant. I have had many conversations with people where they complained about chronic insomnia but also drank six cups of coffee a day. Caffeine has a longer half life in the body than you expect. Drink less and drink it earlier in the day. Personally, I have only one cup of coffee in the morning, and that's it. If I have any caffeine in the afternoon, I'm up all night.

9. Journaling. If I'm awake with the same anxious thoughts going through my head, I find writing them down helps massively. It's like my brain understands that I don't have to worry about forgetting it in any more and lets it go.

10. Exercise. Doesn't have to be super vigorous, but just going for a walk helps. We are animals. Animals need to move. Gotta get the wiggles out.

Re: Impacts of lack of sleep

#48

Post by codyb »

lloydatkinson wrote: post #44
yasp wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you had your vitamin d levels checked? Worth checking out what Dr. Stasha Gominak has written on the subject.

And iron

Iron was huge for me. I’m a blood donor. Last time I went I couldn’t sleep for a week until I started cramming chicken and spinach down my maw like there was no tomorrow. Got rid of all the issues I was having.

B vitamins are another big one, especially if you drink sometimes.

Re: Impacts of lack of sleep

#49

Post by coderenegade »

bladley wrote: post #28

My problem is that I get too much sleep and it's very difficult for me to wake up if there's no meeting scheduled that morning for my flexible remote job or if there's no social pressure to get up. I'll happily sleep 12-14 hours if you let me. I've been this way since I was a teenager, and I'm 25 now. I know this sounds like I'm complaining about a luxury, and lack of sleep is definitely worse, but it's always made m…

Get a blood test. I was like this in my early twenties, turns out I'd had two strains of glandular fever.

Re: Impacts of lack of sleep

#50

Post by nkozyra »

I did sleep studies, medicines (including modafinil which worked but had scary sides), natural supplements (which helped but tended to result in lesser quality sleep).

In the end I needed to make sleep my number one priority and I focused on it for several months.

I slowly built up what worked for me, but likely won't work for you. A lot of being in bed at 10 staring at a dark ceiling for 3+ hours. Getting into meditation (in the am, not evening), exercising but never after noon and not eating after 6. Alcohol in any amount won't prevent my sleep but will vastly deteriorate the quality.

It took tons of trial and error to do what medical professionals couldn't help with. My conclusion is sleep is complicated and highly individual. You need to identify the things that wreck your sleep and pick them off with serious attention to them.

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