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Hacker fuel (can't live without it)

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Re: Hacker fuel (can't live without it)

#41
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a recovered Mountain Dew head, I agree. The sugar in Mountain Dew is the worst of it. I used to require five or so Mountain Dews every day. When I slowly stopped drinking it (I switched completely to coffee to avoid caffeine withdraw) I stopped getting really hyper then crashing five times a day. My concentration is much better without Mountain Dew. It took me about five weeks to switch (one less can per week). No…

The way I learned it is the natural alertness cycle is sinusoidal, and by taking stimulants strategically timed one can square it off. That way one can increase total hours of close to peak alertness, as well as make sleep deeper and heavier.

I generalized my personal experience. It may be different for different people, but I'm tired longer the more I use stimulants. But I've also had one to two cups of coffee in the morning every day for about four years now. If I drink more at other times I generally feel worse for a longer period of time and don't gain much in the way of concentration.

Re: Hacker fuel (can't live without it)

#42
The best fuel for me is having a healthy physical life away from the computer. I've noticed that being in good shape helps a lot when pulling long shifts on the computer.

As far as beverages go, I usually drink more tea than water (mate or cold-brewed ginger and green tea). For a hard boost, espresso is the way to go but it doesn't last long and puts my metabolism into hyperdrive.

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