My 'smart drugs' nightmare • Hacker News Board

Re: My 'smart drugs' nightmare

#51

Post by randycupertino » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 5:41 AM UTC

byuu wrote: post #44

randycupertino wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you tried trazodone for sleeping? That stuff knocks me out. I take adderall for ADHD and used to have insomnia too until my doc prescribed me trazodone. Now I fall asleep in 10 minutes and get the best sleep of my life. http://www.crazymeds.us/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Meds/Desyrel

I haven't. Heard very bad things about prescription sleep aids not giving you proper REM sleep cycles, and being very habit forming (makes things worse when you get off or you build up a tolerance), and causing nasty side effects. That sounds nice, though. The Adderall would probably help a lot too, but I don't seem to have any luck at all with doctors being open to letting me try things out to see if they'd benefit…

Maybe try asking your doctor about Trazodone. It is so old school that it doesn't have much of a stigma unlike the newer drugs out there that have bad reps for being addictive or encouraging drug seekers wit recreational uses (benzos, narcs, beta blockers) it's sort of an old mellow antidepressant that has sleep benefits. Doesn't get abused much because literally all it does is make people sleepy. I'm on a super low dose- 25mcg and it knocks me out with really good quality sleep. I think my "anxious brain" was what was keeping me up and when trazodone first came on the scene it was shown to help with anxiety.

Good luck with everything.

Re: My 'smart drugs' nightmare

#52

Post by fancy_pantser » Wed, Jan 06, 2016, 7:58 AM UTC

randycupertino wrote: post #34

peteretep wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps. I find Modafinil makes me slightly obsessive about anything . If I take it while procrastinating then I get really caught up in procrastination tasks. If I take it and force myself to start working straight away, great forces come to my aid.

What is the difference between modafinil vs adderall?

Modafinil is for wakefulness more than concentration and combating ADHD. For example, USAF flightcrews use it for long sorties. When you find the right dosage for yourself it can feel a bit like a very strong, prolonged caffeine buzz.

Re: My 'smart drugs' nightmare

#53

Post by RogtamBar » Fri, Jan 08, 2016, 11:13 AM UTC

byuu wrote: post #45

rdtsc wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Random things I did that I think worked: 1) Going for a walk in a park. Cool fresh outside air helps reset the brain. 2) Read something, preferably a book. Not on a phone or tablet. Not too interesting which will keep you awake wanting to finish it "Understanding The Linux Kernel", for example does wonders for me. 3) Watch a documentary about nature or space. Something not too intense or crazy.

Thanks for your advice! For 1, that's a great idea and I really need the exercise. But it's ruled out for 4 months of the year due to northern temperatures. I have a very low tolerance for cold, so if there's snow outside, it's extremely unpleasant, tears up my throat, paradoxically burns my hands and ears, etc. Can overdress to compensate, but even then it's still unpleasant and slippery outside. For 2, I'd love to…

>For 1, that's a great idea and I really need the exercise. But it's ruled out for 4 months of the year due to northern temperatures.

There's stationary bikes, gyms, etc.

Plus, not going outside is an attitude issue. I've gone running a few times in winter, despite having Raynaud's syndrome (or something similar, my extremities tend towards ambient temperature unless I'm jogging or doing something equally strenuous). It's doable. Not pleasant and requires some thought and care though.

>For 3, won't the blue light from the TV cause someone to stay awake? I

Any bright screen makes falling asleep harder, fools the body into thinking it's daylight. Only something like Kindle with very gentle light doesn't make going to sleep harder.

Re: My 'smart drugs' nightmare

#54

Post by mercer » Sat, Jan 09, 2016, 10:24 AM UTC

byuu wrote: post #43

justifier wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why view sleep as an unconcious act? sure if you force yourself to stop breathing eventually your body will shut down and force you to breathe but you are also capable of taking control of your breaths, determine their length, frequency, potency sleep is the same learn to control it if those 2-4 hours are undesired, while waiting for your body to wrestle control back from you, then they are wasted, or worse, time.. u…

When I do lie down, it's because I'm too mentally fatigued to continue working. It's usually 13-16 hours after having woken up (or as little as 6-8 hours if I am working intensely the entire time), so this is normal. The 2-4 hours are just wasted time where my mind goes over having a million fake "conversations" in my head, recalling past traumatic events and regretting my actions then, and if I'm lucky, thinking abo…

Have you tried actual meditation? I also have sleep problems because my mind just won't quiet down. Few things have helped as well as meditation before bedtime. I've also read that the frequent habit of meditation (which sadly I've not mastered yet) in general has the long-term effect of being able to control this 'inner monologue' permanently.

It also really helps just throughout the day. Quite regularly my brain just goes into overdrive and by late afternoon it's all over the place. Every single time that I force myself to sit and meditate (I use the Headspace app, usually 20 min sessions), my mind is significantly calmer and I feel a sudden boost in energy. Kind of like pressing a reset button.

The same goes for mornings. I often can't really get started until 11:00 or 12:00, but those few times where I manage to meditate first thing, I'm able to snap out of the 'coffee/internet' ritual with very little effort.

Perhaps it's extra effective for me because I get overstimulated and/or over-obsessed much quicker than most people, but I'm still amazed at how effective something as simple as sitting and observing my thoughts as they pass actually is.

In my opinion, if it's even half as effective for the rest of the population as it is for me, it should be as normal as brushing your teeth twice a day (and it often has been compared to brushing).

Re: My 'smart drugs' nightmare

#55

Post by mercer » Sat, Jan 09, 2016, 10:28 AM UTC

rorykoehler wrote: post #20

byuu wrote: post #14

Video: "the drug is definitely working because I've been lying in bed for an hour, and I just can't get to sleep." An hour ?? Amateur. It takes me 2-4 hours every night to fall asleep, no matter how tired I am when I lay down. And then I wake up 3-4 hours later, and then fall asleep again after another 30 or so minutes. Been that way for as long as I can remember. So yeah, I'm always tired during the day. Was startin…

Have you tried cannabis?

While it might work, I've read that while cannabis helps you fall asleep, it's actually often not conducive to 'good' sleep. This has also been the experience of a number of people I know. Lack of deep sleep, waking up in the middle of the night, etc.

Perhaps it's different for different people, and perhaps this is only a problem if you smoke too much though. I'm not sure.