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Why Entrepreneurs Can't Sleep

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Re: Why Entrepreneurs Can't Sleep

#51

Post by gwillen »

pstuart wrote: post #27
MatthewB wrote: post #19

I keep hearing about how blue light in the morning helps you wake up and have more energy throughout the day. Does anyone have experience with this product: http://www.amazon.com/Philips-goLITE-BLU-Therapy-Device/dp/B...

I've looked at that as well, but one of the reviews scared me away: http://www.amazon.com/review/R33CBCI3HRGKDJ/ref=cm_srch_res_... Instead I'm going for exposure to any light in the morning and breaking the fast with a small snack.

Googling for the quoted text in the review reveals that the original source appears to be the website of a competing product. I cannot find the article in Science which is supposedly referenced but not cited.

Re: Why Entrepreneurs Can't Sleep

#52

Post by Pyrodogg »

achompas wrote: post #5

You'll see links to F.lux [0] occasionally on HN, but I can't overstate how F.lux has changed my life. Before F.lux, my laptop would suck me in. I would browse HN, Metafilter, and Twitter even as my eyes stung and my head felt like a bag of sand. Eventually I would go to bed at 3am, confused about how time flew by so quickly. The next morning was always rough. Some days I would wake up at 8am and arrive at work on ti…

I had heard it mentioned before but just installed it for the first time. It's only been 5 minutes and I've already adjusted pretty well to the color balance shift. I thought that it would end up driving me nuts but I think this'll really help. Thanks for the recommendation!

Re: Why Entrepreneurs Can't Sleep

#53

Post by cma »

FrojoS wrote: post #43
ddwoodworth wrote: post #35

Looks like there has been significant research on chronotype (A person's preference for daytime vs. nighttime activities). One study showed "About 1/10 people are actually hard-wired... to be early risers" and "2/10 people are what are known as night owls". So there maybe some proof to your genetics theory. People maybe hardwired to reach peak functionality at different times. http://www.kwollity.com/2010/03/are-you-…

Which would make sense in evolutionary terms. You want someone in your group to be awake at night as a watch. Its also very helpful to have very early morning risers, to prepare stuff for the group.

group selection?

Re: Why Entrepreneurs Can't Sleep

#54

Post by alanh »

achompas wrote: post #5

You'll see links to F.lux [0] occasionally on HN, but I can't overstate how F.lux has changed my life. Before F.lux, my laptop would suck me in. I would browse HN, Metafilter, and Twitter even as my eyes stung and my head felt like a bag of sand. Eventually I would go to bed at 3am, confused about how time flew by so quickly. The next morning was always rough. Some days I would wake up at 8am and arrive at work on ti…

1. I love F.lux as well but it is (still) buggy for me, especially on my living room Mac Mini (where it is connected to an HDTV – F.lux never remembers to apply the white-point shift after the display reawakens…).

2. If people would like to see their iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch do the same thing, Apple needs to allow such functionality. Request F.lux support – native or by exposing an API – on iOS by duping #10158436 on http://bugreport.apple.com. (Please!)

Re: Why Entrepreneurs Can't Sleep

#55

Post by georgieporgie »

achompas wrote: post #33
baddox wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I understand it, F.lux works because your body uses light cues to determine the rate of melatonin production. Essentially: less light (or warmer light) => more melatonin production => sleepiness. Rather than mess around with your monitors' color balance (which I find extremely annoying), I just skip the first step and pop an over the counter melatonin pill. It works splendidly, doesn't seem to be habit forming (be…

I tried melatonin a few times and experienced some very groggy mornings. I also experienced a few nights where I could not sleep after taking a 3mg tab. For those considering it, let me suggest a very small dose (0.5-0.75 mg, or 1/4th of a tablet) and 9-10 hours to try it out. Don't pop one of these at 2am and expect to feel great the next day.

Trader Joe's has 500mcg (i.e. 0.5mg) tablets. Walmart had 300mcg tablets, which were absolutely ideal, but they've stopped carrying them locally.

There was an excellent article I read a few years back which made the case that 300mcg is the ideal dose for nightly use. Over 1mg, the body adapts to it and it loses effect.

The smaller tablets are preferable to breaking larger ones, since it's hard to be consistent due to the manner in which they crack, as well as the potentially uneven distribution of melatonin to filler in each tablet.

Re: Why Entrepreneurs Can't Sleep

#56

Post by georgieporgie »

rjd wrote: post #46
araneae wrote: post #16

Theory 5: Hackers are always on their devices so they experience the effects of inappropriate light at night to a greater extent.

First thing is nope I had the problems like his before I had a computer. Had it when I was a kid and right though out high school, right now I'm staying with my parents while I focus on some products, and am waking around 10am again, thats my naturally sleep pattern 2am-10am. But I'll agree the computer CAN makes it worse ... because even as the guy mentioned controlling light can be critical. On the flip side it can…

I had the problems like his before I had a computer

Did you watch a lot of television?

Re: Why Entrepreneurs Can't Sleep

#57

Post by dvdhsu »

8ig8 wrote: post #49
achompas wrote: post #5

You'll see links to F.lux [0] occasionally on HN, but I can't overstate how F.lux has changed my life. Before F.lux, my laptop would suck me in. I would browse HN, Metafilter, and Twitter even as my eyes stung and my head felt like a bag of sand. Eventually I would go to bed at 3am, confused about how time flew by so quickly. The next morning was always rough. Some days I would wake up at 8am and arrive at work on ti…

Thanks for mentioning F.lux. I recall reading about it a while back but never tried it. I'm planning to install it tomorrow. I did a quick search for an iPad equivalent, but nothing promising turned up. I'll keep looking. Much of my evening and night reading is on the iPad and I've wondered if the 'glow' has been disrupting my sleep. If anyone has suggestions for non-jailbroken iOS devices, please share. Thanks.

I just sent an e-mail to Marco. Hopefully he'll be able to implement this in to InstaPaper.

Re: Why Entrepreneurs Can't Sleep

#58

Post by sc00ter »

pestaa wrote: post #44
baddox wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I understand it, F.lux works because your body uses light cues to determine the rate of melatonin production. Essentially: less light (or warmer light) => more melatonin production => sleepiness. Rather than mess around with your monitors' color balance (which I find extremely annoying), I just skip the first step and pop an over the counter melatonin pill. It works splendidly, doesn't seem to be habit forming (be…

As far as I know vivid dreaming is not equivalent to better recollection of dreams. A dream is vivid when and only when you are aware of the fact that you're dreaming while it happens. It isn't necessarily true just because you're able to recall.

OT: That's lucid dreaming.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dream

Re: Why Entrepreneurs Can't Sleep

#59

Post by pestaa »

sc00ter wrote: post #58
pestaa wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As far as I know vivid dreaming is not equivalent to better recollection of dreams. A dream is vivid when and only when you are aware of the fact that you're dreaming while it happens. It isn't necessarily true just because you're able to recall.

OT: That's lucid dreaming. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucid_dream

I stand corrected. Thank you.

Re: Why Entrepreneurs Can't Sleep

#60

Post by rjd »

georgieporgie wrote: post #56
rjd wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

First thing is nope I had the problems like his before I had a computer. Had it when I was a kid and right though out high school, right now I'm staying with my parents while I focus on some products, and am waking around 10am again, thats my naturally sleep pattern 2am-10am. But I'll agree the computer CAN makes it worse ... because even as the guy mentioned controlling light can be critical. On the flip side it can…

I had the problems like his before I had a computer Did you watch a lot of television?

Nope not really, I read a lot of books. I can remember one day buying Red Dwarf:Better Than Life, and finishing it overnight and maybe getting an hour or twos sleep.

I grew up in a rural community and wasn't really interested in TV or technology really. I didn't even learn to program till was I was 22 (only after I had serious sporting accident where I had broken arms and legs and had to drop out of art school). Although I'll admit I did learn to write BASIC on school computers when I was 10 or so, just seemed to be a natural at programming.

I've had assorts of weird sleeps things over the years, for ages I had night terrors but they seem to have gone away and been replaced with a suffocation effect. I'll wake up gasping for breathe in the middle of the night now. The night terrors went away as soon as I understood what was going on, I guess the suffocation maybe related but without the panic aspects.

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