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Improving sleep

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Re: Improving sleep

#51

Post by mfwgenerics »

I'd like to see some deeper explanation around the following:

> My average sleep efficiency (time asleep vs time in bed) according to Apple Watch & Oura is ~85%, meaning to get my 7h30 of sleep to feel rested I will stay more than 10h in bed. That sucks!

1. Where does the 10h figure here come from? It seems to me that 85% SE would reach 7h30 sleep hours at 8h50m bed hours (7.5/0.85).

2. What is an expected healthy sleep efficiency? Does 85% fall outside the normal range?

3. Where does the 7h30 target come from? If this is based on the standard adult recommendation of 7-8 hours, are we sure that this recommendation assumes 100% SE? If it doesn't, we're mixing different units.

Re: Improving sleep

#52

Post by elric »

OP briefly touched upon sleep apnea. Getting an early diagnosis for sleep apnea can be life changing and life saving. If you wake up exhausted, suffer from daytime sleepiness (especially if you're falling asleep at the wheel and stuff like that), or if you've had bed partners complaining about choking/gasping/snoring/dying, you'll want to get that looked at.

No amount of supplements or yoga is going to make you feel better when you're waking up 20+ times an hour because you've stopped breathing.

And I didn't see this mentioned anywhere, but a consistent sleep schedule/routine is also great. I'm better on a consistent 24:00-06:00 sleep schedule than I am on 23:00-07:00 one night, 24:00-08:00 the next night, etc.

Re: Improving sleep

#53

Post by Kiro »

For white/brown noise nothing beats the Bose Sleepbuds. They are the only earbuds I've tried where I can actually sleep on the side with my ear against the pillow.

Re: Improving sleep

#54

Post by Tade0 »

There's one thing I didn't see mentioned: have your significant other remind you of some chores you promised to do.

Sounds like a boomer joke, but there's an explanation why this works: our hunter-gatherer brains aren't equipped to deal with tasks without a clear survival-related reward, so they produce a feeling of tiredness/sleepiness instead to prevent us from wasting energy.

I've been using this for years now. You need new types of tasks on a regular basis though, because the effect wears off with usage.

One additional thing I can think of is cold, fresh air - or simply more oxygen per unit volume of air.

Re: Improving sleep

#55

Post by bizzleDawg »

Scanning through the comments, I was really surprised not to see the one thing that was ultimately the cure for bad sleep for me (in addition to the basics of "caffeine hygiene" and getting some exercise):

1) Get up at the same time every day. 2) don't nap

That's it.

I believe I originally read about it here: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/sep/14/finally-a-cure-..., and implemented shortly after, so has been working for me for about 5 years.

Re: Improving sleep

#56

Post by sod »

Nice list. I second having better sleep with white/brown noise. Be careful with in ears though. Don't wanna catch an infection. Also rolling over one ear piece may wake you up again, sabotaging the sleep.

I may add, as it's not mentioned in the article: co2. My 55m^2 flat barely stays below critical co2 levels without ventilation for a 7 hour sleep. So keeping all doors open is crucial and/or a window slightly open on the other side of the apartment. Closing the bedroom door - which I sometimes did when as I wasn't aware of this yet - was a recipe for a headaches and bad recovery.

For waking up, having natural light or other sources of light turn on before the actual alarm clock rings is nice to feel better in the morning.

Re: Improving sleep

#57

Post by tallanvor »

Keep in mind that everyone is different, and there may come a point where you have to accept things as "good enough", but from my time seeing a sleep specialist, these are the best ways to improve your sleep quality:

1. Get up at the same time every day. Try not to push it more than an hour later on the weekends, or two hours on vacation.

2. The old adage about getting 8 hours of sleep isn't right. Many people don't actually need that much.

3. Don't go to bed until you're falling asleep (do your nighttime routine of brushing your teeth and such before this).

4. If you can't fall asleep after 15 minutes, get out of bed and do something until you feel like you're ready to fall asleep.

5. Your bed is for sleeping (and maybe sex). Nothing else.

6. Your room should be as dark as possible.

Regarding #2, a compressed sleep schedule may help you. That is, if you're going to get up at 6am every day, try to aim for an 11pm bedtime. If you still have trouble, try 11:30, and then midnight. In some cases, it's necessary to go for extreme sleep compression - as little as 4 hours a night, but this is usually done as an in-patient program, and generally shows results within a couple of weeks.

Caffeine, alcohol, and sugar can have a major effect on people, although everyone processes these at different rates. Cutting back or stopping consumption earlier in the day can make a big difference.

Consistency is key, and if you're doing a lot of traveling, it's going to be much harder.

Re: Improving sleep

#58

Post by totallywrong »

say_it_as_it_is wrote: post #29

High CBD cannabis flower, usually marketed as hemp, is not as helpful as full-spectrum 1:1 (CBD:THC) flower. I'm discovering that I'm reacting differently to each cannabis strain, some producing far longer hangover effects than others. It may be a case of personalized medicine, or maybe there actually are terpene profiles that lend to zero, if not low, hangover effects. There are strains marketed for daytime use, usu…

Yes, this is my go-to in times where I've had trouble sleeping. It's rare, as I lift weights and don't drink coffee after noon, which gets me good sleep consistently, but if needed a few hits will knock me down for sure.

I think the author's real problem is the constant change of environment, bed, etc. I've had the same thing happen to me when I've done that. The weather also plays a major role.

Re: Improving sleep

#60

Post by voiper1 »

fjfuvucucuc wrote: post #24
currymj wrote: post #16

there is interesting historical research, which pops up from time to time, showing that people in many cultures before the advent of electric lighting commonly slept in two phases -- about 4 hours, a couple hours awake, and about 4 hours. i think it gets too strong when people claim that this is "natural" or "better" or something. but the historical evidence suggests it's at least "okay", and if you sometimes wake up…

Myth.

When searching, I find everyone referencing the two-sleep information - much based on Roger Ekirch.

https://www.sciencealert.com/humans-used-to-sleep-in-two-shi... https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/dont-worry-if-you-ca...

However, I did find this article from The Atlantic: https://archive.is/MYcgm#selection-1033.0-1049.105

>But humans have never had a universal method of slumber. A 2015 study of hunter-gatherer societies in Tanzania, Namibia, and Bolivia found that most foragers enjoyed one long sleep. Two years later, another study found that a rural society in Madagascar practiced segmented sleep. Two years after that, a study found that the indigenous residents of Tanna, in the South Pacific, largely had one uninterrupted sleep.

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