I have kids. I am just going to be sleep deprived so my children don’t feel abandoned when they can’t sleep like I did. I’d rather have well adjusted kids than be well rested.
Impacts of lack of sleep
61–70 of 196 posts
Re: Impacts of lack of sleep
#62Well…duh, lack of sleep is bad. It’s not like I had 10 years of insomnia by choice. And I’d gather most people, besides the tiny-but-vocal crowd talking about sleep hacking† and grinding and growth hacking or whatever, are desperate for more sleep.
My potentially unpopular opinion: if you have long-term sleep issues that aren’t resolved by lifestyle changes and sleep hygiene, go to a doctor. I had years and years of poor sleep, and I finally found help that way.
†modafinil is great, though.
Re: Impacts of lack of sleep
#63preaching to the choir, everyone wants sleep
Is this true now? I hope so. When I started my career 20 years ago, it was common for people to take pride in how little they slept. Sleeping 8 hours/day was treated as a weakness. I don't hear such silliness so much now, but it was unclear whether that's because times have changed or because I now spend my time with wiser people.
Re: Impacts of lack of sleep
#64I'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...
IMO this is the toughest thing to solve. What somewhat works for me: * My GF cuddling me. I just think about her, and sleep and nothing else, it's a bit pavlov like. I'm fairly sure I get a lot of "feel good" chemicals when this happens. * Sounds silly but... build a buffer for 12 hours, and stay in bed for longer until you properly fall asleep again. * If I wake up after 4 hours of sleep and really need the sleep, I…
This is really great advice. I'm going to give this a try tonight. Which side of your girlfriend would you prefer I take?
Re: Impacts of lack of sleep
#65preaching to the choir, everyone wants sleep
Yeah, this is like "people who are overweight: lose weight". Well gee I never thought of that before, I guess I'll go right out and do it. I certainly won't continue lying awake between 3-5am 2-4 times a week now that I know it's important. /s
There's no need to be cynical.
Out of all the health problems one might have, improving sleep is the easiest to fix with the biggest immediate benefits. Further, many issues people claim to have with sleep are self-inflicted, excuses, or solvable.
When you improve your sleep, you're not missing out on pleasures in a way a strict diet may rob you of the goodies in life. You don't sacrifice anything with better sleep.
Re: Impacts of lack of sleep
#66I'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…
It may seem paradoxical but also not worrying about sleep itself, not writing down lists, not trying to dissect and optimize sleep, may actually improve your sleep much more. Animals have slept and evolved for literally millions of years. Unless there’s an actual clinical condition, having faith in your own body and just relaxing should be enough. At least that’s my case.
It is paradoxical and rooted in our duality as thinking animals. Many sleep disorders (mine included) are rooted in anxiety. They will respond to these little hacks and tricks, but (in my experience) only insofar as they allow you to feel in control and tune out your thought stream.
For the record I practice all the common wisdom and more 90% of the time (and melatonin, earplugs and blindfold close to 100%). I might sleep 7-8 hours a night and wake up fully rested or I might wake up totally blitzed, depending on my mental state. I might fall asleep easily the night after or toss and turn for hours. I might fall asleep easily from exhaustion and wake up 4 hours before I'm supposed to with a racing mind. It's not environmental and it's not any state of my body. It's my/your thoughts and emotions. It sucks but since I've found the root cause, I've been better at controling the downward spirals.
(Still need my little rituals before going to bed to feel right though)
Re: Impacts of lack of sleep
#67Is this scientific consensus? I remember the Matthew Walker book (Why We Sleep) was heavily criticised.
For example this article + discussion:
https://guzey.com/books/why-we-sleep/
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26684519
Re: Impacts of lack of sleep
#68For me, the best thing to induce a good night of sleep is exercise. It can be at any time of the day. Some of my best night have been after I finished an hour-long heavy weight workout 45 minutes before going to bed.
Re: Impacts of lack of sleep
#69Perhaps we should praise the benefits of naps. [0] - Increased alertness - Attitude adjustment - A creative mindset - Cash saver (because the cost of drugs adds up) [0] https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/sl...
This is one of my favourite things about working from home. I can take a power nap in the afternoon and be so much more productive when I wake up!
Re: Impacts of lack of sleep
#70Bluntly Stated: The Impacts of Lack of Good Sleep.
You can sleep for 10 hours and still feel shitty. It's getting that good 5-7 hours of restful sleep that makes the difference. Something about that cerebral fluid washing the brain just leaves you feeling like a new person.