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YOUR BALANCE
Speaking of health in general...
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Speaking of health in general...


Dec 2, 2021, 11:54 AM

I listened to Dax Shepard's podcast with Andrew Huberman and now I am fascinated with changing my sleep wake cycle to be healthier. I went from that podcast where they also talked about a bunch of other stuff, to his actual sleep episode of his own podcast. This is a summary of his discussion.

1) View sunlight by going outside within 30-60 minutes of waking. Do that again in the late afternoon, prior to sunset. If you wake up before the sun is out and you want to be awake, turn on artificial lights and then go outside once the sun rises.

On bright cloudless days: view morning and afternoon sun for 10 min; cloudy days: 20 min; very overcast days 30-60 min. If you live someplace with very minimal light, consider an artificial daytime simulator source.

Don’t wear sunglasses for this practice if you safely can, but contact lenses and eyeglasses are fine.

No, you don’t have to look directly at the sun, and never look at ANY light so bright it is painful to view! That said, you can’t wear a brimmed hat, sunglasses and remain in the shade and expect to “wake up” your circadian clock.
?
?2) Wake up at the same time each day and go to sleep when you first start to feel sleepy. Pushing through the sleepy late evening feeling and going to sleep too late (for you) is one reason people wake at 3 am and can’t fall back asleep.

3) Avoid caffeine within 8-10 hours of bedtime. Dr. Matt Walker (sleep expert from UC Berkeley) might even say 12-14 hours. I do fine with caffeine at 2 pm and I go to sleep at ~10-11 pm. Dr. Walker was on the Huberman Lab Podcast and we discussed this in detail.

4) If you have sleep disturbances, insomnia, or anxiety about sleep, try the zero-cost research-supported protocols on the Reveri app (for Apple or Android phones) Do the Reveri sleep self-hypnosis 3x a week at any time of day. It’s only 10-15 min long and will help you rewire your nervous system to be able to relax faster.

5) Avoid viewing bright lights—especially bright overhead lights between 10 pm and 4 am. Here is a simple rule: only use as much artificial lighting as is necessary for you to remain and move about safely at night. Blue blockers can help a bit at night but still dim the lights. Viewing bright lights of all colors are a problem for your circadian system. Candlelight and moonlight are fine. (Shift workers should see the Huberman Lab Podcast on jetlag for offsetting shift work negative effects. Same for jetlagged travelers.)

6) Limit daytime naps to less than 90 min, or don’t nap at all. I love naps as do many of my colleagues. I tend to nap for 30 min most afternoons… maybe 45 min, but never longer.

7) If you wake up in the middle of the night (which, by the way, is normal to do once or so each night) but you can’t fall back asleep, consider doing an NSDR protocol when you wake up. Enter “NSDR” into YouTube and the top 3-4 options have different voices, durations for you to select from. Or simply do a “Yoga Nidra” protocol (enter “yoga nidra” to YouTube; 100s to select.)

8) You might consider taking (30-60 min before bed):

145mg Magnesium Threonate or 200mg Magnesium Bisglycinate
50mg Apigenin (Swanson is the only source I know of; we have no affiliation to Swanson)
100-400mg Theanine
(3-4 nights per week I also take 2g of Glycine and 100mg GABA.)
*I would start with one supplement (or none!) and then add one at a time as needed. Some people do not need any supplements, and some people like theanine but not magnesium, etc. so you have to determine what is best for you.

**Don’t take theanine if you have overly intense dreams, sleep-walk, or have night terrors.

***Also, some people (~5%), get an agitated stomach from magnesium supplementation, in which case, do not take it.

****I use supplements from Thorne for all of the above, except the Apigenin, as they don’t make it. Also, they do not manufacture Magnesium Threonate either. Magnesium Bisglycinate is a good replacement for Threonate. You can get 20% off all Thorne supplements at https://www.thorne.com/u/huberman
or you can pick another source you like and trust. Thorne does not ship outside the USA.

9) Expect to feel really alert ~1 hour before your natural bedtime. This is a naturally occurring spike in wakefulness that sleep researchers have observed.

Don’t freak out if it happens. It will pass!

10) Keep the room you sleep in cool and dark and layer on blankets that you can remove.

Your body needs to drop in temperature by 1-3 degrees to fall and stay asleep effectively. Body temperature increases are one reason you wake up. Thus, keep your room cool and remove blankets as needed. If it’s too hot you would have to use a cooling device and that’s harder than simply tossing off blankets if you get too warm.

11) Drinking alcohol messes up your sleep. As do most sleep medications.

This was discussed on the Huberman Lab Podcast Episode with Dr. Matt Walker.

12) Kids (and indeed all of us) have changing sleep needs over time. Adjust accordingly.

We might be night owls at 15 but become “morning people” as we age or need 6 hours a night in summer and 7-8 in winter. It will vary.

That’s it for now. Again, sleep is THE foundation of our mental and physical health and performance in all endeavors. Yet no one is perfect about sleep. The occasional night out or missing sunlight viewing here and there is not a big deal, so don’t obsess about that. However, if any of us drift from these and the other behaviors for too long, we start to suffer. So whatever your life and goals and schedule, master your sleep. You’ll be so happy you did!

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What did he say about going to bed whenever, then getting


Dec 2, 2021, 11:59 AM

up 12-14 hours later (or whenever one may feel like getting up when they have to pee)?

Axing for a friend.

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He said it causes you to present to others as a generally


Dec 2, 2021, 12:03 PM

grumpy person who tends to play contrarian with most statements of general health. Also, that on average, people who sleep that way tend to have less home equity and are more likely to rent.

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Some of that may or may not be true.


Dec 2, 2021, 12:06 PM

But that is my regular sleep cycle on weekends, especially if its raining.

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A nice adult beverage or 2 in the evening works wonders


Dec 2, 2021, 12:05 PM

for my sleeping ;)

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only for falling asleep. Booze promotes mid-sleep waking and


Dec 2, 2021, 12:29 PM

can prevent deep sleep and REM sleep.

Sleepy Time Tea is recommended if one must have a beverage to assist with sleep.

Only downside is, you may have to get up to pee.

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I think this is the biggest thing killing me right now


Dec 2, 2021, 12:05 PM

Between the dogs and my son, we maybe get 2-3 hours of consecutive sleep at night. Cutting out alcohol during the week has helped get to sleep, but that doesn't do anything for a 150 pound dog busting in the room at 3am, or my son waking up screaming at 2am (which we're on week 3 of Jesus Christ it's terrible).

I've actually found myself kind of drifting off while driving in the afternoons on occasion, by 8pm I'm about worthless. Definitely hurting my energy level, as well. I used to be able to sleep 4 hours and be fine all day, I don't know if it's stress, lack of sleep, or what but around last year I noticed I'd start to feel run down everyday.

I bet this doesn't happen to guys who live on a boat in the Keys.

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I've got our dogs in crates at night so I can control when


Dec 2, 2021, 12:11 PM

they get up. The baby is 3 so we don't hear much out of her these days. So we get a good chunk of time. My problem was that by the time I finished all the #### I had to do in the evenings and could sit and do something with my wife it was already pretty late. Mostly I had to shift some of the crap to the mornings and leave some for the weekends as well. Right now, we're trying to sleep by 11:00 but I'd like to move that up to 10:00.

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I think mine is going through a sleep regression


Dec 2, 2021, 12:33 PM

He REALLY wants to sleep in the recliner with one of us, but after night 3 or 4 of that we had to just let him cry it out. Which his record is almost 2 hours, the boy has some stamina when it comes to crying.

We're usually in bed by 11 during the week, but since putting a TV in the bedroom we stay up a little later. Maybe the bedroom TV was a bad idea.

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I feel you dog. The uncertainty of it all was what was worse


Dec 3, 2021, 11:25 AM [ in reply to I think this is the biggest thing killing me right now ]

for me. It's one thing if I know I have to get at an early hour and know exactly how long I'd be up. but it's another when you're so tired that you're having to force yourself into a deep sleep quickly only to be ripped awake by a screaming kid (or a 75lb lab across your chest with her nose in your face). Then you have to wait for the to eat,

Yeah. My sleep schedule is often times dependent on my son's sleep schedule. I would honestly say that it was taken until just this last year that he consistently sleeps through the night and has allowed me to set a routine. He had been there for a year-ish before COVID, but that s*** messed him up all over again (stress about 'the virus', a tornado warning, not getting enough exercise or social engagement and so on), so it took us a year to get him back.

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"It's Baltimore, Gentlemen; the Gods will not save you."


Re: I feel you dog. The uncertainty of it all was what was worse


Dec 3, 2021, 11:26 AM

* Then you have to wait for them to eat, poop, get resettled, cool down, warm up, or whatever it is that is keeping them awake...

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"It's Baltimore, Gentlemen; the Gods will not save you."


Run a minimum of 5 miles a day is not on the list?***


Dec 2, 2021, 12:24 PM



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That's on the "soon you'll be injured" list.***


Dec 2, 2021, 12:34 PM



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People keep telling me that...


Dec 2, 2021, 1:27 PM

yet the only time I've been injured was when I listened to others about taking rest days 2 years ago.

I'm Ghana hit 2k miles for the year this weekend and the only day I've not run all year was the day I got my colonoscopy.

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Re: People keep telling me that...


Dec 2, 2021, 2:21 PM

If running doesn't hurt, keep on trucking

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All correct. Sleep is APM's drug of choice.


Dec 2, 2021, 12:27 PM

Also, interestingly, the biggest correlate with good health in older age is leg strength. Makes sense on many levels - mobility, fall prevention, etc.

But bottom line is, what is good for kids is good for us - no substances, fresh air, sunshine, plenty of sleep.

Just do what comes natural. That includes seggsy time as an adult.

G-d will not be mocked.

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why does watching TV make you fall asleep so quick?


Dec 2, 2021, 1:57 PM

when I can't go to sleep or wake up in middle of the night and can't fall back asleep, I turn on the TV, set it on low volume to TCM or some old movie.

And BOOM, sleep. 10 minutes tops.
How do it do that?

-------------
I go outside at daylight every morning to feed the animals no matter when I go to bed and no matter the weather. I don't really see the connection here. If you want to get up with the sun, pro tip - raise farm animals.

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How about just exercise intensely for


Dec 2, 2021, 2:00 PM

an hour? That will 100% change your sleepin by habits. When I take a day off from working out, I feel it instantly.

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Re: Speaking of health in general...


Dec 2, 2021, 2:05 PM

11) Drinking alcohol messes up your sleep. As do most sleep medications.




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[Catahoula] used to be almost solely a PnR rascal, but now has adopted shidpoasting with a passion. -bengaline

You are the meme master. - RPMcMurphy®

Trump is not a phony. - RememberTheDanny


My broke leg taught me that


Dec 2, 2021, 2:27 PM

hydrocodone and I are no good for each other. You want a DEEP sleep and feel like a champ after? Take that mess. My gosh it’s insane.

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If you can't get to sleep, rub one out. If you still can't


Dec 2, 2021, 2:24 PM

sleep, get up and do something useful like mowing the grass or leaf blowing.

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