Is this a good thread to talk about sleep in? I’m not sure if sleep deprivation reduces intelligence, but it reduces executive function, which is necessary for effective use of one’s intelligence.
I’ve had excellent success with melatonin (2-3 mg) in getting myself on a good sleep cycle. I take it about 1 hr before I want to be sleeping; works like a charm. Before I used to sit in bed for hours waiting to feel sleepy. Other people here report similar effects.
Only drawback is sometimes I feel groggy in the morning, and I’ve had lots of crazy dreams on the nights I’ve taken it (or maybe just remember them better?).
I’ve tried melatonin, and it helps sometimes, but it doesn’t fix the root of the problems:
My main problem is akrasia over getting to bed because after 9 PM I do a Jekyll and Hyde switch where Hyde comes out and wants to stay up late trying reading, writing, programming, or stopping people on the internets from being wrong. My value system changes. Every night. I’ve tried stuff like cronjobs to quit my browser, but it’s no good. I need a cronjob to switch off my brain.
Melatonin doesn’t necessarily make me go to sleep. It can make me feel a bit more sleepy, but my brain doesn’t experience sleepiness as motivation to go to sleep. It experiences sleepiness as motivation to focus even harder. All day I’m distractable from being sleep deprived, then after like 8 or 9 PM, my brain suddenly focuses on things, I turn into Hyde, and I can’t break it.
Melatonin makes me groggy in the morning a lot of the time.
Ladyfriends like to sleep over, or to chat online.
Melatonin does help me sleep when I can actually get to bed, and it helps me not get woken up in the middle of the night, or get back to sleep if I do.
My main problem is akrasia over getting to bed because after 9 PM I do a Jekyll and Hyde switch where Hyde comes out and wants to stay up late trying reading, writing, programming, or stopping people on the internets from being wrong.
So go to bed before 9. ;-)
(Seriously, though, I’ve found that there are certain time windows for me to go to bed, and once they pass, I then want to stay up a few more hours, so catching a sleep window before 9 might actually work for you.)
My main problem is akrasia over getting to bed because after 9 PM I do a Jekyll and Hyde switch where Hyde comes out and wants to stay up late trying reading, writing, programming, or stopping people on the internets from being wrong. My value system changes. Every night.
Might this be caused by the calories you eat at dinner? Does it still happen if you swap the sizes and contents of your lunchtime and dinnertime meals?
Is this a good thread to talk about sleep in? I’m not sure if sleep deprivation reduces intelligence, but it reduces executive function, which is necessary for effective use of one’s intelligence.
I’ve had excellent success with melatonin (2-3 mg) in getting myself on a good sleep cycle. I take it about 1 hr before I want to be sleeping; works like a charm. Before I used to sit in bed for hours waiting to feel sleepy. Other people here report similar effects.
Only drawback is sometimes I feel groggy in the morning, and I’ve had lots of crazy dreams on the nights I’ve taken it (or maybe just remember them better?).
I’ve tried melatonin, and it helps sometimes, but it doesn’t fix the root of the problems:
My main problem is akrasia over getting to bed because after 9 PM I do a Jekyll and Hyde switch where Hyde comes out and wants to stay up late trying reading, writing, programming, or stopping people on the internets from being wrong. My value system changes. Every night. I’ve tried stuff like cronjobs to quit my browser, but it’s no good. I need a cronjob to switch off my brain.
Melatonin doesn’t necessarily make me go to sleep. It can make me feel a bit more sleepy, but my brain doesn’t experience sleepiness as motivation to go to sleep. It experiences sleepiness as motivation to focus even harder. All day I’m distractable from being sleep deprived, then after like 8 or 9 PM, my brain suddenly focuses on things, I turn into Hyde, and I can’t break it.
Melatonin makes me groggy in the morning a lot of the time.
Ladyfriends like to sleep over, or to chat online.
Melatonin does help me sleep when I can actually get to bed, and it helps me not get woken up in the middle of the night, or get back to sleep if I do.
So go to bed before 9. ;-)
(Seriously, though, I’ve found that there are certain time windows for me to go to bed, and once they pass, I then want to stay up a few more hours, so catching a sleep window before 9 might actually work for you.)
Might this be caused by the calories you eat at dinner? Does it still happen if you swap the sizes and contents of your lunchtime and dinnertime meals?
I second the crazy dreams (which I usually enjoy very much...). I’ve heard from other people that they get them as well.