Sleep!

Newcomer introductions, personal anecdotes, caregiver issues, lab results, and n=1 experimentation.
xactly
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Re: Sleep!

Post by xactly »

reluctantexan wrote:Because of my "dry eye" I now sleep with a humidifier. Might that help you? Of course everything depends upon your individual needs. I also use a white noise machine. I have a trick to shut down my thinker so that I can go to sleep: I play classical music in my head, no words.
I have a dry eye also, caused by lagophthalmos (the eyelid doesn't completely close during sleep). I love wearing Tranquileyes at night. They create a moist environment around my eyes and also block light, which helps with sleep duration and quality. (https://dryeyeshop.com/collections/nigh ... avel-sleep)

I have tried other methods of keeping my eye closed (humidifier, tape, plastic wrap, other types of masks), but they don't work as well for me. Tranquileyes are not comfortable for some people, so please read the reviews before purchasing.
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reluctantexan
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Re: Sleep!

Post by reluctantexan »

Xactly, I've also tried tranquileyes. One of my problems is that when I'm asleep, I take the things off. Dumb. I just ordered something new made by Eyeeco. Maybe it'll work for me. Or maybe I'll leave them on. Who knows. We can only try, right? Dropped using the humidifier for the time being as the residue was making life miserable, clogging the air filters, too.
3/3
xactly
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Re: Sleep!

Post by xactly »

reluctantexan wrote:Xactly, I've also tried tranquileyes. One of my problems is that when I'm asleep, I take the things off. Dumb. I just ordered something new made by Eyeeco. Maybe it'll work for me. Or maybe I'll leave them on. Who knows. We can only try, right? Dropped using the humidifier for the time being as the residue was making life miserable, clogging the air filters, too.
If I'm not using Tranquileyes, I use 3M's Nexcare Sensitive Skin Low Trauma Tape to keep my eye shut. I place it horizontally from the inner to outer eye, and it forms a nice seal. It stays on all night, and it removes easily in the morning.
xactly
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Re: Sleep!

Post by xactly »

marthaNH wrote:One technique for improving sleep that I am having some success with -- "sleep consolidation". I hadn't heard about this before. I was told to count up the total hours of sleep I got the night before. Of course you usually have to guess a little if you're like me. But I came up with 5.5 out of the 8 hours I was actually "in bed". So I was to add a half hour to that, so that's 6 hours total, set my wakeup time (which must remain consistent day to day) which for me is 6:20 am, and not get in bed until 6 hours before that -- 12:20. Then repeat the next day. For a while you will feel very sleep deprived because.... you are! I found it pretty miserable! But I have been on this program for a little over a week and it has worked. I have gradually managed to actually sleep a much larger proportion of the time I am in bed and tonight I get to go to bed at 11:00! The last two nights I've had the best sleep in a long while. (I'm also being read to by audible, shutting out all lights, turning off computer, two different sources of white noise to muffle the sounds of people coming in late, the standard supplements, mostly things others above have posted and I agree with.) I have also found that calorie restriction will make it hard to sleep. I can do a little, but not so much.
I was rereading my results from Rhonda Patrick's genetics report. Under her advice for the APOE4 allele, she referenced this study that shows sleep consolidation reduces the risk of AD for APOE4s (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24145819). I got a wrist tracker last week, and I'm keeping a sleep log with results to see if I can improve my REM and SWS sleep. Before last week, I was trying to improve sleep by staying in bed longer, which is exactly the opposite of what it sounds like I should be doing.

I started putting away all screens an hour before bedtime and only reading (seated in a chair, not in bed) a book with a book light and blue-blocking glasses during the last hour. Using Audible is a great idea for going completely dark! Thanks for the suggestion.
xactly
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Re: Sleep!

Post by xactly »

I am just finishing Satchin Panda's book, The Circadian Code. As noted in other posts, I've had a problem for several months waking up around 2 a.m. and not being able to (easily) get back to sleep. Panda lists the main causes of fragmented sleep as:
  • Dehydration
  • Ambient temperature too hot or cold
  • Acid reflux caused by eating too late in the evening
  • Sleeping with a pet
  • Snoring/sleep apnea
  • Other noise
Kicking pets out of bed is not an option, and the other listed items are not an issue, so I zeroed in on dehydration. I started keeping a glass of water on my nightstand and taking 3 to 4 sips when I wake up. It worked starting the first night and has worked every night since. I drop right back to sleep and wake up well-rested at an appropriate time.

I was not aware of being dehydrated at 2 a.m. I also drink plenty of water during the day, so I figured I was well hydrated before going to bed. However, Panda says there's a circadian rhythm for hydration, and nighttime dehydration is a common problem.

I'm glad to have stumbled across this nugget of information. It's allowed me to stop taking GABA at 2 a.m. (which gets me back to sleep but causes me to sleep too long) and other sleep supplements. The only one I'm keeping is the 500 mcg dose of sublingual melatonin I take before bed because of melatonin's many benefits.
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Re: Sleep!

Post by Plumster »

Dehydration
Ambient temperature too hot or cold
Acid reflux caused by eating too late in the evening
Sleeping with a pet
Snoring/sleep apnea
Other noise
Thank you for sharing, Xactly. Dehydration could be a very likely cause for me as well.
e3/4 MTHFR C677T/A1298C COMT V158M++ COMT H62H++ MTRR A66G ++ HLA DR
Anna
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Re: Sleep!

Post by Anna »

I starting taking CBD oil about three months ago and although I don't necessarily sleep more hours per night (typically about 6), my sleep now seems deeper and less fragmented. I also feel less sleep-deprived.
~Anna
4/4 but so much more
Plumster
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Re: Sleep!

Post by Plumster »

One technique for improving sleep that I am having some success with -- "sleep consolidation". I hadn't heard about this before. I was told to count up the total hours of sleep I got the night before. Of course you usually have to guess a little if you're like me. But I came up with 5.5 out of the 8 hours I was actually "in bed". So I was to add a half hour to that, so that's 6 hours total, set my wakeup time (which must remain consistent day to day) which for me is 6:20 am, and not get in bed until 6 hours before that -- 12:20. Then repeat the next day. For a while you will feel very sleep deprived because.... you are! I found it pretty miserable! But I have been on this program for a little over a week and it has worked. I have gradually managed to actually sleep a much larger proportion of the time I am in bed and tonight I get to go to bed at 11:00! The last two nights I've had the best sleep in a long while. (I'm also being read to by audible, shutting out all lights, turning off computer, two different sources of white noise to muffle the sounds of people coming in late, the standard supplements, mostly things others above have posted and I agree with.) I have also found that calorie restriction will make it hard to sleep. I can do a little, but not so much.
I'm interested in hearing more about sleep consolidation from anyone who has had success with this approach. How many nights do you usually need before you sleep through the night? Do you begin to add 30 minutes to your sleep routine once you are sleeping better? How many weeks does this process take?

Thanks for any thoughts any of you may have.
e3/4 MTHFR C677T/A1298C COMT V158M++ COMT H62H++ MTRR A66G ++ HLA DR
gmpicket
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Re: Sleep!

Post by gmpicket »

I've had a little trouble with sleeping in recent weeks. I've been taking B12 for years (probably a decade or more) - the meth-whatever-cobalamin version. No trouble. Last year, I tried other B vitamins - B6 - meth-active something - and suddenly had trouble sleeping. So I stopped that and all was ok again. But the trouble has re-surged. I started eating an egg daily about a year ago. So this week I cut the B12 (maybe I'll try taking it only once a week), and voila!, back to sleeping soundly. I figure there's enough B12 in eggs to sustain good levels? (Last tested, my B12 level was around 700.)

I've also been working on the sugar thing. I cut back my sugar intake last year, and gave my body 8 months to adjust. And am now doing the 12-13 hours overnight fasting. I've had a lot of trouble adjusting to this. (BMI 18.4, I assume is to blame). This has resulted in waking super thirsty at night every now and then - I wonder if this is because I had too much sugar? But more commonly, I don't have to make a 2a or 3a trip to pee - I sleep the whole night through - which is really nice.
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