7 ms·

I don't know about sleep and depression. My Mom was bipolar and the topic never came up, other than her being up to all hours when she was manic. But I recent

I don't know about sleep and depression. My Mom was bipolar and the topic never came up, other than her being up to all hours when she was manic. But I recently read an interesting article about vitamin D and that lead me to supplement magnesium and vitamins D, A and K. I only do it once every three days to be conservative. http://www.precisionnutrition.com/stop-vitamin-d And I've found I'm much more decisive and likely to take action. In fact, last December I became a morning person using early morning light and exercise. Instead of getting to the office after 10, I now get in by 8 most days. I keep to it on weekends too and go to a coffee shop. I also recently changed my evening routine during the week, cutting out TV and stopped eating chips after dinner. For the morning and the evening changes, I devised a routine of things I do that make doing the hard parts easier. In the morning, I turn the light on, use the restroom, drink some water, set a timer for ten minutes, relax until it goes off, exercise, shower, dress and get out the door. I try to stick to this every day.

pbhjpbhj 10y ago
Do you mind me asking what age you are? >last December I became a morning person using early morning light and exercise // Where do you live that gets light on December mornings?
- kamaln7 10y ago
  I recently bought a Philips HF3520. I've read great things about it but unfortunately I'm too heavy of a sleeper that it doesn't work for me. Give it a shot, it's definitely worth it in the long run if it works for you.
  - ruvis 10y ago
    Can confirm, it's awesome.
  - pbhjpbhj 10y ago
    FWIW it's "on offer" on Amazon UK, http://amzn.to/2mNBFR6 http://amzn.to/2mNBFR6 £90 (aff. link); USA it's http://amzn.to/2me5lUa http://amzn.to/2me5lUa $114.
  - r1ch 10y ago
    I have trouble getting up and I'm considering one of these. Does it make any noise while plugged in? I have sensitive hearing and find for example a lot of modern LED lamps have annoying buzzing associated with them due to poor quality transformers. If I'm sleeping with this thing next to me it has to be absolutely silent.
    - brerlapn 10y ago
      I've got an older version (https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Hf3470-Wake-up-Light-White/dp/B003XN4RIC/ https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Hf3470-Wake-up-Light-White/dp...), I've never noticed any buzzing. Can't say I have supersensitive hearing but I tend to notice things like that.
- manyxcxi 10y ago
  >>last December I became a morning person using early morning light and exercise // >Where do you live that gets light on December mornings? It could just be that stretchwithme just turns on all the lights, etc. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I know all about waking up and leaving in the dark and coming home to the dark in the winter time. I do a similar thing in the mornings, though I didn't ever consciously decide to be a morning person. I go to bed at pretty normal times between 9 and 10PM most nights. If I wake up any time before 1:30 or 2AM and keep all the nights off and fumble through the dark I'll be able to get back to sleep no problem. If I have to flip on a light it will take me much longer to get back to sleep. If it's after about 2:30 or 3:00AM, there's no way I'm going back to bed- and I'm going to be supplementing with copious amounts of coffee to keep my face from dragging on the floor all day. After about 4:00, I'm fine. Without an alarm I usually start waking up a little after 4:00 and my routine usually has me out of the house about 30 minutes from deciding to get out of bed. The first thing I do is review my To Do list for the day on my phone. 2 reasons: 1) I start crunching on it in my head as I'm going about the morning routine, and 2) the blast of light (even w/ night mode still on) is like a jolt to get me moving when it's otherwise pitch black.
  - stretchwithme 10y ago
    That's exactly it. I turn on the light when the alarm goes off. And make sure my eyes are open. You can even go back to sleep after ten minutes and your circadian rhythm will start making you feel like going to bed earlier. And you need to go to bed when you feel that effect.
- lukepothier 10y ago
  The entire Southern Hemisphere gets light on December mornings. The summer solstice for the Southern Hemisphere is during December.
  - vacri 10y ago
    Equitorial regions also have light on December mornings, given that their days don't vary much throughout the year.
  - pbhjpbhj 10y ago
    Yes, I realise that - just interested in their locality to greater degree of exactitude than which hemisphere. As it happens it looks like they're using artificial light.
- stretchwithme 10y ago
  I DO mind! I'm terribly offended!! Just kidding. I'm 53. My bedroom gets light at 6 am when I wake up and turn on the light net to my bed. :-) So I have an alarm that goes off then. You just need to keep your eyes open for several minutes for the cells in your eyes to recognize that there is enough light to start shifting your circadian rhythm. It really works. Just be sure to stick with it. And to go right back to it if you forget. Habits are everything and some habits have a lot more power than others.
  - pbhjpbhj 10y ago
    Thanks for answering despite the obvious and unnecessary offense I caused you. ;0)
Kluny 10y ago
I also did some reading about vitamins last year and ended up taking vitamin d for a while, then magnesium for a while. My method wasn't any more scientific than that, but the vitamin D had no noticeable effect, while the effect of magnesium was dramatic. I was suffering from mood swings, poor concentration and low energy serious enough that I was considering seeing a psychologist about depression. Magnesium seems to eliminate the problem completely. I just wish there was a better way to figure out your deficiency than just popping some pills and wait to see what happens. A weekly blood test for vitamin levels combined with mood and health journaling would probably give me the kind of data I'm looking for, but that only seems to be available in science fiction so far.
- taurath 10y ago
  There's a certain level of orthodoxy in psychiatry now.. I have yet to see anyone try to get any information other than "let's try putting you on this extremely mood altering pill with side effects for a month". No attempt is made to find any real evidence other than anecdotal patient information. Maybe the science isn't there?
  - chongli 10y ago
    Maybe the science isn't there? That's exactly it. A given drug may be one person's savior and another person's nightmare. It's extremely complex. To get just a hint of what may be going on, check out Scott's article on ANTIDEPRESSANT PHARMACOGENOMICS [0]. [0] https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/03/06/antidepressant-pharmacogenomics-much-more-than-you-wanted-to-know/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/03/06/antidepressant-pharmac...
    - taurath 10y ago
      And it's failing patients left and right, who have to somehow go to work while already stressed anxious or depressed while now having to deal with rapid mood changes, insomnia, or one of any other side effects. If you roll the dice and get the wrong medication you will be worse off where you started. People shouldn't be used as test tubes - in no other field is it okay to "experiment" on people like in psychiatry.
hiram112 10y ago
Could you comment a bit more on your light therapy?
- stretchwithme 10y ago
  I just turned the light on and kept my eyes open for at least 10 minutes. Just turning on the light for a moment or looking at the time on your phone is not enough to stimulate the retinal ganglion cells. You have to keep your eyes open for several minutes. If you consistently do this at a time before you would normally wake up, your clock shifts earlier. You'll wake up earlier even if you don't use an alarm. And you'll get sleepy earlier in the evening too. Does that provide enough information?
miketery 10y ago
How did you decide which product to purchase for your supplements? Can you recommend any?
- stretchwithme 10y ago
  I just went to Whole Foods and bought the generics, except for the magnesium, where I bought a type that has good absorption. Many magnesium supplements do not. I tried to avoid mega-dosing, so to ensure that I only supplement every third day. I was more concerned about any deficiencies. And I went to Whole Foods because of that supplement scandal a couple of years ago. Whole Foods may charge a lot but is more trusted than GNC or Walmart, at least by me. Here's what I use: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C6qoDAnVsAANtQ0.jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C6qoDAnVsAANtQ0.jpg
  - brerlapn 10y ago
    I agree in that I go to Whole Foods or a similar store over mass market choices like Walmart, but even at Whole Foods you're not necessarily getting the best form of supplement in those generics. Differences between bio-availability or effectiveness can be very notable between citrates, acetates, chelates, glycinates, picolinates, etc. I've personally found some good functional medicine sources of information (I've found Chris Kresser and Chris Masterjohn informative, balanced, and non-doctrinaire) that pass the smell test, but find somewhere you trust that breaks that information down a bit more so that you're getting the best form of supplements. The best forms in my experience are typically not is the generics or multivitamins.
    - stretchwithme 10y ago
      Which is why I used magnesium citrate, as displayed above in a photo.
- SirensOfTitan 10y ago
  Check labdoor.com first to see if they've tested the product you're looking for. ... if whatever you want hasn't been tested by labdoor yet: find the best form of whatever you're trying to take: 1. Vitamin K2 in the form of MK7 is a great form of Vitamin K. 2. Reputable brands otherwise (I avoid most drug store brands like CVS/Walgreens).

pbhjpbhj 10y ago

Do you mind me asking what age you are? >last December I became a morning person using early morning light and exercise // Where do you live that gets light on December mornings?

kamaln7 10y ago
I recently bought a Philips HF3520. I've read great things about it but unfortunately I'm too heavy of a sleeper that it doesn't work for me. Give it a shot, it's definitely worth it in the long run if it works for you.
- ruvis 10y ago
  Can confirm, it's awesome.
- pbhjpbhj 10y ago
  FWIW it's "on offer" on Amazon UK, http://amzn.to/2mNBFR6 http://amzn.to/2mNBFR6 £90 (aff. link); USA it's http://amzn.to/2me5lUa http://amzn.to/2me5lUa $114.
- r1ch 10y ago
  I have trouble getting up and I'm considering one of these. Does it make any noise while plugged in? I have sensitive hearing and find for example a lot of modern LED lamps have annoying buzzing associated with them due to poor quality transformers. If I'm sleeping with this thing next to me it has to be absolutely silent.
  - brerlapn 10y ago
    I've got an older version (https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Hf3470-Wake-up-Light-White/dp/B003XN4RIC/ https://www.amazon.com/Philips-Hf3470-Wake-up-Light-White/dp...), I've never noticed any buzzing. Can't say I have supersensitive hearing but I tend to notice things like that.
manyxcxi 10y ago
>>last December I became a morning person using early morning light and exercise // >Where do you live that gets light on December mornings? It could just be that stretchwithme just turns on all the lights, etc. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I know all about waking up and leaving in the dark and coming home to the dark in the winter time. I do a similar thing in the mornings, though I didn't ever consciously decide to be a morning person. I go to bed at pretty normal times between 9 and 10PM most nights. If I wake up any time before 1:30 or 2AM and keep all the nights off and fumble through the dark I'll be able to get back to sleep no problem. If I have to flip on a light it will take me much longer to get back to sleep. If it's after about 2:30 or 3:00AM, there's no way I'm going back to bed- and I'm going to be supplementing with copious amounts of coffee to keep my face from dragging on the floor all day. After about 4:00, I'm fine. Without an alarm I usually start waking up a little after 4:00 and my routine usually has me out of the house about 30 minutes from deciding to get out of bed. The first thing I do is review my To Do list for the day on my phone. 2 reasons: 1) I start crunching on it in my head as I'm going about the morning routine, and 2) the blast of light (even w/ night mode still on) is like a jolt to get me moving when it's otherwise pitch black.
- stretchwithme 10y ago
  That's exactly it. I turn on the light when the alarm goes off. And make sure my eyes are open. You can even go back to sleep after ten minutes and your circadian rhythm will start making you feel like going to bed earlier. And you need to go to bed when you feel that effect.
lukepothier 10y ago
The entire Southern Hemisphere gets light on December mornings. The summer solstice for the Southern Hemisphere is during December.
- vacri 10y ago
  Equitorial regions also have light on December mornings, given that their days don't vary much throughout the year.
- pbhjpbhj 10y ago
  Yes, I realise that - just interested in their locality to greater degree of exactitude than which hemisphere. As it happens it looks like they're using artificial light.
stretchwithme 10y ago
I DO mind! I'm terribly offended!! Just kidding. I'm 53. My bedroom gets light at 6 am when I wake up and turn on the light net to my bed. :-) So I have an alarm that goes off then. You just need to keep your eyes open for several minutes for the cells in your eyes to recognize that there is enough light to start shifting your circadian rhythm. It really works. Just be sure to stick with it. And to go right back to it if you forget. Habits are everything and some habits have a lot more power than others.
- pbhjpbhj 10y ago
  Thanks for answering despite the obvious and unnecessary offense I caused you. ;0)

Kluny 10y ago

I also did some reading about vitamins last year and ended up taking vitamin d for a while, then magnesium for a while. My method wasn't any more scientific than that, but the vitamin D had no noticeable effect, while the effect of magnesium was dramatic. I was suffering from mood swings, poor concentration and low energy serious enough that I was considering seeing a psychologist about depression. Magnesium seems to eliminate the problem completely. I just wish there was a better way to figure out your deficiency than just popping some pills and wait to see what happens. A weekly blood test for vitamin levels combined with mood and health journaling would probably give me the kind of data I'm looking for, but that only seems to be available in science fiction so far.

taurath 10y ago
There's a certain level of orthodoxy in psychiatry now.. I have yet to see anyone try to get any information other than "let's try putting you on this extremely mood altering pill with side effects for a month". No attempt is made to find any real evidence other than anecdotal patient information. Maybe the science isn't there?
- chongli 10y ago
  Maybe the science isn't there? That's exactly it. A given drug may be one person's savior and another person's nightmare. It's extremely complex. To get just a hint of what may be going on, check out Scott's article on ANTIDEPRESSANT PHARMACOGENOMICS [0]. [0] https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/03/06/antidepressant-pharmacogenomics-much-more-than-you-wanted-to-know/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/03/06/antidepressant-pharmac...
  - taurath 10y ago
    And it's failing patients left and right, who have to somehow go to work while already stressed anxious or depressed while now having to deal with rapid mood changes, insomnia, or one of any other side effects. If you roll the dice and get the wrong medication you will be worse off where you started. People shouldn't be used as test tubes - in no other field is it okay to "experiment" on people like in psychiatry.

hiram112 10y ago

Could you comment a bit more on your light therapy?

stretchwithme 10y ago
I just turned the light on and kept my eyes open for at least 10 minutes. Just turning on the light for a moment or looking at the time on your phone is not enough to stimulate the retinal ganglion cells. You have to keep your eyes open for several minutes. If you consistently do this at a time before you would normally wake up, your clock shifts earlier. You'll wake up earlier even if you don't use an alarm. And you'll get sleepy earlier in the evening too. Does that provide enough information?

miketery 10y ago

How did you decide which product to purchase for your supplements? Can you recommend any?

stretchwithme 10y ago
I just went to Whole Foods and bought the generics, except for the magnesium, where I bought a type that has good absorption. Many magnesium supplements do not. I tried to avoid mega-dosing, so to ensure that I only supplement every third day. I was more concerned about any deficiencies. And I went to Whole Foods because of that supplement scandal a couple of years ago. Whole Foods may charge a lot but is more trusted than GNC or Walmart, at least by me. Here's what I use: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C6qoDAnVsAANtQ0.jpg https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C6qoDAnVsAANtQ0.jpg
- brerlapn 10y ago
  I agree in that I go to Whole Foods or a similar store over mass market choices like Walmart, but even at Whole Foods you're not necessarily getting the best form of supplement in those generics. Differences between bio-availability or effectiveness can be very notable between citrates, acetates, chelates, glycinates, picolinates, etc. I've personally found some good functional medicine sources of information (I've found Chris Kresser and Chris Masterjohn informative, balanced, and non-doctrinaire) that pass the smell test, but find somewhere you trust that breaks that information down a bit more so that you're getting the best form of supplements. The best forms in my experience are typically not is the generics or multivitamins.
  - stretchwithme 10y ago
    Which is why I used magnesium citrate, as displayed above in a photo.
SirensOfTitan 10y ago
Check labdoor.com first to see if they've tested the product you're looking for. ... if whatever you want hasn't been tested by labdoor yet: find the best form of whatever you're trying to take: 1. Vitamin K2 in the form of MK7 is a great form of Vitamin K. 2. Reputable brands otherwise (I avoid most drug store brands like CVS/Walgreens).