5 ms·

Hey, I'm one of the "night owl" people type. I've always been since when I memory of. If you're reading this and you are interested in more data for studies o

by eldios 9y ago

Hey, I'm one of the "night owl" people type. I've always been since when I memory of. If you're reading this and you are interested in more data for studies or experiments to challenge my chronotype, let me know. Tried many different method and nothing really worked. If not forced out of bed I'd wake up past 12AM and go to bed around 4AM. Working as a remote for a different time zone helps a lot with work, luckily :) Well hit me up if you want to know more. I can probably do an AMA if people are interested enough.

wfn 9y ago
You've probably tried many things, but just curious: have you tried melatonin (and if so, what was the result of that)? I've had some or other form of sleep and/or sleep time window issues since early teenage years or possibly before as well; regular exercise and (some form of) diet helps, but what really changed sleep for me (and therefore had a measurable impact upon my quality of life) was melatonin (I have a strong aversion to the idea of regular use of sleeping pills). It's used by jetlagged people to reset circadian rhythm, etc. (See e.g. https://www.gwern.net/Melatonin https://www.gwern.net/Melatonin) Apologies if this is nothing new at all to you (probably not), but interested in what you think re. this (perhaps melatonin does not help at all in your case, which is also interesting in itself).
- eldios 9y ago
  I tried melatonin and it was awful :D I did it in the wrong way though. Specifically I took two pills instead of one (I think it was 500g each and I took two) and I slept for about 24 hours straight! I simply couldn't stay awake so I just took one sick day at work and sleeped it off :O I also don't like the idea of building my life on top of regular pills usage, unless it's the only way to go through. I don't exercise regularly, but I have such a busy life that I find it really difficult to find time (and consistency) to stick to it. When I DID exercise regularly (daily, 30-45 minutes, for about 4 months) it didn't change my sleep habits. And to be honest I CAN wake up at 7 - 8 AM if somebody kicks me out of bed or if there's an "emergency" (like one of my children shouting for help or crying) or some family appointments... but I'm referring specifically to natural sleep rhythm or what my body would "like" to do. I also somehow find it WAY easier to wake up when I'm NOT at home. On an interesting note, I live in Italy (UTC+1) and when I went to San Francisco (UTC-7) for work, not long ago, I kept waking up at 7AM consistently, naturally and went to bed around midnight more or less. I felt NO JETLAG AT ALL. When I came back, I felt nothing for two days and then I had to sleep for about 12 hours to catch up the normal sleeping rhythm, then I went straight back to my normal habits. I admit I probably have the weirdest sleeping habits I can know of :)
  - wfn 9y ago
    Hmm very interesting! Thanks for sharing. :) > I think it was 500g each and I took two I do hope you meant mg, not g - I've seen (usually American) online malatonin pills with 50g+ dosages (effective dosage seems to usually be within the range of 0.3-1.0g), so could be g :O but hope not. 0.5-1g does the trick for me, fwiw. > I also don't like the idea of building my life on top of regular pills usage I hear ya; the reason I'm ok with melatonin is that there appear to be no tolerance buildup, addiction, or any actual effects specific to long term usage (see Gwern's meta-analysis of literature, etc.) But - yeah. Very interesting sleep time window patterns. Have you thought about consulting professionals re this? See e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_disorder https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_disorder
    - eldios 9y ago
      > I do hope you meant mg, not g ahaha XD Yeah sorry. one pill == 500mg :D > Have you thought about consulting professionals re this? I did but since I found a way to accomodate my schedule (more or less) by working in the afternoon and evening and sleeping through the morning (til about 10.30 or 11 AM) I'm fine for now. I'd be more interesting in the CHANGE itself.. like in experimenting on changing my sleeping habits, more than in the results. I'm a tech/sci/IT nerd afterall :P
    - copperx 9y ago
      In my case, melatonin has been wonderful for rested sleep, but it always results in increased hunger and weight gain, which is why I discontinue it after about a month, when my pants start getting tight. Then I repeat the cycle when I'm feeling not well rested again.

by eldios 9y ago

wfn 9y ago

You've probably tried many things, but just curious: have you tried melatonin (and if so, what was the result of that)? I've had some or other form of sleep and/or sleep time window issues since early teenage years or possibly before as well; regular exercise and (some form of) diet helps, but what really changed sleep for me (and therefore had a measurable impact upon my quality of life) was melatonin (I have a strong aversion to the idea of regular use of sleeping pills). It's used by jetlagged people to reset circadian rhythm, etc. (See e.g. https://www.gwern.net/Melatonin https://www.gwern.net/Melatonin) Apologies if this is nothing new at all to you (probably not), but interested in what you think re. this (perhaps melatonin does not help at all in your case, which is also interesting in itself).

eldios 9y ago
I tried melatonin and it was awful :D I did it in the wrong way though. Specifically I took two pills instead of one (I think it was 500g each and I took two) and I slept for about 24 hours straight! I simply couldn't stay awake so I just took one sick day at work and sleeped it off :O I also don't like the idea of building my life on top of regular pills usage, unless it's the only way to go through. I don't exercise regularly, but I have such a busy life that I find it really difficult to find time (and consistency) to stick to it. When I DID exercise regularly (daily, 30-45 minutes, for about 4 months) it didn't change my sleep habits. And to be honest I CAN wake up at 7 - 8 AM if somebody kicks me out of bed or if there's an "emergency" (like one of my children shouting for help or crying) or some family appointments... but I'm referring specifically to natural sleep rhythm or what my body would "like" to do. I also somehow find it WAY easier to wake up when I'm NOT at home. On an interesting note, I live in Italy (UTC+1) and when I went to San Francisco (UTC-7) for work, not long ago, I kept waking up at 7AM consistently, naturally and went to bed around midnight more or less. I felt NO JETLAG AT ALL. When I came back, I felt nothing for two days and then I had to sleep for about 12 hours to catch up the normal sleeping rhythm, then I went straight back to my normal habits. I admit I probably have the weirdest sleeping habits I can know of :)
- wfn 9y ago
  Hmm very interesting! Thanks for sharing. :) > I think it was 500g each and I took two I do hope you meant mg, not g - I've seen (usually American) online malatonin pills with 50g+ dosages (effective dosage seems to usually be within the range of 0.3-1.0g), so could be g :O but hope not. 0.5-1g does the trick for me, fwiw. > I also don't like the idea of building my life on top of regular pills usage I hear ya; the reason I'm ok with melatonin is that there appear to be no tolerance buildup, addiction, or any actual effects specific to long term usage (see Gwern's meta-analysis of literature, etc.) But - yeah. Very interesting sleep time window patterns. Have you thought about consulting professionals re this? See e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_disorder https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_disorder
  - eldios 9y ago
    > I do hope you meant mg, not g ahaha XD Yeah sorry. one pill == 500mg :D > Have you thought about consulting professionals re this? I did but since I found a way to accomodate my schedule (more or less) by working in the afternoon and evening and sleeping through the morning (til about 10.30 or 11 AM) I'm fine for now. I'd be more interesting in the CHANGE itself.. like in experimenting on changing my sleeping habits, more than in the results. I'm a tech/sci/IT nerd afterall :P
  - copperx 9y ago
    In my case, melatonin has been wonderful for rested sleep, but it always results in increased hunger and weight gain, which is why I discontinue it after about a month, when my pants start getting tight. Then I repeat the cycle when I'm feeling not well rested again.