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I know everyone is recommending the book Why We Sleep, but I'll pile on and say that I found it to be a fantastic read, and the consequences of alcohol consumpt

by rconti 8y ago

I know everyone is recommending the book Why We Sleep, but I'll pile on and say that I found it to be a fantastic read, and the consequences of alcohol consumption are devastating. Stats like 40+% reduction in retained information from just a few drinks the night after learning new facts. Or the night BEFORE learning new facts. And how the ill consequences occur even if you abstain for several DAYS after learning new facts, then have several drinks 3 days later.

rgbrenner 8y ago
That's interesting.. I wasn't aware this was studied. I stopped drinking years ago because I noticed that alcohol reduced the amount of code I could hold in my head, even up to a week later.
- pm90 8y ago
  How much code do you hold in your head?
  - rgbrenner 8y ago
    I don't think there's a good answer to this... it varies depending on the language, familiarity of the codebase, complexity, novelty/difficulty of the problem/solution, how repetitive the code is, etc. So I don't think comparisons can be made between people, even if they're looking at the same code base (since what is difficult for me, may be easy for you, and therefore easier for you to comprehend and remember... but if we look at another codebase, the opposite may be true.)
  - jrs95 8y ago
    7
    - anon1253 8y ago
      +/- 2 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magical_Number_Seven,_Plus_or_Minus_Two https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magical_Number_Seven,_Plus...)
soared 8y ago
Honest question - Do most adults need to retain new information very often?(excluding the typical HN audience who are constantly learning/innovating/reading/etc)
- Elof 8y ago
  Interesting question - continued learning is directly linked to statically better cognitive function and fewer brain disorders in elderly people, but that doesn't necessarily mean that learning as an adult is important for operating effectively in society. So, I guess that would mean that it's not really necessary to retain new information at a certain point in your life. As long as you can still access information that you've already obtained (which I believe alcohol exposure over a prolonged time can affect)
  - pm90 8y ago
    Honestly there’s stuff I’ve done when I was drunk that I would rather not remember.
- rconti 8y ago
  I suppose this could extend to all kinds of things -- remembering to pay a bill, remembering appointments, peoples' names, project tasks, directions to new places, social obligations, where you parked your car, etc. But of course it's more relevant to things that need to be committed to long term memory, and I'm not familiar enough with how the brain works to opine on whether recurring things (bill payments) would be impacted.
- imgabe 8y ago
  I would posit that enough adults drink often enough that society is generally structured to allow people to function with whatever impairment occasional drinking creates, since that would be the baseline capability for the average person. That doesn't mean you couldn't benefit from doing better than that, though.
  - usrusr 8y ago
xfitm3 8y ago
In this thread you have the sole mention of Why We Sleep. what are you referring to?
- ege_erdogan 8y ago
  It is one of the most recommended books in book recommendation threads.
- rconti 8y ago
  I've seen it mentioned in a dozen threads here since I ordered it (on an HN recommendation) a month ago.
- nitemice 8y ago
  This article points to some sources, looks like the same ones referred to in 'Why We Sleep': https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/12/even-small-amounts-of-alcohol-impair-memory/548474/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/12/even-smal... Studies cited: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12683478 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12683478 https://www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j2353 https://www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j2353
aedron 8y ago
It's this kind of thing... Trying not to sound preachy, but it just doesn't make sense that people, especially people who work with their brain, drink alcohol 'because it's fun'. Sorry, but that is stupid. No better way to put it. You have an incredibly complex and sensitive instrument, and you choose to bang it around a bit because it causes a funny effect. What more can you really say. There are loads of ways to have fun in life, alcohol is not necessary. Sorry for the blunt truth.

by rconti 8y ago

rgbrenner 8y ago

That's interesting.. I wasn't aware this was studied. I stopped drinking years ago because I noticed that alcohol reduced the amount of code I could hold in my head, even up to a week later.

pm90 8y ago
How much code do you hold in your head?
- rgbrenner 8y ago
  I don't think there's a good answer to this... it varies depending on the language, familiarity of the codebase, complexity, novelty/difficulty of the problem/solution, how repetitive the code is, etc. So I don't think comparisons can be made between people, even if they're looking at the same code base (since what is difficult for me, may be easy for you, and therefore easier for you to comprehend and remember... but if we look at another codebase, the opposite may be true.)
- jrs95 8y ago
  7
  - anon1253 8y ago
    +/- 2 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magical_Number_Seven,_Plus_or_Minus_Two https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magical_Number_Seven,_Plus...)

soared 8y ago

Honest question - Do most adults need to retain new information very often?(excluding the typical HN audience who are constantly learning/innovating/reading/etc)

Elof 8y ago
Interesting question - continued learning is directly linked to statically better cognitive function and fewer brain disorders in elderly people, but that doesn't necessarily mean that learning as an adult is important for operating effectively in society. So, I guess that would mean that it's not really necessary to retain new information at a certain point in your life. As long as you can still access information that you've already obtained (which I believe alcohol exposure over a prolonged time can affect)
- pm90 8y ago
  Honestly there’s stuff I’ve done when I was drunk that I would rather not remember.
rconti 8y ago
I suppose this could extend to all kinds of things -- remembering to pay a bill, remembering appointments, peoples' names, project tasks, directions to new places, social obligations, where you parked your car, etc. But of course it's more relevant to things that need to be committed to long term memory, and I'm not familiar enough with how the brain works to opine on whether recurring things (bill payments) would be impacted.
imgabe 8y ago
I would posit that enough adults drink often enough that society is generally structured to allow people to function with whatever impairment occasional drinking creates, since that would be the baseline capability for the average person. That doesn't mean you couldn't benefit from doing better than that, though.
- usrusr 8y ago

xfitm3 8y ago

In this thread you have the sole mention of Why We Sleep. what are you referring to?

ege_erdogan 8y ago
It is one of the most recommended books in book recommendation threads.
rconti 8y ago
I've seen it mentioned in a dozen threads here since I ordered it (on an HN recommendation) a month ago.
nitemice 8y ago
This article points to some sources, looks like the same ones referred to in 'Why We Sleep': https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/12/even-small-amounts-of-alcohol-impair-memory/548474/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/12/even-smal... Studies cited: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12683478 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12683478 https://www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j2353 https://www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j2353

aedron 8y ago

It's this kind of thing... Trying not to sound preachy, but it just doesn't make sense that people, especially people who work with their brain, drink alcohol 'because it's fun'. Sorry, but that is stupid. No better way to put it. You have an incredibly complex and sensitive instrument, and you choose to bang it around a bit because it causes a funny effect. What more can you really say. There are loads of ways to have fun in life, alcohol is not necessary. Sorry for the blunt truth.