5 ms·

Since a few years ago (when I read Why We Sleep [0]) I’ve made it my priority above all else to allow myself 8 hours of sleep, even if I don’t ‘use’ all of it.

Since a few years ago (when I read Why We Sleep [0]) I’ve made it my priority above all else to allow myself 8 hours of sleep, even if I don’t ‘use’ all of it. With more sleep, an innumerable amount of things are better (as read in the book), but subjectively I noticed the following after about a month straight of good sleep: * Pain was far more manageable (IBS, MMA injuries) * Sleep was more restorative when I woke up * Emotions far more regulated (less irritable) * Quicker to come up with on the spot jokes, or come up with a refutation to an argument * Gym performance +30% at least * Gym recovery faster * Short and long term memory improvement * Less health flair ups * Reduction in brain fog It’s hard to notice these differences subjectively unless you know what it’s like when you’re “optimized” Following a keto (or carnivore with a focus on ketosis) diet leads to a further boost across the dimensions mentioned above. I think many people outside of self-optimization don’t realize what they’re sacrificing when they choose to forego sleep. Even total productivity is enhanced, despite working less hours due to sleeping. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_We_Sleep https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_We_Sleep

bentcorner 6y ago
Just recently since I've been working from home all the time, I realized I don't actually need an alarm to get up, since I don't need to leave the house at a predetermined time to beat traffic and get to the office at a reasonable time. Getting up at the same time in the morning was just habit. Instead now I have an alarm to go bed, and I get up when I feel rested.
- blackflame7000 6y ago
  If your schedule/living situation allows, keeping a window open for early morning sunlight to rise helps to reduce the initial haze quickly if present at all.
- gre 6y ago
  I set an alarm for 9am so I don't oversleep but usually get up well before that.
DominikPeters 6y ago
The author of the OP is not a fan of Why We Sleep, having found many errors and misrepresentations [1]. [1] https://guzey.com/books/why-we-sleep/ https://guzey.com/books/why-we-sleep/
- dang 6y ago
  A couple threads on that if anyone's curious: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21546850 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21546850 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22419958 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22419958
- pottertheotter 6y ago
  I had just purchased and starting reading the book when this was first posted here. I haven't spent much time to look into either side, but I stopped reading the book because I felt like I may be filling my mind with false information. And I bought it in the first place thinking an expert was going to teach the most important things we know so far about sleep. It bums me to think about this.
  - flocial 6y ago
    It's not so much the false information (lack of evidence for major claims) but the amount of anxiety it causes around sleep which is very counterproductive. The author makes it seem like you will never recover from the deleterious health effects from not getting enough sleep.
  - matwood 6y ago
    I can summarize what both the original author, and what the person wrote criticizing agree on. Yes, sleep is required. Get enough sleep that you feel rested. A lot of the critique was around the 8 hours, and the conclusions about what happens if you get less. Anecdotally, I never sleep 8+ hours. I also get up without an alarm clock every single day. I'm not going to stress that I normally sleep ~7 hours and feel rested when I wake up. I know on the rare occasions if I get less than 6 hours, I'm going to be really tired that night.
kthxbye123 6y ago
>> or carnivore with a focus on ketosis Following a "carnivore" diet is a really terrible idea. Unless you're an Inuit living in the frozen north, you should eat some greens.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- spacephysics 6y ago
  Going on 3 years now, with comprehensive blood tests taken every 3-4 months for 2 years. Never had better markers for inflammation (below error threshold), cardiac health, liver health, etc. Tried keto (proper), vegan, vegetarian, low-FODMAP, paleo, all without success. Found a forum of other IBS people, and decided to risk going against mainstream 'authority' such as the American Heart Association. So far, feel better than I ever have, on all markers I could measure objectively, and subjectively. Whats a terrible idea is to have fats linked to heart disease in a massive lie that spanned decades, breed fruit for higher sugar, then say sugar from fruit is fine and healthy, but refined sugar should be moderated (even then its not discouraged). Or in the face of (currently anecdotal, I agree) evidence of dozens and dozens of chronic, autoimmune diseases cured by a carnivore diet from thousands of people. (Harvard Survey finished collecting data end of April) Cured meaning we've removed the inflammatory foods causing the chronic illness. At least see it as an elimination diet, to where a user can add foods back in, and find out whats causing the adverse symptoms initially. But science remains dogmatic, as history shows, for better or worse.
  - shijie 6y ago
    Do you eat nose-to-tail? I hear a lot about people’s carnivore diets and they sound mostly like an “animal flesh diet,” which is lacking in myriad key micronutrients. It seems one would absolutely need to supplement animal flesh with kidney, liver, heart, etc... I’m curious to hear your experience.
    - mannanj 6y ago
      Not OP but I've been doing carnivore as well for the last year, and I don't eat across the board. I generally eat Ribeyes and can share a lot of the same benefits he's mentioned. Red meat in particular actually has a fair amount of the vitamins you need such as vitamin-c and the less you cook it the more they're preserved which is why I go on the rarer side of things.
rdgthree 6y ago
I would imagine the group of people who immediately accepted everything this book claimed as fact and went on to immediately adjust their lifestyles to match may have a strong correlation with the group of people who are more susceptible to the placebo effect. I didn't make it through the first chapter before I started looking into the accuracy of the claims he was making. Some of them were clearly bananas.
- guzey 6y ago
  >I would imagine the group of people who immediately accepted everything this book claimed as fact and went on to immediately adjust their lifestyles to match may have a strong correlation with the group of people who are more susceptible to the placebo effect. This is a very interesting point.
  - Zenbit_UX 6y ago
    Guzey of guzey_arena fame?
    - guzey 6y ago
      Yes.

bentcorner 6y ago

Just recently since I've been working from home all the time, I realized I don't actually need an alarm to get up, since I don't need to leave the house at a predetermined time to beat traffic and get to the office at a reasonable time. Getting up at the same time in the morning was just habit. Instead now I have an alarm to go bed, and I get up when I feel rested.

blackflame7000 6y ago
If your schedule/living situation allows, keeping a window open for early morning sunlight to rise helps to reduce the initial haze quickly if present at all.
gre 6y ago
I set an alarm for 9am so I don't oversleep but usually get up well before that.

DominikPeters 6y ago

The author of the OP is not a fan of Why We Sleep, having found many errors and misrepresentations [1]. [1] https://guzey.com/books/why-we-sleep/ https://guzey.com/books/why-we-sleep/

dang 6y ago
A couple threads on that if anyone's curious: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21546850 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21546850 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22419958 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22419958
pottertheotter 6y ago
I had just purchased and starting reading the book when this was first posted here. I haven't spent much time to look into either side, but I stopped reading the book because I felt like I may be filling my mind with false information. And I bought it in the first place thinking an expert was going to teach the most important things we know so far about sleep. It bums me to think about this.
- flocial 6y ago
  It's not so much the false information (lack of evidence for major claims) but the amount of anxiety it causes around sleep which is very counterproductive. The author makes it seem like you will never recover from the deleterious health effects from not getting enough sleep.
- matwood 6y ago
  I can summarize what both the original author, and what the person wrote criticizing agree on. Yes, sleep is required. Get enough sleep that you feel rested. A lot of the critique was around the 8 hours, and the conclusions about what happens if you get less. Anecdotally, I never sleep 8+ hours. I also get up without an alarm clock every single day. I'm not going to stress that I normally sleep ~7 hours and feel rested when I wake up. I know on the rare occasions if I get less than 6 hours, I'm going to be really tired that night.

kthxbye123 6y ago

>> or carnivore with a focus on ketosis Following a "carnivore" diet is a really terrible idea. Unless you're an Inuit living in the frozen north, you should eat some greens.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
spacephysics 6y ago
Going on 3 years now, with comprehensive blood tests taken every 3-4 months for 2 years. Never had better markers for inflammation (below error threshold), cardiac health, liver health, etc. Tried keto (proper), vegan, vegetarian, low-FODMAP, paleo, all without success. Found a forum of other IBS people, and decided to risk going against mainstream 'authority' such as the American Heart Association. So far, feel better than I ever have, on all markers I could measure objectively, and subjectively. Whats a terrible idea is to have fats linked to heart disease in a massive lie that spanned decades, breed fruit for higher sugar, then say sugar from fruit is fine and healthy, but refined sugar should be moderated (even then its not discouraged). Or in the face of (currently anecdotal, I agree) evidence of dozens and dozens of chronic, autoimmune diseases cured by a carnivore diet from thousands of people. (Harvard Survey finished collecting data end of April) Cured meaning we've removed the inflammatory foods causing the chronic illness. At least see it as an elimination diet, to where a user can add foods back in, and find out whats causing the adverse symptoms initially. But science remains dogmatic, as history shows, for better or worse.
- shijie 6y ago
  Do you eat nose-to-tail? I hear a lot about people’s carnivore diets and they sound mostly like an “animal flesh diet,” which is lacking in myriad key micronutrients. It seems one would absolutely need to supplement animal flesh with kidney, liver, heart, etc... I’m curious to hear your experience.
  - mannanj 6y ago
    Not OP but I've been doing carnivore as well for the last year, and I don't eat across the board. I generally eat Ribeyes and can share a lot of the same benefits he's mentioned. Red meat in particular actually has a fair amount of the vitamins you need such as vitamin-c and the less you cook it the more they're preserved which is why I go on the rarer side of things.

rdgthree 6y ago

I would imagine the group of people who immediately accepted everything this book claimed as fact and went on to immediately adjust their lifestyles to match may have a strong correlation with the group of people who are more susceptible to the placebo effect. I didn't make it through the first chapter before I started looking into the accuracy of the claims he was making. Some of them were clearly bananas.

guzey 6y ago
>I would imagine the group of people who immediately accepted everything this book claimed as fact and went on to immediately adjust their lifestyles to match may have a strong correlation with the group of people who are more susceptible to the placebo effect. This is a very interesting point.
- Zenbit_UX 6y ago
  Guzey of guzey_arena fame?
  - guzey 6y ago
    Yes.