3 ms·

Interesting that the article is so dementia-focused, which I didn't expect. Personally, naps do enough good for me that I regularly use L-theanine or melatonin

Interesting that the article is so dementia-focused, which I didn't expect. Personally, naps do enough good for me that I regularly use L-theanine or melatonin to help those happen. I've also been experimenting with taking L-theanine about an hour after waking in the morning, to encourage pre-noon naps, usually happening sometime between 8-11 am. This is because overnight sleep quality and sleep cycles can vary from day to day, so I find a bit of a "reset" nap in a more controlled environment (my office) can provide additional mood and executive support. It seems a bit ridiculous now to consider how much of a daily energy bet I was making on the outcome of a single 6-10 hour overnight period, which could be affected/moderated by all kinds of factors.

mckirk 6y ago
L-theanine is awesome! I'm wondering though, are you using melatonin during the day to take naps?
- themodelplumber 6y ago
  I agree! Yep, I do use melatonin during the day but at a lowered dose. Usually 150mcg or half of one of the tablets I take at night. 300mcg is for me nearly a guarantee that I'll nap for 3 hours, and those oversleep results (depending on last night's sleep, but usually it'd be oversleep) are not enjoyable at all. Edit: I've also taken a quarter tablet or about 75mcg to calm down after a long day, and I'm glad I tried it.
  - mckirk 6y ago
    That's really interesting, I hadn't considered that it could be used for naps! Have you noticed it "confusing" your circadian rhythm at all? As in, do you need to take extra care to not get your rhythm out of whack when you use it during daytime daytime? Intuitively, that would be the biggest potential downside I can see. Also, I'm honestly a bit jealous that you have 300mcg tablets; the best I could find is 1mg in a capsule and to split that I have to do volumetric dosing. But at least it's not the insane amounts you exclusively find in American pharmacies, heh.
    - themodelplumber 6y ago
      I haven't noticed any negative effects on my ultradian rhythms, but I do use the rhythmic effect to help me fall asleep or get some rest. For example, if I feel like I'm bottoming out on a given cycle, I'll exaggerate my de-energizing response in order to bring the right momentum into the adjustment to the energy change. I might gently slump over in my chair, open my mouth, breathe deeply, and meditate for a few seconds before calmly deciding what to do--a bit of an overreact to help me model and effect the mental transition. The opposite helps when I'm headed energy-upward on such a cycle. In any case, if I'm feeling off (relative to the rhythm) I tend to set ultradian-style timers, e.g. building on the strengths of a 90-minute cycle effect by delaying important plans or decisions for 15 minutes to see if cycle position helps. I hear you on the dosage. In case it helps, the brand I use are "Sundown" and the tablets are really inexpensive.

mckirk 6y ago

L-theanine is awesome! I'm wondering though, are you using melatonin during the day to take naps?

themodelplumber 6y ago
I agree! Yep, I do use melatonin during the day but at a lowered dose. Usually 150mcg or half of one of the tablets I take at night. 300mcg is for me nearly a guarantee that I'll nap for 3 hours, and those oversleep results (depending on last night's sleep, but usually it'd be oversleep) are not enjoyable at all. Edit: I've also taken a quarter tablet or about 75mcg to calm down after a long day, and I'm glad I tried it.
- mckirk 6y ago
  That's really interesting, I hadn't considered that it could be used for naps! Have you noticed it "confusing" your circadian rhythm at all? As in, do you need to take extra care to not get your rhythm out of whack when you use it during daytime daytime? Intuitively, that would be the biggest potential downside I can see. Also, I'm honestly a bit jealous that you have 300mcg tablets; the best I could find is 1mg in a capsule and to split that I have to do volumetric dosing. But at least it's not the insane amounts you exclusively find in American pharmacies, heh.
  - themodelplumber 6y ago
    I haven't noticed any negative effects on my ultradian rhythms, but I do use the rhythmic effect to help me fall asleep or get some rest. For example, if I feel like I'm bottoming out on a given cycle, I'll exaggerate my de-energizing response in order to bring the right momentum into the adjustment to the energy change. I might gently slump over in my chair, open my mouth, breathe deeply, and meditate for a few seconds before calmly deciding what to do--a bit of an overreact to help me model and effect the mental transition. The opposite helps when I'm headed energy-upward on such a cycle. In any case, if I'm feeling off (relative to the rhythm) I tend to set ultradian-style timers, e.g. building on the strengths of a 90-minute cycle effect by delaying important plans or decisions for 15 minutes to see if cycle position helps. I hear you on the dosage. In case it helps, the brand I use are "Sundown" and the tablets are really inexpensive.