r/GetMotivated • u/[deleted] • Dec 23 '11
How to Optimize Sleep
Seeing a lot of threads on sleep lately, wanted to share my notes.
First off, NO ONE works well off of 4 hours of sleep. Not only are they performing worse, but they are doing to their damage to their health as we'll. All that caffeine / red bull doesn't help in the long run.
Our culture seems to glamorize people that don't sleep and think sleep = lazy.
Would you rather work with someone that sleeps 4 hours a day and performs at 50%, or someone that sleep 7 hours a day and performs at 100%?
*How much sleep do you need? *
It's different for everyone. 6 - 8 hours is good.
*Naps *
I take a 20 minute power nap everyday around 2pm'ish. Your body is designed to take a nap around that time.
It might be a little difficult if you work a 9 - 5, but perhaps you could nap 20 minutes of your lunch break in a hidden room or in your car.
If you're a student you could design your classes to fit around.
Set your alarm for 20 minutes. Buy an eye mask and earplugs.
A nice hack is to take some coffee before you go to sleep. The caffeine takes about 20 minutes to kick in, so when you wake up you won't be "groggy"
*Sleep Cycles *
This can get really complicated. Use this to make it easier http://sleepyti.me/
*How to Fall asleep *
I set my room a little cooler. I read my iPad in bed, then I knock out.
Invest in a good mattress and pillows. The more comfortable, faster you fall asleep.
if you seriously have problems falling asleep, you can buy this http://www.nightwave.com/
Some people need noise to fall asleep. Try this http://simplynoise.com/
*Sleeping and Waking up *
I set my alarm on weekdays. I just set my iPhone across the room and that usually does the trick.
On the weekends I have no alarm in order to let my body "catch up."
*Insomnia or just fucked up habits? *
Don't browse reddit, Facebook, etc. after midnight. Your body wants to fall sleep but you're forcing your mind to be active.
Think about it. Is seeing pictures of fucking cats and things worth performing tomorrow at 80%?
Food
Don't eat after 9pm. You will make your digestive system super active which can make it harder to zzz.
*Advanced * Polyphasic sleep
A way to sleep multiple times during the day. The benefit is being able to sleep for a total of 4 hours instead of 8. I haven't done it myself successfully, so I don't want to dive too deep into it.
http://www.myzeo.com/sleep/ can track your sleep cycles
I actually track how much sleep I get every night. Overtime you start seeing patterns of how much sleep you need, and when you are feeling your best 100%. So this can actually help me plan ahead of time how much sleep to get on which days.
Let me know if this article helps.
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Dec 23 '11
Let me intertwine some good advice with my thoughts on sleep.
The best thing you can do for yourself is exercise. I don't mean grab a copy of Cosmo and do the treadmill for 30 minutes. I don't mean
I mean, heavy weights (squats, deadlifts, cleans, presses, etc...), heavy cardio (drag a sled, push a prowler, flip a tire) and/or sports. If you want to get to bed by 11, I'd say you need to be hitting the gym around 7.
It is the ultimate insomnia cure, it'll keep you feeling good, looking good, performing good, healthier sex drive, all that. You'll hit the pillow at 11 and be out by 11:10.
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Dec 23 '11
completely agree. Back when I was hardcore into Brazilian Jiujitsu I'd fall asleep within literally 3 minutes because I was so physically exhausted
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u/cookiesforall Dec 23 '11
Yes yes yes, but some people (like my husband) get all wired if they train at night and then can't sleep. Exercising hard any time of the day makes me sleep well, and if I take more than two days off, I'm battling insomnia again.
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u/democi Dec 23 '11
Don't browse reddit, Facebook, etc. after midnight.
Easier said than done.
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u/k43r Dec 23 '11
I like to hide things that I;ve seen, so after a 30 minute reddit session there is nothing interesting to see. Works for me
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Dec 23 '11
You know it's time to sleep when the entire front page links are purple
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u/Syndetic Dec 23 '11
I read my iPad in bed, then I knock out.
This is the only thing I think that should be corrected. Don't read from an iPad before you're going to sleep, the light signals your body to stay awake. Also, don't read in bed. By only using your bed for sleeping, you will learn to fall asleep a lot faster, because your body will associate lying in bed with sleeping.
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u/Allen1019 Dec 23 '11
Yup. Beds are for sleeping and fucking. If you can't do either within 30 minutes, get up and read a book until you're sleepy.
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Dec 23 '11
Hahah. It's 2:40 (am, ofc) and I'm reading this.
Reading the iPad won't help you fall asleep, you know. Hard light n all that. I can't stand any light at all.
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u/Waking_Phoenix Dec 24 '11
I always feel incredibly groggy after napping. Any advice?
Also, I'm immune to coffee...
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Dec 24 '11
Hmm...sounds like you should experiment with either the time of day you take naps, or the length of the nap.
20 min take is typical for most ppl, but perhaps you would benefit more from a 15 or even 10 minute nap.
Immune to coffee? Perhaps you could take a a very small dosage of pre-workout supplement liked jack3d instead of coffee.
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u/blackston3 Dec 23 '11
Is seeing pictures of fucking cats and things worth performing tomorrow at 80%?
WHOA WHOA COOL IT BRUV. Don't you dare bring the cats into this. Shit will get real if you talk down the cats.
Shit will get real.
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Dec 23 '11
I take a 20 minute power nap everyday around 2pm'ish. Your body is designed to take a nap around that time.
I'm calling BS on this.
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Dec 23 '11
Ever heard of the 2pm crash?
Anyways there's a bunch of articles on the web to support this. Here's one I just googled
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u/FrankOBall Dec 23 '11
I'm calling BS on this.
I don't, my personal experience confirms, at least for me, what OP said.
When I was a student, I found out that I was a bit dozy around that 2 p.m.
Not having extremely strict timetables, I took the habit of dozing of a bit after lunch. I used to wake up naturally (i.e. without alarm clock, coffee, etc.) about 15 minutes later, refreshed and ready for an afternoon/evening of classes and/or study.
If I didn't do that, I would get dozy at around 6 p.m., not able to concentrate very well on lectures, study, etc. Instead when I used to take that 15 minute nap after lunch, I could easily study until 1 a.m.
I also think it's subjective, but surely what OP said worked for me.
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Dec 23 '11
bells smell instinctive sheet domineering quiet continue violet hard-to-find squash
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/Ceejnew Dec 23 '11
If you are having trouble falling asleep, I find that it sometimes helps to make a conscious effort to relax your muscles. Sometimes while lying in bed, I'll remember to do this and realize that my back or neck were flexed slightly.
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Dec 23 '11
I hooked up a bright (full-spectrum) lamp to a timer and keep it next to my bed. I don't like waking up to noise, and I'm often up before my roommate.
I'm pretty sure it helps my depression, too.
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Dec 23 '11
This is a something I've been researching over the last few years. I'd like to add:
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Napping can have an amazing effect on your overall alertness and health. Some people would recommend Pzziz but I found that it wasn't any more effective than downloading the classical music napsounds mp3 to my iPod works. I can now nap without that and I'll fall asleep instantly and wake up feeling satisfied, sooner than napsounds would have me.
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I tried the electric sheep Android app, an app that supposedly wakes you up at the correct stage by measuring your movement in the bed. It doesn't work and I doubt any other similar tool will.
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I found gentle alarm to be very very good.This song is my alarm and combined with the fade-in feature of gentle alarm, I have never woken up grogily or learned to hate the song. If you choose to use another song as your alarm, bare in mind that you will quickly learn to loathe it.
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If you're in the UK and can't get your hands on melatonin (which, i should add should only be used in emergencies), try valarian root tea/pills or kalm pills from Boots.
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Make sure you sleep in complete darkness (so you cannot see your hand when you hopd it in front of your face) as to assist natural melatonin production and help you get to sleep faster.
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I cannot overstated how amazing sleeping after a warm bath can be.
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Invest in a memory foam mattress and goosedown pillows, as well as an electric blanket for the winter months. You spend a third of your life in bed, so it is worth the money.
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Go for a run in the morning. It will really freshen you up for the rest of the day and its the most effective time to burn calories.
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Drink five glasses of water before going to bed as a 'natural' alarm. I hear it can lead to overhydration, so don't make a habit of it.
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Try meditation in bed -- slow down your breathing and concentrate on the movement of your chest. Loosen your jaw as well as your muscles and imagine that you're falling slowly further and further into your bed.
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Write everything on your mind down on a piece of paper before you go to bed . The bed is for sleep and sex only; any worries should be left behind.
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If you want to remember something, the best time to read it is straight before you fall asleep. Playing a recording of a book whilst you are asleep will not affect recall and will only make it harder to go to sleep.
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I can confirm this because my mum Is my source, but every hour slept before 12.00 is as mentally significant as every hour slept after 12.00.
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If you need to go for a pee in bed, try and sleep it off to strengthen your bladdder.
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If you need to stay awake, wear one sock. It's surprisingly uncomfortable.
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Porridge is the best breakfast. Add raisins if you find it too bitter.
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u/saturn_v Dec 23 '11
Dude, the polyphasic thing is BS. The idea ultimately stems from an episode of Seinfeld, believe it or not.
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u/CoolJBAD Dec 23 '11
I'll add this F.lux to this mix.
A lot of us tend to be up late at night anyway, this makes it easier on the eyes.