Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with health and sleep

Caffiene snooze

divabat — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:58:53 -0800

Why does one cup of coffee make me sleepy? I've seen this thread, but it was more about confirming the effect rather than explaining it.

I've had an interesting history with coffee. I like the taste, and when I was a teenager I regularly had a cup of 3-in-1 coffee a day with no particular effects. In my late teens I was diagnosed with panic disorder, and I could no longer take any coffee without feeling jittery and anxious. Within the past five years I've slowly reintroduced coffee into my life, and now I can comfortably have a cup a day.

However, instead of either getting a buzz or being jittery, coffee makes me really really sleepy. As soon as I have a cup I have a deep need to take a nap, and I can be knocked out for a couple of hours. It's not particularly restful or refreshing sleep, but it's hard to fight back the urge to snooze. This is a recent development (and slightly annoying because there are times where I could use the buzz!!).

I'm usually described as "hyper" by my friends and peers, though that usually depends on the situation - in fun energetic environments I can be very vibrant and exuberant, though when I'm at home I'm usually sloth-like and lazy. I sleep about 7-8 hours a night; the sun awakes me, so I'm usually up just before 5, and for the first few hours (if I'm not having to be awake early for any particular reason) I vacillate between mucking around on my laptop and snoozing. I don't deal well with late nights - if I'm not distracted by something I usually clamour for my bed by midnight at the latest.

Guarana, ginseng, and other energy drinks & supplements of that ilk give me a headache. There is one particular Aussie brand of energy drink (can't recall the name offhand) that hasn't effected me either way; however I've only had a small tin so I don't know if it's a fluke. I have been suspected of having ADD but have never been on treatment for it or tested professionally.

What's happening with my hormones and my brain that makes me have the opposite reaction to caffiene? Is it something I need to worry about? If caffiene makes me tired, what can I do to get a buzz (assuming that I haven't already scared people off by being highly energetic!)?

Why do I always get so hungry late at night?

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:32:35 -0800

Why do I always get so hungry late at night? I tend to go to bed around 12:30-1 am, though it usually takes me a long time to fall asleep. I always get hungry around 11-12, and if I stay up later than usual I get especially hungry. I usually eat something, but even then I don't feel full. I've been this way for several years, if not forever; I don't remember ever not being like this.

Maybe-relevant info: I'm 23 and male. I don't have any relevant health problems except a tendency to fall asleep late and wake up late (for which I take melatonin). I eat pretty nutritiously, mostly vegetarian. (I may lack some protein, but I try to get it from legumes; I might also lack some kind of vitamin, but I'd have no idea how to tell). I don't exercise much, though I think I had the same problem back when I did exercise more. I tend to consume a lot of caffeine, mostly tea (which I usually avoid drinking after 8 pm unless it's decaf).

Does this happen to anyone else? It seems like everyone else I know eats dinner somewhere between 6 and 8 and then doesn't eat anything after that until falling asleep, so it seems pretty weird! It's supposedly unhealthy to eat late at night, so is there anything I can do about it?

Anonymous just because I included a lot of identifying information.

I need sleep.

reenum — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 07:38:17 -0800

How can I make my office more comfortable so that I can take naps over lunch? From time to time, I battle insomnia. This necessitates me having to take a nap over lunch. I know this isn't the best way to deal with it, but please humor me.

Here is my setup: I have my own office with a closing door. I have an L-shaped desk and a reclining office chair. There is ample floor space.

I need to figure out a way to make my power naps work for me. I also can't have anything too obvious, so cots and the like are out. I've heard of people suggesting yoga mats and the like, but I want to hear from others who are able to sleep at the office.

What sorts of things should I have that allow me to sleep well for that one hour in the middle of the day?

The physical downside to polyphasic sleep.

Chamunks — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:29:37 -0800

I have been tossing around the concept of polyphasic sleeping for years now and the only thing that is stopping me from converting is this question. How would this affect my body? There seems to be no real mention on articles covering polyphasics of how this affects your body. Plenty say that you get enough sleep for your mind, although as I would like to form my own opinion on the mind part, my issue is that they are quick to say that the other "Five something" hours of non REM sleep are essentially wasted. My hypothesis is that you need these hours of downtime for your body itself to regenerate. If my hypothesis is correct is there any ways to ensure a rest like state for my body while in a waking cycle during full on uberman style polyphasics? Related Link As I'm not really interested in the affect this has on the mind, as there's plenty of reading material on such, I would hope to keep the answers mainly body centric, so that I get lots of good answers and strategies for my attempt.

This one falls under science and nature category as well but I can only choose one.

Should I postpone the sleep I haven't had in days to stay alert today?

doublehappy — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 10:32:20 -0800

I haven't slept in days, and I need to be completely alert for the next sixteen hours. Should I nap or push through? It's 5:19am Monday here, and I don't know what the hell's going on, but I woke up 7:30am Friday, so it's been a while since I slept. I'm just starting to feel tired - i.e. I wouldn't find it difficult to close my eyes and nap or sleep now.

I have two smallish but important code modules due today and tomorrow, and I need to be alert. I have a game of indoor football at 2pm, and I really don't want to be collapsing at half time from sleep deprivation. I'm also taking French some evenings and have my final test of the course at 6pm.

What should I do? Will a quick nap now leave me worse off in the short term? Is there some sort of over-the-counter-medicine-hack that I could use like, I don't know, mixing paracetamol with honey or something?

I'm going to have to be at work in 3 hours regardless, so my nap can only be 2.5 hours minus Metafilter advice time.

Help me wake up!

pakoothefakoo — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 09:00:14 -0800

Help me get up in mornings! I freelance, in where I can work anywhere and anytime. This gives me an unstructured life which is making it notoriously difficult for me to get up in the morning.

When I have an early appointment, I would get up within 30 minutes within the appointment despite wanting to wake up earlier so I can prepare for the day. But when I'm left to my own devices, I usually sleep 12-14 hours, and it's driving me crazy.

I usually to go to bed at a reasonable hour (around 11pm), but I end up sleeping into the next day. I'm deaf so I rely on vibrating alarms, but I would just hit the snooze button ad infinitum. I would wake up feeling groggy and depressed that I wasted the better half of my day.

I'm semi-conscious during the process, and I'm vaguely aware that I'm making the choice to sleep in, and when I do, I'd beat myself up for making that "choice" even though I really want to get up early.

This is beginning to interfere with my work and life. As I get paid by the hour, this is making me poor, frustrated and depressed.

It's driving me crazy! Suggestions?

Please help me find a proper sleep position.

Vandal — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 08:02:34 -0800

I need a proper sleep position! I don't know which one I sleep to, because I keep tossing and turning till sleep overtakes and I fall asleep. It's really weird. I get to bed, my mattress is a good comfortable one. I think my pillows need changing, but other than that I'm a frequent tosser and turner. Right when I get in bed, I toss and turn to find a good position, and I don't.. I keep going at it till somehow I fall asleep.
Again, around 3am or so.. all the way upto 6am or so, the TnT begins.

This has been happening on and off for months. Somebody please help! Please don't say there is no proper way of sleeping.. but some suggestions wouldn't hurt.

Why am I so tired all the time?

decrescendo — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:20:56 -0800

Why am I so tired all the time? On weeknights, I go to bed between 10:30 and 11:30 usually. I attempt to get up for work at 6:45. I somehow always manage to get up 15 minutes late, too. It's honestly painful in the mornings to wake up when my alarm goes off. I don't remember it being this bad in high school.

I then do not eat breakfest. At work, I'm always exhausted. I'm always 90% falling asleep in meetings. Even after lunch, I'm tired but it's not like I really do anything physical at work. I sit behind a desk or in meetings all day. This tiredness just makes me feel like shit all day and I hate it.

Why can't I be the person going to bed at midnight, getting up at 6:30 and having energy all day? Is that easily attainable? I hate that I feel close to falling asleep all day. The older people don't have this problem, why do I? I'm 23 for God's sake.

Is it my eating habits? Is it that I haven't worked out in a while?

Do I sleep weird?

chrisbucks — Mon, 19 May 2008 22:08:07 -0800

I wake up feeling drunk, then stumble through the day, and regularly pull all nighters to meet early morning deadlines, how do I break the cycle!? Currently I wake up feeling really groggy and almost drunk, I've had people come in and wake me up, and I have had conversations which I later don't recall, or I've even gotten up and had breakfast then fallen asleep again without remembering any of it. The rest of the day after that is largely a haze until late at night, then I just can't sleep until around 3am. Is the groggy drunk feeling 'normal'?

Getting to sleep itself, is a huge hassle, I'm working on everything, exercise, 5-HTP, valerian, removal of visual stimuli, white noise/ambience. Nothing is working!

I've always been a fairly poor sleeper, but it has gotten exceptionally bad lately, perhaps following on from a lengthy period of depression, I discussed this with a therapist, who printed me out some fact sheets which told me nothing new and avoided answering my questions about practical steps to resolve it.

Routinely I pull two day stints in order to meet early morning appointments or deadlines then crash out the next day, I'm doing this sometime once a week but I'm feeling it just compounds the problems. Even when I wake at around 7am, I don't find myself remotely tired until 2am - 4am the next day.

I'm seeing a doctor in a week, so hopefully then I can get some educated advice, and hopefully get a melatonin perscription[?].

In more of a shorter time frame, I woke up at 3pm today, which really is going to make getting up for work at 8am tomorrow a real mission. Any short term things I can do so that I am awake for tomorrow?

I'm a 22 year old male if that assists!

Can sleep. Anxiety? What to do?

blueplasticfish — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:26:01 -0800

Can't sleep, think I have anxiety. What can I do? Normally, I am a good sleeper. I get 7-8 hours a night, wake up refreshed and ready to go. However, the past 2 nights I have gotten horrible (if any) sleep. Last night was the worst. I had a tightness in my chest, my mind was racing with bizarre thoughts (about air traffic control!?), I had occasional shakes, and was tossing and turning. Even after getting up and reading for an hour and a half I went back to be only to experience the same thing. I felt like I had had 10 cups of coffee, even though I hadn't had anything caffeinated yesterday. The tightness feeling in my chest seems to come and go throughout the day, but seems to be the worst when I am trying to fall asleep.

Obviously, I am going to see my doctor about this. I scheduled an appointment, but that is almost two weeks away. Has anyone experienced this before? Is it anxiety? I take care of my diet and exercise, and don't have anything overly stressful going on right now, so I don't understand what the problem could be. Do you have any treatment recommendations while I am waiting to see my doctor?

Why am I waking up at the same time without an alarm?

3rdparty — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:36:30 -0800

sleepfilter: How do I 'reset' my body clock? I'm generally a good sleeper, but I find periodically (and lately), I wake up at the exact same (and weird) time every day. I usually sleep soundly, and through the night, however every once and a while (and for the past week or so) I wake up at pretty much the exact same odd hour.

This week it has been 5:35 am. There is nothing in my bedroom to disturb my sleep at this time, it just seems that I wake up for some reason. Generally I'm very tired when this occurs and I usually fall back into a very deep sleep (until my alarm goes off 2 hours later)

I'm fascinated by the fact that my body is so precise (generally I wake up at the same time to the minute), but a bit concerned that its trying to tell me something.

Any ideas, or suggestions on how to 'reset' my body clock properly would be helpful.

Very irregular sleep schedule: okay in an otherwise healthy/happy life?

allterrainbrain — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 05:06:19 -0800

Very irregular sleep schedule: okay in an otherwise healthy/happy life? I'm lucky to be doing all my work on my own schedule, but this means I often end up with a very irregular sleep schedule (since the only things I do in person are evenings or overnights with friends/partners or concerts & events, all of which are planned for ahead of time).

Globally I probably average 7 to 8 hours of sleep for every 24 hours of life, but it's often, for example, in six blocks (averaging 8 to 9 hrs each) over seven days. I naturally sleep in blocks of 7 to 10 hours. But those blocks might be, say, noon to evening or dawn to midday or midnight to morning all in the same week.

Otherwise I try to be really aware of health (very good diet, usually good exercise, good outlook and low stress -- often periods of heavy work for deadlines, but low emotional stress). I'm young & female with no health issues. I rarely feel tired or wiped out, and when I wake up I'm myself pretty much immediately without stimulants (I've never been into caffeine).

But when I read general health advice, regular sleep schedule and sleeping in the dark come up all the time. I'm willing to make sacrifices for health, so with this question I'm trying to find out HOW important it is physiologically to sleep on a regular schedule and/or at night, so I can decide whether it's worth it to force myself into a regular sleep schedule.

Late meal diabetes risk?

stavrosthewonderchicken — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 05:43:58 -0800

Is there any connection between eating meals close to bedtime and elevated risk of developing diabetes? My wife has been convinced by Korean health TV shows that there's some kind of enormous increase in diabetes onset risk if you eat sooner than several hours before bedtime. I've searched like nuts for any research backup to this, to no avail. I am aware that there is increased diabetes risk for people of Asian descent (amongst other ethnicities), but I'm not in any of the high-risk groups, at least through descent. Any factual help?

Sleepless in Chicago

sic — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 12:48:01 -0800

I'm looking for information on sleep clinics in or around Chicago. My whole life I've had sleep issues and I've decided I should try one of those sleep clinics to see if they can resolve them. I'm going to visit the states, specifically Chicago, this summer between the end of august -mid September and I'd like recommendations for a quality clinic in the chicagoland area.

Any insight into how sleep clinics work, their effectiveness and price is very welcome.

you are feeling very sleepy

luriete — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 16:34:58 -0800

Can you bank sleep? And if not - how much sleep is too much?

Why is eating right before bed bad for you?

isopropyl — Thu, 31 May 2007 00:16:09 -0800

Why is eating right before bed bad for you?

Recovering from sleep deprivation?

Alex Handcoding — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 21:05:18 -0800

What's the best way to recover from sleep deprivation? I'm a 28 y/o guy and I've had three consecutive nights of 5 to 5 1/2 hours sleep (not by my choosing -- busy period at work). Naturally, I'm exhausted by now. So, should I just sleep in a lot tomorrow (12 hours, say) at the risk of feeling groggy the next day from oversleeping? Or would I be better off sticking with what might be an otherwise normal amount of sleep ("only" 8 hours/night) over the next few days?

On a related note, the "8 hour" mark is often bandied about as the amount of sleep that humans are supposed to get... All the same, I've also heard that some people need slightly more or slightly less than that amount. So, erm, how do I know how much sleep I should be getting each night?

Five Day Poker Session...

meta x zen — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 07:29:53 -0800

5 Day poker session planned... practical & poker advice needed. A group of four of us are reenacting the movie Rounders where 2 guys have $900 and need to make $15,000 in 5 days. (we're taking 1,800 and trying to make 30K) We're planning to camp out at foxwoods this summer and do all of our playing there.

We've all been playing for 5+ years and have had long sessions (14-16 hours) but never consecutively over 5 days. Health advice regarding dealing with the atmosphere, food & sleep are requested. So is any long session strategy for poker / managing a bank roll.

Sleep deprivation

johnsmith415 — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 14:30:58 -0800

What are the effects of sleep deprivation? I'm interested in finding out what happens to one's body and brain when they are subjected to sleep deprivation. Specifically, I'm looking for more concrete information as opposed to personal anecdotes on the subject. For example, I just came across a study that found that sleep deprivation impairs spatial memory and I also heard that mild sleep deprivation is often prescribed as a remedy for minor cases of depression. What are some other positive/negative outcomes of losing sleep?

How can I improve my sleep with drugs?

chason — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 12:59:07 -0800

My sleep schedule is very hectic. While I almost always have to get up early, I frequently have to stay up very late to complete projects or have at least a few hours to spend with friends. I try and use the weekends to catch up on sleep, and I have many tricks to haul myself out of bed in the mornings but I was wondering if anyone might know a relatively safe combination of drugs that would not only help me quickly fall asleep but also wake up quickly if I haven't gotten my "full" 8 hours of sleep? I am not currently on any medications but I do smoke pot sometimes and drink socially. I know there's going to be lots of anti-sleep medication responses, so while I of course want to know about the side effects of the various options out there, I'd appreciate it if the quality of "drugs are bad!" comments was kept constructive.

Sleeoing better when stopping alcohol

pissfactory — Tue, 09 Aug 2005 07:26:51 -0800

I have decided to stop drinking for a while. Without going into too much detail- I drink alot. Stopping involves several nights of a special kind of hell while trying to sleep. Tossing, turning, very, very light sleeping, sweating, nightmares, etc. - it just sucks. I have taken Unisom and Valerian and other things (alone and together) to no avail. Is there a good way to minimize this ill effect (short of visiting the doctor)?

Sleep quality

curtm — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 19:15:41 -0800

How can I improve the quality of my sleep? I'm not sure of all the reasons, but the quality of my sleep over the last 10 years seems to have declined. I wake up feeling exhausted in the morning, and--if there's no compelling appointment or place to be--usually try to fall back asleep, sometimes with success, and sometimes not.

I definitely don't have sleep apnea, and I don't take any drugs, drink caffeine after noon, or do the other things that all the sleep-related websites and books tell you not to do.

I get enough hours, and I have regular sleep habits, but the sleep I do get doesn't seem to refresh and renew me. This seems to have gotten worse over the years. Melatonin doesn't help, and the feelilng of fatigue has really impacted on the quality of my life.

Has anybody else had a similar problem? How have you dealt with it?

Going To the Mattresses

alball — Mon, 15 Nov 2004 18:43:06 -0800

Has anybody had experience with Tempurpedic matresses or the Prima matress sold by Design Within Reach? Any reccomendations?

Movie sleep rituals

kk — Mon, 30 Aug 2004 14:54:20 -0800

A very bright acquaintance of mine, personable, well adjusted, loving dad, relaxes by watching the same short scenes from a favorite movie (LOTR, Matrix, etc.). He'll watch the same scene every night for months. He says that when the line is delivered, he feels complete and can go to bed. Is this common? Does this behavior have a name?

My arm, it's asleep and annoying me

bob sarabia — Thu, 22 Jul 2004 13:16:19 -0800

is it normal for your arm to be partially asleep for an extended period of time? i think i slept on it or something, now 6-7 hours later I only have partial feeling in my hand and I can't flex my arm muscles very much. It's very annoying.