Chronic lack of sleep

[burkevalocks]

For some reason when I try to go to bed I just keep getting a boost of energy. I dont do anything crazy at night so i dont see why I would be getting this rush. It does effect me though my day because I dont get sleep. I just dont know what to do anymore.

[Greg Esres]

I just dont know what to do anymore.

Basic meditation techniques usually make it pretty easy to relax and fall asleep; the main reason that people meditate sitting a bit uncomfortably is to avoid this. ;-)

[vanslix]

In the absence of some definitive medical or structural disorder in the airway, the three most important things for sleep in order of importance are:
1- sleep hygiene
2- sleep hygiene
3- sleep hygiene

[PaulBeech]

It may be total bro science but i think you can condition your body to operate well on minimal sleep. You'd have to be super consistent with hitting the same amount of hours each night though. More importantly though...I could be completely wrong.

[Agilic]

It may be total bro science but i think you can condition your body to operate well on minimal sleep. You'd have to be super consistent with hitting the same amount of hours each night though. More importantly though...I could be completely wrong.

I've read numerous studies to the contrary. That lack of sufficient sleep is completely detrimental to the long term health of your body and brain.

[Greg Esres]

I've read numerous studies to the contrary. That lack of sufficient sleep is completely detrimental to the long term health of your body and brain.

Agreed. Some people may think they operate well without sufficient sleep, but cognitive tests show otherwise.

[wdh1]

I attended a lecture once that a fairly obese sleep researcher was giving to a classroom of medical and surgical residents. At one point a surgical resident in the back raised his hand and asked, "Isn't it possible to train your body to function well on less sleep?" The guy poked out his rather large belly and said, "Sure, just like I've trained my body to function on more calories than it needs."

[Satch12879]

There's also Natural Calm, the magnesium supplement. The Gym Jones guys, who positively beat the shit out of themselves, but are obsessed with recovery and large quantities of post-workout sleep, swear by the stuff.

[JohnRoman]

It may be total bro science but i think you can condition your body to operate well on minimal sleep. You'd have to be super consistent with hitting the same amount of hours each night though. More importantly though...I could be completely wrong.

I've read numerous studies to the contrary. That lack of sufficient sleep is completely detrimental to the long term health of your body and brain.

Agreed. Some people may think they operate well without sufficient sleep, but cognitive tests show otherwise.

I'll caveat for me (n = 1). You may learn to function on less sleep but I can't imagine you can do it well. Mentally: it takes longer to solve problems, harder to stay focused, boring/tedious activities can send you nodding off, etc. I can really tell a difference when I get good sleep. I can't help but think that there is even more difference concerning physical recovery. So the question becomes ... if I can't get what is optimal can I determine what is minimal and achieve it?

[vanslix]

It may be total bro science but i think you can condition your body to operate well on minimal sleep. You'd have to be super consistent with hitting the same amount of hours each night though. More importantly though...I could be completely wrong.

Study after study in pilots and physicians show that the longer they go without sleep, the worse cognitive and hand-eye coordination performance is. I can verify that first hand. After you're up 30+ hours, even simple things require enormous concentration. Can you do it? Yes. Is it optimal? Not even close.