/qa/ - Question & Answer

Humans spend just over 1/3 of their lives sleeping, yet we don't seem to take it that seriously as a species.
A SIGNIFICANT PORTION of your bad habits can be attributed to POOR sleep quality.
Most people like to focus on duration but what is 8 hours of sleep worth if quality is lacklustre?
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When you have poor sleep quality, your brain can't recycle built up glutamate fully, balance hormones completely, or process emotions properly.
Poor sleep quality even effects your immune system and metabolism.
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Consistently poor sleep leads to a repetitive cycle of waking up in the morning and checking your phone immediately, feeling groggy, low energy, low motivation etc.
This chronic stressor is enough to keep you trapped in what can feel like an inescapable cycle of struggle and effort to get anything done, relying on bursts of motivation to carry you through important work.
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For students, poor sleep quality means less memories are wired fully, which decreases overall studying efficiency.
This applies to anything you learn but for students, it is VITAL for you get your sleep quality high if you want to make the most from learning.
The 'engineers don't sleep' stereotype is ridiculous to me, because that lack of sleep is going to keep you behind.
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So then how do you improve sleep quality? To put it simply, you are trying to keep your heart rate low. That's basically it, but there are a few other caveats i shall touch on.
First, lets talk about what can increase your heart rate:
-EATING/DIGESTING FOOD
-EXERCISE
-CAFFEINE
-BLUE LIGHT / LED SCREENS
-STROKIN' YO SHIT
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Everything here is to be AVOIDED during the later hours of your day. So to improve your sleep quality you should start:
- Finishing your last meal at LEAST 4 hours before you go to sleep. (the earlier, the better)
If you have never Intermittently fasted before, now is the time to start doing that (e.g 8 hour eating window, fasting for 16 hours)
So, if you wake up at 6am, and eat breakfast at 6:45am, you should finish your last meal at 2:45pm.
- Exercise in the morning, or earlier in the day.
Exercise keeps your heart rate elevated for a few hours after the work out.
- Last cup of tea/coffee around 10 hours before you plan on sleeping
Caffeine itself disrupts sleep quality, specifically REM sleep, and has a half life of on average 6-8 hours.
-No screens/devices 30m-1hr before bed
Not only does blue light from screens raise heart rate, but it massively hinders melatonin release.
Certain groups are more susceptible to this, namely people with ADHD, autism (having both will compound the effect blue light has on you)
If you have $30 spare, buy some blue light glasses to wear during the hour you're offline for
-NEVER GOON

Q & A because this is /qa/

>Does artificially lowering your heart rate improve sleep quality?
Technically, no. A low heart rate is just a very good indicator of how well your sleep is going to be.
Also, it is relative, but having a lower heart rate (from being athletic) is linked to better sleep quality based on several factors.

>How do I track sleep quality?
Personally, I use a smart watch, but there are special ring devices you can use to track it aswell.
Just make sure you buy from a reputable company.

>Do I have to track my sleep quality using devices?
No, you should feel the difference after the first night of account for all of this.
However, I religiously track my sleep quality to account for what ever changes happen in my life and how that affects my sleep.
You can be as hands on as you want but keeping to these habits is enough for you to benefit greatly.

>What can I do in the hour before bed so I'm not bored out of my mind?
I draw, read, do some stretches; just try to chill out and do something non-stimulating.
I might bounce between hobbies or I might read for an hour straight before going to sleep.
I used to meditate before bed, and that really stuck the habit in and I never skip a day now (albeit, I meditate as part of my morning routine these days)

>Is having a bedtime important?
Yes. Every person has an optimal bed time. IF you miss your bed time, you essentially miss your deep sleep window.
However, overall sleep quality is more important than this to me.
I can go to sleep at 4am and feel off the day after, but if i eat too late or drink too much coffee at night then i have a terrible morning regardless.

>I take x medication to sleep because I have insomnia-ACK!
I don't wanna hear it. Take GOOD magnesium supplements and get off your phone.
No you don't have an inability to sleep. No you don't have to take anticholinergics to go to sleep. Stop going to your doctor he's probably Jewish
Studies (that i won't link because FUCK YOU that's why) show that reading for just 10 minutes is as, if not, more effective than sleeping medication at helping you fall asleep.

I'll answer any questions you have to the best of my ability and mirror this thread onto the broom.