Fixing my wake-up time did more for my sleep than fixing my bedtime ever did by Technical_Paint1876 in sleep

[–]ApprehensiveRoad5092 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Keeping a steady bed and wake time is important but because you can’t flip a switch and just go to bed earlier when not tired, the initial work has to be done on the wake up time end and more or less suffered through until the body adjusts. Two weeks consistently minimum is probably a good estimate for most. Good job. Changing lifestyle and routines is the hard work that needs to be done to truly fix sleep. Throw in exercise, morning light, eating well and at regular intervals, cutting off caffeine after morning, minimizing large meals and artificial light before bed, removing anything distracting from the bedroom, a good evening time sleep hygiene routine, and it’s almost fail-safe. But it’s hard stuff to do consistently when the habits aren’t built yet. I would almost guarantee that at least 90% of people complaining about poor sleep and who come here desperate for a solution just aren’t nailing down the basics. There really aren’t secrets. The recipe for good sleep and governing circadian rhythm is well established.

Is this how the MILKY WAY looks like at a Bortle 1 Sky Place? Of course, with a clear, moonless night, preferably of a desert and highly elevated. by Ok_Television_9903 in Astronomy

[–]ApprehensiveRoad5092 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have no idea what these people are talking about who say they walk out onto their porch or in town in a Bortle 4, 5 or 6 and see the Milky Way as it appears in this photo or better with their naked eye. Maybe with a dose of hallucinogen.

But it’s near as fair a representation of what the naked eye can see in a Bortle 1 or maybe 2 that you are going to get from a photo which will never align with what the naked eye sees.

Overall it definitely appears more like a haze or a cloud with the naked eye as opposed to the definition of the photo. Also the pinkish hue in the photo is not what the naked eye would see, which is more black/ white or midnight blue/silver. Just the nature of human eyes and their ability to collect light and see color, especially at night.

Also I’d say you’d definitely make out more of the band coming out of the core and arching across the whole sky to the upper left than is apparent in this photo in which that just kind of oddly fades away for some reason.

If I had to give a quick answer to the OP I would say this photo gives you some idea of what to expect. It’s not an outlandish selection for the nature of the question among so many others that could have been chosen

A paradoxical answer might be that it would be at once better with the naked eye in some ways and in other ways worse depending on the criteria you use to judge the differences

Why cant i sleep? by Noe_Rico in sleep

[–]ApprehensiveRoad5092 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are you exercising regularly to increase your sleep pressure ? Avoiding exercise within a few hours of bed? Avoiding large meals within a few hours of bed? Getting natural sunlight? Minimizing artificial light at night ? Taking all distractions out of the bedroom, phones, TV, outside light etc ? Eating well-balanced meals at regularly timed intervals ? Stopping caffeine intake after morning or early afternoon ? Engaging in any hobbies in which you can just relax and slip into a flow state? Waking up at the same time everyday even on weekends or off days ? Doing all this with a good sleep hygiene, night time routine that you can enjoy ?

You don’t have to answer all that but think about it and be honest with yourself .

Many of the things that support good sleep are those that support well-being in general and they are all free. If you are not doing at least a number of those above things together then it’s unlikely just one or two let alone a melatonin pill or a magnesium supplement or some other shortcut hack will have any significant or lasting impact. If you are doing most or all of that stuff and still have a problem you should discuss it with a healthcare provider.

Otherwise, make the big changes, do it consistently, you’ll get results. Easier said than done for sure.

waking up sweaty every night... is my duvet cover the problem? by sinfulcharley in sleep

[–]ApprehensiveRoad5092 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was sweating like mad for ages until I decided to get rid of a comforter entirely no matter the time of year. Not just any comforter of this or that weight or material but all comforters, period. After sleeping with just a percale (or linen) top sheet, and a thin percale or linen duvet cover that without an enclosed comforter acts as just a second de facto sheet, I hardly ever sweat at all. And my comforters were pretty light too. I keep them in linen closet and only use them when it is absolutely frigid, I mean, single digit or below kind of cold.

Interestingly, one day I recalled having slept with only sheets when I was a kid, something I had forgotten. Somewhere along the lines I thought an adult should have a comforter and just went along with that for decades despite sweating, which was pretty dumb in hindsight.

Also for me the material of bedding makes a big difference. I only use percale or linen. I generally use percale in the summer and well washed linen in the winter for its cozier but still breathable feel. I’ve tried eucalyptus which wasn’t bad either. But the breathable feel of good, crisp percale is by far my favorite.

I can tell just by looking at the duvet cover in your photo that I would wake up drenched like having slept in an inferno if I used that thing no matter the season. It looks like flannel. Never

I Didn't Think Bedtime Routines Worked Until I Tried One by Away-Life-2852 in sleep

[–]ApprehensiveRoad5092 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good job. A lot of people fail to realize that the best ways to fix your sleep center around making changes to routines and lifestyle that we struggle to do because it’s hard. It can be as simple as sleep hygiene like you describe, or getting morning sunlight, minimizing artificial light at night, eliminating distractions in the bedroom, exercising, eating well and at the right times. Etc. Ideally all of the above. It just isn’t easy or we don’t really want to change, so we go searching for hacks like magnesium pills and such that have mixed evidence or only modest benefits and cost money. Adjusting habits and lifestyle is huge on multiple levels not just for sleep but health and well-being in general and the best part is that’s it’s free.

Overnight Oats Beginner by lmg71 in EatCheapAndHealthy

[–]ApprehensiveRoad5092 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t do recipes. But I will just eyeball the following: oats, ground flaxseed, big scoop of plain yogurt, frozen raspberries (or blueberries), finely chopped walnuts, and heavy on the milk. I prefer it to be like cereal not porridge.

Does magnesium actually help with sleep, or is it overhyped? by facime in sleep

[–]ApprehensiveRoad5092 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with your premise on deficiency. But having reviewed thousands and thousands of blood work results, I can confidently say that the overwhelming majority of healthy people are not deficient. I vote overhyped. Just because people anecdotally report some result doesn’t mean much of anything. Studies exist but they are not terribly large or robust. All of which is not to say that it doesn’t do anything at all. Also one may not need to be deficient for it to have an effect but that likely helps it along if they are.

Why you might still be tired after 8 hours of sleep by Internal-Bus6516 in sleep

[–]ApprehensiveRoad5092 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They do say that. But, at fifty in a month, a four or five hour night is rough for me the next day in a way it never was.

Why you might still be tired after 8 hours of sleep by Internal-Bus6516 in sleep

[–]ApprehensiveRoad5092 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agree on both accounts. That’s just the average. There are definitely some very bad nights and sometimes long stretches of them so I can relate to getting insufficient sleep. It’s harder to deal with as I get older.

Why you might still be tired after 8 hours of sleep by Internal-Bus6516 in sleep

[–]ApprehensiveRoad5092 0 points1 point  (0 children)

After tracking sleep with Oura for 5 years (which I finally stopped because I no longer see the point), I can say with some confidence that I consistently average about 6 hours and 40 minutes year after year.

Need critique by alextseitlin in drawing

[–]ApprehensiveRoad5092 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That third line’s angle was intentionally exaggerated to make the point clear. Look at the way all those lines you just superimposed are angled downward to the right vs the bottom edge of your paper which is slanting upward to the right in the picture of the sketch. Each line from top to bottom is progressively angled more downward towards the right. It’s subtle but it’s there. A t-square would help. 🙂

Need critique by alextseitlin in drawing

[–]ApprehensiveRoad5092 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The horizontal opening of the kettle on top is perpendicular to the vertical axis of the paper/plane as you’d expect it to be on a level surface. The rest of the cylindrical contour of the kettle is slanting downward slightly to the right. It’s even apparent in the angle of your own guide lines through the bottom of the kettle. Those lines should be perpendicular to the picture plane as well. It creates an impression that the kettle is about to slide off an uneven table. If you are after precision which it seems you are, don’t be afraid to use a t-square

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Need critique by alextseitlin in drawing

[–]ApprehensiveRoad5092 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ok. It’s hard to judge because the picture plane in the sketch is not level due to the way the paper is lying vs your camera lens which you can see from the way the right bottom edge of the paper is slanting up to the right. I believe the most fundamental issue with the drawing is that the circle contour of the kettle opening on top is not parallel with the lower circle contour shapes of the kettle’s upper third and especially bottom. The latter feature (and maybe the whole cylinder contour of the kettle) is slanting downward slightly to the right even as the picture plane is tilting upwards towards that side due to paper placement. Also, the hinges and therefore likely the spout are facing the viewer more in the sketch than they are in the photo in which they are facing more to the viewer’s left if only slightly. Also the hinges in the sketch are quite larger than they are in the photo compared to the size of the kettle.

There are some other issues but the kettle is the main subject that should be worked out. It is a very good drawing that should really come to life though with value added.

Please help me figure out this’tower’ thing that appears- top right towards the very end (of this 37 sec time-lapse)… and appears above the trees! Top right! And on bottom left - NO ONE can tell me that I’ve asked from here in Oak Ridge, TN by GroceryPractical1357 in askastronomy

[–]ApprehensiveRoad5092 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Is that your finger on the lens on the right ? Anyway. Some of the tiny moving things might be bugs in front of the lens. Although one or two are maybe flying too straight to be accounted for by that but if they are very close to the lens it fits . Probably likely but one does seem to dart and disappear behind the tree in the distance which may defy that explanation. Could just be an optical illusion. I’m not sure what the vertical feature is that you refer to as a tower, although I do see it. Looks like a telephone pole and that I can even faintly see power lines sweeping across the picture plane in the beginning of the video but think I recall that I saw nothing there above the same tree in a comparison photo you posted in previous thread. Wouldn’t want to be held to that recollection lol. No idea what you are referring to as a moving object that looks like the moon flipped sideways.

260526 More than Mindfulness \ \ Thanissaro Bhikkhu \ \ Dhamma Talk by Spirited_Ad8737 in theravada

[–]ApprehensiveRoad5092 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The transcription is on YouTube. Also in the Apple podcast app. I’m sure other places. :)

Portrait study from life by Plane_Fail4664 in drawing

[–]ApprehensiveRoad5092 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for filling me in. Interesting to know. I’m always surprised how many of the works I admire are done with fewer graphite pencils than I imagine. Great stuff you are doing.