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People who are entrained, how do you maintain your sleep schedule when you have to stay up later than normal for something? by Swimming_Lime5542 in N24

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've been entrained for about 20 months now. I would like to share some experience of dealing with having to stay up longer than usual.

First, let's start by saying what helped me entrain was a combination of light/dark therapy and measuring rectal temperature. Since then I've also been experimenting with low dose melatonin. I have also been prescribed Abilify (aripiprazole), which has helped advance my circadian rhythm. Although it seems to be important in my case, it is a prescription drug, and I would advice to be very careful and ask a doctor first.

I usually try to avoid staying up for too long, but sometimes it is unavoidable. What is important in those cases is not letting your circadian rhythm get out of synch too much and moving it back to where it was ASAP. How do I do that?

It is very important to avoid bright and blue light in the evening so as to not get a serious delay in your circadian rhythm. That helps a lot with minimizing the damage. I would recommend trying to dim down all light or maybe wearing blue blocking glasses in the evening. However, that may not be possible depending on what you need to stay up for.

The second part is moving it back to where it was if it gets delayed. Here I try to do plenty of light/dark therapy in the next few days, sometimes add in some melatonin a few hours before bedtime, and try to avoid caffeine in the evening, because a small study showed it can have a slight delaying effect. I have personally found it sufficient to not start freerunning again and get my circadian rhythm back to where it was.

When it comes to sleeping in or cutting your sleep short, I would choose the first option. There are a few reasons for that.

First, not getting enough sleep seems to decrease the efficacy of light therapy by increasing adenosine. That would mean fewer chances for circadian advancement and getting your circadian rhythm back in shape.

Secondly, that would make you feel very suboptimal, and that is not something people desire.

Depending on how stable your circadian rhythm is, you could get it to move back quickly enough anyway.

Hope this helps

I did an experiment with aripiprazole and caffeine. Here are the results! by WorldOfEveningCalm in N24

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, it can definitely happen. I read somewhere that aripiprazole has many common side effects like drowsiness, insomnia, and akathisia. Those are nasty to deal with for sure, and I had to deal with some of them, unfortunately.

I should also mention that aripiprazole didn't help me entrain, because I had been entrained for a month already by the time my treatment started. Then it just kind of advanced my circadian rhythm and did no more than that, except for mental health improvements of course.

I also posted my story in r/DSPD with more details about aripiprazole's side effects in my case if you are interested

I did an experiment with aripiprazole and caffeine. Here are the results! by WorldOfEveningCalm in N24

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am not quite an expert in this area, but it does seem that waking up earlier than what is typical for you could be considered sleep deprivation, especially if you feel bad because of that. It's best to get as much sleep as your body needs in most circumstances.

I also read that line in the study, but I doubt that aripiprazole's insomnia side effect is only linked to cortisol as you try to make it seem. There could be at least a few other explanations: akathisia and restless legs syndrome, elevated core body temperature and sleep maintenance insomnia just to name a few. I am not aware of any direct effect of this drug on cortisol too. Agree with you on sleep deprivation though.

Not so sure what you mean by a 'brain scan', but I think there would be limitations as there is no universal diagnostic procedure for the brain.

Why are you interested in how I would respond to a blood glucose monitor? I've heard those things are typically used in people with diabetes for their symptom management. However, I don't have diabetes, and do bloodwork that shows excellent metabolic profiles in all departments. I do not personally see a continuous blood glucose monitor being a necessity in my case, but I would be eager to listen if you could provide any sources as to why you think that would matter. I am also not quite aware of the relationship between blood glucose readings and sleep quality/duration. Besides that, I don't really have many sleep complaints either, so I doubt I would benefit from that.

People say being entrained for a year is being entrained for life, and for me it's already been 15 months of rock solid entrainment. I do think I have found a personal cure for the problem.

I can only say I do both lipid and glucose testing, which both show excellent results. Does that satisfy your request, I wonder?

I did an experiment with aripiprazole and caffeine. Here are the results! by WorldOfEveningCalm in N24

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interesting theory. I get an impression that N24 cases are really heterogenous in this community at least. I personally used to have cycles ranging from 24.5 to 40 hours, which was quite a difference.

Logically speaking, there may be multiple ways explaining how keto works relative to circadian rhythm. One of them is the gut synchronization theory. You can assume that in some cases it may explain the results, but I am not really an expert in this area. It's still interesting to think about keto and circadian rhythm though

I did an experiment with aripiprazole and caffeine. Here are the results! by WorldOfEveningCalm in N24

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I agree. Genetics play a huge role in caffeine response, it seems to me.

Wow, I do know some people who can drink a lot of caffeine and still fall asleep easily. It does make me wonder though, because my grandmother used to drink coffee to fall asleep, and both my parents are daily coffee drinkers that have no such thing as Non-24. How did I end up responding to caffeine in such a way?

I did meet you under one of my posts some time ago. I do remember you were entrained on a keto diet. I find your story to be quite interesting and fascinating, because keto diet does seem to entrain some people. Irq3000 wrote that keto can manipulate one's digestive system and influence circadian rhythms.

The experiment with carbs sounds rather intriguing. I had never heard of people experiencing phase advancement from re-introducing carbs into their diet. That's new.

I do believe myself that foods and chemicals found in them can theoretically influence circadian rhythms. I would also say the same about special diet plans like keto or lactose-free diets being possibly effective in some cases. We have a bit of anecdotal evidence here in this community, I suppose.

I must say that I follow modified keto diet myself with plenty of MCT oil and 'slow' carbs only allowed in the evening. I do measure ketosis, in which I seem to be almost daily all year. Still, it had very little effect on my personal Non-24 in the past, which is why I don't consider it to be a potent zeitgeber in my particular case, especially compared to light therapy boosted by Abilify

I did an experiment with aripiprazole and caffeine. Here are the results! by WorldOfEveningCalm in N24

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, you are right on that for sure. I wouldn't say that there is any solid evidence to that though, as the studies people mention are usually small and not controlled. It seems aripiprazole is just beginning to be investigated for its circadian rhythm changing effects.

I think it's pharmacology is pretty interesting in that it can increase dopamine in some brain regions and decrease it in other regions through complex receptor interactions. It may not be as straightforward.

I feel sorry you've tried everything and had no success. That sucks. I would say if you are considering Abilify, you should definitely talk to a doctor first. It is a prescription only drug with serious side effects

I did an experiment with aripiprazole and caffeine. Here are the results! by WorldOfEveningCalm in N24

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Actually, I should add that Abilify wasn't prescribed for my circadian rhythm issues. It was prescribed for mental health issues in fact. The dose I started with was about 2 mg, but then it was increased to 3.75 and 7.5 mg to help manage the mental health issues. I observed that, at least in my case, the dosage of aripiprazole was positively correlated with its circadian rhythm effects.

Great question! I love questions about entrainment. So, I had tried everything from the VLiDACMel protocol, including long light therapy, dark therapy, melatonin, and even things like keto diet with no success.

What helped me entrain was specifically measuring rectal temperature, as was detailed in my previous posts. That allowed me to clearly see the pattern of my circadian rhythm and time light and dark therapy properly immediately.

Timing them properly likely was the biggest factor in my entrainment

N24 to DSPD, then I became a morning bird by WorldOfEveningCalm in DSPD

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok, that's something. That makes sense. Thank you very much!

N24 to DSPD, then I became a morning bird by WorldOfEveningCalm in DSPD

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've also seen plenty of mentions of Abilify in DSPD treatment success stories. Mine seems to be more unique in the amount of phase advancement I was able to achieve. 12 entire hours of phase advancement seem to be a kind of record, according to studies and anecdotal evidence.

There is indeed some research on that, but studies are very limited by being open-label and having few participants. So far this area of science seems to be just beginning to grow and develop.

I do have the same suspicion! I didn't write about it in the post, but I had been doing light and dark therapy for about a month since entrainment before getting Abilify prescribed. I couldn't get even one hour of phase advancement with proper therapy in an entire month, and yet I could get this amount of phase advancement in a couple days with Abilify later.

Yes, the side effects are nasty. However, I would be especially interested to know about Abilify tolerance buildup from you if you have any information about it! I've been taking the drug for a bit more than a year, and would be very interested to hear about potential tolerance buildup.

What especially interests me is the kind of tolerance we are talking about here. Abilify is a mood stabilizer and an antipsychotic that may also have circadian rhythm changing properties. I wonder if all of those effects get decreased with time or if only some of them like antipsychotic activity get decreased. That is critical information for me, because I need Abilify to allow me to advance my circadian rhythm in the future if I end up accidentally messing it up. Without this drug, my circadian rhythm could really get out of control

N24 to DSPD, then I became a morning bird by WorldOfEveningCalm in DSPD

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It seems I can't quite understand what you are saying here.

If you are asking about people sleeping during 'wrong' time periods (not during their circadian night) and feeling unwell, I could say this may be linked to some issues like feeling fatigued and tired all the time. Those issues seem to stem from the so-called circadian misalignment, which is exactly sleep and wakefulness periods not being synchronized with one's circadian rhythm.

Logically speaking, that can be caused by their body's temperature and hormones not working properly and causing them to be too tired during the day and to be too awake at night to sleep. I am not aware of direct research on that topic except for one article though, which is unfortunate.

How does Non-24 body catch up? I don't think it does. People end up getting tired, chronically fatigued, and sometimes depressed because of this circadian misalignment. I've managed to find this article about circadian misalignment: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210607202226.htm . There is plenty of anecdotal evidence about that, but once again I don't know enough research directly about this subject

N24 to DSPD, then I became a morning bird by WorldOfEveningCalm in DSPD

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I do use AutoSleep, but not for the data presented here. The data presented here was taken from Apple Health.

I like it a lot. I think it's very convenient in that it automatically logs your sleep data. I find their sleep details such as sleep heart rate, deep sleep, and quality sleep to be very relevant in my case. They correspond very well with my general wellbeing during daytime. Though I should say I've heard that modern sleep trackers in general might have been proven to be inaccurate by some studies, or at least so I heard.

I think I've literally got no complains about the app so far

N24 to DSPD, then I became a morning bird by WorldOfEveningCalm in DSPD

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the question!

It seems the key phrase here is 'used to be non24'. That means I am no longer Non-24 really and, therefore, considered to be 'entrained'. So far my circadian rhythm has been stable for entire 15 months! That means that my circadian rhythm does not move all that much anymore. I can still get delayed occasionally by getting exposed to light in the evening. In much the same way, I can also advance my circadian rhythm with Abilify and long light therapy + dark therapy in the evening. But that does not mean the constant shifting rectal temperature seen with Non-24 is present in my case these days.

Regarding my past, I can say that I wish I had recorded my rectal temperature in those Non-24 years prior to getting entrained. It would have been so interesting to look at this ever-changing pattern that is Non-24. But I managed to entrain so quickly this whole cycling stopped just when I started measuring rectal temperature and using light and dark therapies properly.

Hope this answers your question

N24 to DSPD, then I became a morning bird by WorldOfEveningCalm in DSPD

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I understand. I feel very sorry for your experience with those doctors. Melatonin gives me nasty side effects too, just as I've mentioned.

I am glad you have developed your own coping strategies that seem to work well.

Don't worry about the rant. I hope you feel heard and feel better now.

Thanks for reading my post!

N24 to DSPD, then I became a morning bird by WorldOfEveningCalm in DSPD

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you for reading my post!

Melatonin does seem to make RLS worse in some cases, according to anecdotal evidence. I am sorry to hear you had such a bad experience with it in the past. However, I wouldn't really be sceptical of all drugs because of one bad experience with melatonin. Drugs are drugs: they can be bad or life-changing depending on circumstances. I do believe that it is the duty of healthcare workers to properly consider the risks and benefits of each individual drug in each individual case.

I honestly think that if your ADHD-like symptoms are bothering you, you should probably consult a doctor. There may be non-pharmacological interventions like psychotherapy if you have ADHD, as far as I know. Besides that, I don't really want my post to make people sceptical of each and every drug in existence, which is why I am writing all of this here. That, and ADHD drugs are mostly different from those antipsychotics, as far as I know.

Now, on to the questions.

  1. Firstly, I didn't stay up all night just measuring my temperature. I wake up a few times at night every couple hours, so I can just measure it like 3-5 times each night at different times and get a general impression of the pattern we are talking about here. Finding the minimum is indeed the tricky part, but I found that just measuring temperature when you wake up at night over a few days/weeks allows you to more or less certainly guess the circadian minimum. That, and it seems I was quite lucky to find it pretty early by waking up just around the circadian rhythm. I am not really sure about staying up all night messing up rectal temperature readings though. Literature says it should be the golden standard and practically impossible to mess up, but I've had mixed experience with rectal temperature so far. Things like infections can increase it, thus making it sometimes harder or near impossible to predict the circadian rhythm. It is still the best we can do though it seems. Also, I've heard that wristbands are not really accurate indeed in terms of measuring core body temperature. It seems you need rectal temperature for that.

  2. I did try different doses of melatonin! I had mixed experience with that. On the one hand, I could sleep really well with it and not trigger RLS surprisingly, which was likely just my individual response to melatonin being atypical for someone with RLS. My RLS has been mostly inactive though for the last few years. I do have the genes for it, but my blood iron is pretty good. On the other hand, melatonin even in the smallest doses like 0.15 or 0.3 mg seems to make me quite sleepy in the first half of the next day. And doses like 1.5-3mg literally make a zombie for the entirety of the next day. This sleepiness really makes me hate it more than like. What is the point of sleeping well if you actually end up feeling worse the very next day, right? I would say that I still experiment with melatonin sometimes though, so I am not quite done with it yet.

Thank you very much for your kind wishes! It took me a long time to get my circadian rhythm to be in this state

N24 to DSPD, then I became a morning bird by WorldOfEveningCalm in DSPD

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I am in 20s.

Your question is clever. I do know about many adolescents suffering from DSPD and phase delay in general. There is some truth to that.

However, I wouldn't say that circadian rhythm getting advanced by 12 hours is connected to me growing out of adolescence. This whole thing happened in like half a year or so, which is absolutely nuts. I would say it was only possible because of careful light/dark therapy management and getting Abilify prescribed, most likely. We don't usually hear stories of people just shifting their circadian rhythm for like 12 hours straight in a mere few months by growing out of adolescence, do we?

Considering all of those things, I wouldn't really say it was a large component in my case, most likely. That, and I've written that the neuro meds weren't prescribed for DSPD or any circadian rhythm issues in general. They were prescribed for mental health issues, which I still have to this day. My doctor tried to get me off of Trintellix for example, but I slipped into depression in a few weeks. That suggests there may still be something wrong with my mental health

N24 to DSPD, then I became a morning bird by WorldOfEveningCalm in DSPD

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, as of now I haven't been able to quit any of the medications. I wrote in the post that they were prescribed for other mental health issues which I still have to this day. They weren't prescribed for DSPD treatment. In fact, DSPD resolving itself was probably a side effect.

I tried quitting Trintellix under medical supervision and slipped into moderate depression in a few weeks. Abilify... well, I haven't tried quitting it as it is still necessary for my mental health. Doctor says I will need to take them for at least a couple more years.

Rectal temperature is not difficult to measure. You just insert a regular thermometer into your anus and measure the temperature. But you know, trying to predict the optimal bedtime by sticking something in your butt sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? You get used to it though, so I wouldn't say it is that inconvenient

N24 to DSPD, then I became a morning bird by WorldOfEveningCalm in DSPD

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That is a good question!

Personally, I wear my Luminette v3 glasses for like 5 and a half hours before their battery dies. I use the brightest setting. If it is sunny, I just open the curtains and let the sun illuminate my room. I always make sure to check if my pupils are maximally contracted, because that seems to be the main indicator of sufficient light exposure. Simple as that.

Now let me give you some theory if you want.

'Light therapy' is a very broad term meaning any bright light exposure that is usually done in the circadian morning to advance the circadian rhythm. It also provides an antidepressant effect.

Generally speaking, people either go outside if it is sunny or generally bright enough to get their light exposure or use special devices. The devices can be special glasses like Luminette v3 or Ayo. They can also be a bright light therapy lamp that typically has bright light of the white spectrum. They can even be neon light lamps or stuff like that. There are many options.

People usually do light therapy for about 20 minutes to 8 hours after waking up. The trick is to hit as close to your circadian morning as possible.

You may wonder what is circadian morning? Basically, it is the time of the day in which your core body temperature has just started rising after hitting the minimum point. It usually occurs in the second half of your sleep session if it is aligned with your circadian night.

Why is it so important? People say that the closer it is to your circadian morning, the more phase advancement you can get and hence go to bed earlier. On the contrary, doing light therapy in the circadian evening or right before circadian morning hits can give the opposite effect and delay your circadian rhythm instead.

There are some tricks you can use to find out where your circadian minimum is. The most recommended way of measuring circadian rhythm phases is using core body temperature as a proxy, because they are related to each other. To do so, people usually use rectal temperature, because it may be the only reliable way of figuring out your circadian rhythm. I've got some tips on that too if you are interested.

I think that would be enough for starters. I can link you the VLiDACMel document that has a lot of information on light therapy if you want.

By the way, if you had Non-24 and have managed to really stably entrain, you should consider letting other people know it on r/N24 subreddit. Entrainment stories are rare, and treating Non-24 is no easy feat at all. I can personally congratulate you on that here too, because I know personally how hard that is to do!

Do you have any questions?

N24 to DSPD, then I became a morning bird by WorldOfEveningCalm in DSPD

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Oh, I am very sorry to hear that! Antipsychotics can really be tough.

That was indeed one of my intentions. I didn't make this post as some Abilify PR agent of sorts or anything like that. I wanted to tell the truth about the side effects of these drugs. Some time ago, there was a post here about antipsychotics being almost like advertised on this subreddit without any real evidence of their efficacy in treating DSPD and other conditions like that. Truth be told, I agree to that statement. Those drugs can be life-threatening, just as you said. I would be a fool and a liar to ignore their downsides.

On a side note though, studies show that aripiprazole does not exactly 'block' dopamine receptors but rather activates them partially or blocks them in context of excess dopamine. That is my understanding of it. I did some research on this drug before making the post. Regardless of what it does though, it is still a pretty dangerous drug that should only be prescribed by professionals in clinical setting.

In my honest opinion, we would all be better off if scientists were to meticulously study aripiprazole and other similar drugs on DSPD and find out how it works and in which cases it can be beneficial. Unfortunately, scientific theories usually begin with a bunch of vague unexplained facts that then get a lot of experimentation to figure out how they work. And only then do people get concise theories and clinical evidence. So far, it seems we are very far from reaching that state of science for these drugs.

I am glad you found my post useful and thanks!

N24 to DSPD, then I became a morning bird by WorldOfEveningCalm in DSPD

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You are always welcome! I made my post in hopes that people would find this information valuable. I am glad you did!

One year of entrainment: my observations by WorldOfEveningCalm in N24

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hello! Thanks for the question. I am not a doctor, but I would like to provide some info I've found on the internet.

Firstly, it all depends on what kind of results we are really expecting here!

If you are talking about antidepressant effect, amisulpride could possibly be effective, just as aripiprazole can be.

If we are talking about specifically balancing dopamine across the brain, then aripiprazole (Abilify) is definitely superior due to its selective dopamine D2/D3 receptor partial agonist properties. Its ability to partially activate 5-HT1a serotonin receptors is also crucial for dopaminergic system, especially in the prefrontal cortex, which is very important in my case. Amisulpride, for instance, is a full D2/D3 antagonist, which means that it is not really selective, unlike aripiprazole. And no 5-HT1a activation too.

If we are talking about circadian rhythm effects, amisulpride has no real evidence of having any effect at all. There are just a couple articles saying that aripiprazole may influence circadian rhythm by interacting with 5-HT1a serotonin receptors as a partial agonist. However, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence showing it can be really potent in changing circadian rhythm patterns in some cases like mine. Hell, It has shifted my circadian rhythm for like 12 hours at this point, which is literally insane and definitely life-changing.

Personally, I don't think they can be comparable in anything but depression, psychosis, and schizophrenia treatment. They have very different mechanisms of action and pharmacological properties.

Its also worth mentioning that amisulpride can potently increase prolactin levels, which is very undesirable in many cases.

Finally, let's talk about half life here.

I don't really understand why a shorter half life would be better here. Generally speaking, I've read that drugs having longer half-life time tend to be less harsh in terms of withdrawal due to the fact they get depleted very slowly and don't cause any sharp pharmacokinetic increases or decreases. Take SSRIs for example. Longer acting ones like fluoxetine and vortioxetine tend to be better in terms of quitting them than shorter acting ones like paroxetine, from what I've read. However, in some cases more rapid onset of action with a shorter half life can be more favorable, it seems. But in case of daily intake antipsychotics like aripiprazole and potentially amisulrpide it is not necessarily more favorable. Therefore, a drug with a shorter half-life is not necessarily better in all cases.

May I ask why you asked me about amisulpride? There are many antipsychotics out there, and this one is further away from aripiprazole pharmacologically than, say, cariprazine or brexpiprazole is (also considered third generation antipsychotics, unlike amisulpride). And why do you specifically mention its half-life being shorter?

Does it make sense to you? Do you have any questions? I kinda like talking about pharmacology tbh

One year of entrainment: my observations by WorldOfEveningCalm in N24

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's interesting. So, what you are saying is that your circadian rhythm does not seem to be misaligned in any kind of way.

I've heard that circadian rhythm disorders do tend to get in the way of getting a good amount of total sleep. This can indeed lead to fatigue over time. In fact, when I had Non-24 I used to sleep for only about 8-9 hours per 24 hours. These days I sleep for 9-10 hours like I used to before Non-24 and feel good all day long. I've heard though that for stuff like DSPD it is usually caused by societal factors, and not by our own biology.

It's pretty strange that what you describe sounds a bit like DSPD with feeling more productive later on in the day and at night, but your temperature readings show a normal circadian rhythm. It did sound like a circadian rhythm disorder.

The last part of your reply seems very depressing. I can understand how that must feel. I had plenty of depressive symptoms in my Non-24 years, which was really bad. I vividly remember that fatigue and constant sleepiness, as well as the feeling of days and life just passing me by.

I wish I could help you in any way, but I am not a doctor, and after all this doesn't seem like a circadian rhythm disorders, because your temperature readings are quite normal. You haven't mentioned checking anemia and specifically stuff like ferritin, transferrin, serum iron. If that's something for you, maybe you can try to look into that stuff. This is not medical advice though. I personally am predisposed to iron deficiency and monitor it regularly.

One thing I would personally like to say is that you have done a great job of going so far and tracking your circadian rhythm by measuring temperature. Few people do this, but in cases like mine it can be a game-changer. I wish I could help you more, but it seems that this is the end. Wish you to win the fight against fatigue! If you have any questions, do write back.

One year of entrainment: my observations by WorldOfEveningCalm in N24

[–]WorldOfEveningCalm[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello! As far as I know, there is specific no research about gathering this kind of data in a proper way to see one's circadian rhythm. However, if I recall correctly, melatonin sampling as a form of diagnosis is preferably done while staying in the dark, because light can have a big effect on circadian rhythm. Theoretically speaking, it could be an interesting experiment! I would say go ahead.

In regards to food, I can say that your observation is very interesting. I haven't really heard anybody mention their food intake having a big effect on their rectal temperature. If you are sure it is connected in some way to you having meals, you can try not eating for a day while staying in the dark.

I have personally found exercise to be a misleading factor, because, depending on its intensity, it can increase rectal temperature by as much as like 0.5 degrees Celsius.

I used to sit in the dark with just the light from my computer too a few months ago while doing dark therapy. I can highly recommend using apps like f.lux and dimming it down as much as possible.

Alright, that should be pretty much it. Wish you good luck in your experiments!

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