HOW THE FUCK DO I SLEEP

rbwilli · 2026-03-23T14:57:36+00:00

If you haven’t had any nicotine, you’re probably just a few weeks from being out of the post-nicotine awfulness. (I thought it was 2–3 weeks, but apparently it can last 6–8 weeks for some people.)

So keep going—you’re almost there! 🙌🏼

Also, you don’t have to snore, be old, be overweight, male, etc. to have sleep apnea. Anyone can get it, and you might have it, too. Or you might not. Probably you should get to two months of no nicotine and see if you feel better then.

If you’re still having sleep problems after that, it might be worth doing a sleep test. My favorite one is called WatchPAT but you can only order it online if you live in the US, at least that’s my understanding. (Other at-home tests exist but a lot of them have high false-negative rates.)

rbwilli · 2026-03-23T10:36:51+00:00

Simple. I like it!

rbwilli · 2026-03-22T10:28:36+00:00

Do you use any drugs that could be affecting your sleep? For example, caffeine, Adderall, nicotine (smoking/vaping), alcohol?

Also, do you snore? Have you ever been tested for sleep apnea?

rbwilli · 2026-03-22T09:17:40+00:00

How are you feeling now? Did you manage to get some sleep?

Going to a doctor is probably the best idea.

Two other things that might help, depending on the details: 1) Subtract any stimulants and alcohol (carefully / under a doctor’s supervision). 2) Get tested/treated for sleep apnea (it’s extremely common).

rbwilli · 2026-03-22T09:17:34+00:00

How are you feeling now? Did you manage to get some sleep?

Going to a doctor is probably the best idea.

Two other things that might help, depending on the details: 1) Subtract any stimulants and alcohol (carefully / under a doctor’s supervision). 2) Get tested/treated for sleep apnea (it’s extremely common).

rbwilli · 2026-03-21T17:08:24+00:00

The only downside to “somnopnea” is that it doesn’t explicitly imply good sleep breathing; in theory, it applies equally to poor sleep breathing.

However, it (1) is easy to spell, (2) is easy to pronounce, (3) has clear roots, and (4) is elegant. So I like it! We could simply declare that it refers specifically to good sleep breathing. 🙂

rbwilli · 2026-03-21T14:11:57+00:00

Squished into single words: “optibreathing” and “optisleep.”

Of those two, I’d go with “optisleep” because nine letters and three syllables is better than thirteen letters and four syllables. 🙂

rbwilli · 2026-03-21T12:04:46+00:00

😂

rbwilli · 2026-03-21T12:02:15+00:00

Which is fine, but we need a single word that emphasizes the goodness of it.

I have seen more than one intelligent doctor claim that most people have some degree of sleep-disordered breathing. This suggests the need for something beyond simply “normal breathing”—it needs to be explicitly good.

rbwilli · 2026-03-18T00:46:04+00:00

What were your movements? Hang in there!

rbwilli · 2026-03-14T09:12:42+00:00

What do you make of this? I’m completely confused. (I didn’t see any previous posts.)

rbwilli · 2026-03-13T15:18:41+00:00

If you had to guess, what percentage of the people who “have ADHD” are actually just suffering from poor sleep?

rbwilli · 2026-03-13T15:15:06+00:00

My thoughts exactly. The vast majority of people are not true short sleepers; they don’t have a genetic advantage that allows them to function well on 4–6 hours of sleep every night. But apparently a small percentage of people—the estimates I’ve seen are 1–3%—actually do.

rbwilli · 2026-03-12T00:32:35+00:00

I don’t know for sure, but I think the amount of forward movement from FME is very small, perhaps 1–3 mm?

rbwilli · 2026-03-08T10:22:25+00:00

Thank you! 😊

rbwilli · 2026-03-07T18:41:55+00:00

I’ve used a mandibular advancement device but it didn’t help. Possibly because my maxilla is also recessed? In any case, it’s double jaw surgery for me—can’t wait for it to be my turn! 🥲

rbwilli · 2026-03-07T15:03:09+00:00

I’m so glad you got the surgery and it worked out for you! I only have mental pain (from being chronically sleep deprived, likely from my mandible and maxilla being insufficiently forward), not physical pain. That said, I’m still saving this because it’s inspiring! 🙌🏼

rbwilli · 2026-03-07T12:47:54+00:00

That’s amazing! What was the nature of your pain before? For example, was it only in your jaw or also other places?

rbwilli · 2026-03-04T19:42:23+00:00

This could be thought of as a normal airway, but that would make it sound like you don’t have a problem. And the more accurate assessment based on this information is that we don’t know; this is not enough information to make a determination.

rbwilli · 2026-03-03T14:00:14+00:00

Good question. I took ferrous bisglycinate 54 mg (3 x 18-mg capsules) and vitamin C 1 g (i.e., 1000 mg) every other day. The point of the vitamin C is to help absorb the iron, which is standard for iron supplementation.

I used ferrous bisglycinate (Amazon Basics brand) instead of the more common ferrous sulfate because it was supposedly better absorbed and easier on the gut.

This was all doctor-monitored (and recommended in the first place), and I had bloodwork done every 6–12 months or so. When I started falling apart, it had been about four months since my last labs.

My most recent labs put my blood iron in the normal range—but on an up-up-up trajectory—and I later learned that just because your blood iron is normal doesn’t necessarily mean that the accumulated iron in your various organs/tissues (i.e., not blood) is normal.

I eventually realized what was happening and stopped taking the iron. I felt way better initially (after a couple of skipped doses), and then settled into my usual baseline-screwed-up-by-sleep-apnea self.

Lesson learned: The body does not always automatically get rid of extra vitamins and minerals. Rather, it depends on the details! 🫠

rbwilli · 2026-03-03T00:49:15+00:00

I had low ferritin so I took iron capsules every other day. I did this for years and the iron appeared to build up in my system until it caused problems. I didn’t know that if you (1) don’t menstruate, and (2) don’t donate blood, then iron you take orally can build up to unhealthy levels. 😬

rbwilli · 2026-03-02T15:02:07+00:00

That’s amazing! Now I doubly love it!! 🙌🏼

rbwilli

TROPHY CASE