I’m currently experimenting with the increasing my apigenin intake from both food sources (parsley, chamomile) and supplements. I’m not sure what the ideal dosage is (probably somewhere between 300mg and a gram), but the potential benefits are intriguing.
Tag: sleep Page 1 of 2
Make mine a virgin.
Recently, as a “kick-in-the-butt” motivator, I promised myself that I would abstain from alcoholic beverages until I finished the first draft of a novel I’ve been working on. I had set a target date for completing the project (June 30th), with the idea that if I didn’t finish by that date, I’d stop drinking booze until I was done. I didn’t think of it as “punishment” so much; rather a modest motivational booster to propel me towards my goal. I enjoy drinking — especially wine — and I knew that going without would help me stay focused.
Well, June 30th came and went with no completed first draft in sight. No problem — it would only take a few more days to finish — soon I would be popping a cork and savoring my first glass.
I did finally finish the first draft of my sci-fi novel … on August 10th. Forty days with no booze. Here’s what it felt like:
The real sleep experts.
Hello readers! Sorry for the lengthy absence — I went on vacation for awhile, and have been nose-to-the-grindstone on various projects since I returned.
The vacation was a blast — five families went in on a mansion rental in Truckee and we all played around in the snow. Five families under one roof leads to some interesting conversations — both frivolous and serious. One topic that came up a few times was sleep. Not everyone was getting some. Why is it that so many adults sleep poorly? In our case maybe it was the copious amounts of booze being consumed, but even teetotalers sometimes sleep poorly.
Chronic sleep deprivation is one of the worst states of consciousness. Insomniacs are wide awake at night, groggy and irritable during the day, and miserable most of the time.
Insomnia can be triggered by any of the following:
As regular readers of this blog already know, I often recommend Dan’s Plan as a system for weight loss, fitness, and all-around health. If you’re in the process of creating your own health system, the infographic below is a great resource. It’s complete, clear, and well-balanced.
The philosophy behind the Dan’s Plan health system is the same as my own — in general try to be more paleolithic, while also embracing the benefits of modern civilization and information technology.
The original post is here.
Good health to you!
Magic beans.
Earlier this month I decided to go without coffee for 30 days. I’ve done a number of 30-day experiments over the last few years, including giving up booze, sugar, web-surfing, video games, and even artificial light. 30 days is a good amount of time to break old habits and establish new ones, or at least to reset your physiology and brain to a new set of stimuli. Coffee was the only substance I hadn’t tried to give up. In the interest of facing my fears, I decided to give up my favorite morning brew.
I also wanted to see if giving up coffee would alter my sleep cycle (sleeping deeper, and longer without waking), and/or affect my ability to concentrate and work on difficult tasks for long periods of time. Lately I had been feeling that my mental wheels were spinning without the gears being fully engaged.
I did a one-day taper (only 1 cup in the morning, as opposed to my usual two cups in the morning and a cup in the afternoon), and then switched to only tea and dark chocolate. At some point I may attempt a no-caffeine experiment, but that wasn’t the point of this experiment.
Physical withdrawal took about 5 days, with effects as follows: