
The brain functional connectome is robustly altered by lack of sleep - DiabloD3
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26712339
======
petilon
I have had sleep issues for many years. I have seen sleep specialists
regarding this issue. They basically tell you to reduce stress. But my daily
life is not particularly stressful.

But my job as a software developer involves brain-intensive work, and when I
come home after work, I work on hobby software development projects, which
means my brain is working intensely whenever I am awake. That may be the
stress leading to my sleep issues. But I can't give up my hobby.

All doctors want to do is put me on prescription pills for the rest of my
life, and all of these prescription sleeping pills are addictive. So I have
been avoiding prescription meds.

Then I discovered that magnesium supplements largely solves my problem. I hope
this helps someone: If you have sleep issues try Magnesium L-Threonate.
Magnesium fixed two issues for me: sleep and muscle stiffness.

~~~
amelius
You could also try meditation. It helps one to find a way to turn off the
brain when it is not needed.

~~~
guiambros
+1

I'm not an active practitioner of meditation, but I've been using some light
mindful exercises [1] when going to bed, and it helped me falling asleep
faster. It used to take me 30-45 minutes to shut down my brain; now I can do
in 5-10.

Melatonin also helps, particularly when it's getting late and I'm too excited
to sleep. I only take 300mcg, which is enough to make me _want_ to sleep. But
I use only as a last resort. It sometimes causes very vivid (and infrequently
even lucid) dreams, and then my brain doesn't rest as much, and I wake up
tired next morning.

[1] Nothing too fancy; just some tips from "Search Inside Yourself" [2].
Basically control your thoughts, empty your brain, focus on breathing, and
consciously think on every muscle of your body. Rinse and repeat.

[2]
[http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0070XF474/](http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0070XF474/)

------
Blahah
Barely suppressing my horror at the word 'connectome' to make a relevant
comment:

As a new (6 months) parent, I can confirm anecdotally that lack of sleep
profoundly messes with the brain. Even getting your normal duration of sleep,
but punctuated with lots of short waking periods, makes it almost impossible
to function in highly demanding intellectual tasks for any length of time.

And if you have any underlying mental issues (hint: you do), you better
believe those are coming to the surface when you've been chronically sleep
deprived for 3 months.

Long story short: for the love of all that is good, sleep well. If there's
something stopping you, find a way to get help or get away for a while so you
can get some real sleep. The ability to think properly comes back remarkably
quickly after a good sleep.

~~~
evilmushroom
I have never slept well my entire life. 4-6 hours a night is my average. It
doesn't seem to impact me... I have always felt great, and I have always coded
on complicated things without issue.

There has to be a ratio difference for people.

~~~
clessg
Same here. In fact, when I sleep for 8-9 hours, I am profoundly less sharp and
productive.

That said, I'm only 20, and I don't want to wreak havoc on my future health.
Difficult stuff.

~~~
funkyy
Have a large glass of water before sleep (real water, no soda or juice). A lot
of issues and tiredness after long sleep is caused by dehydration.

~~~
clessg
Sadly I don't think that's the case for me. I drink too much water if
anything.

------
thewhitetulip
I had paid less attention to sleep until I got hit by Appendicitis and I had
to be operated, that was a waking call for me to take health seriously, so I
stopped all the late night waking and started sleeping at least 6-7 hrs daily.
What I have observed is that if you keep everything under check then it won't
impact your health much, too much of anything is bad, so I started to daily
exercise, meditate You have no idea how awesome it feels to meditate at 5.30am
under a giant tree listening to the sound of birds chirping. Sadly I shifted
to a Metro now, so can't sit under a tree, but I do meditate, it helps to
clear my mind, meditation + daily exercise = good health

~~~
Alchemista
I understand how any trip to the hospital might lead to a reflection on your
health. However, I fail to see how appendicitis is related to a lack of sleep.

~~~
thewhitetulip
haha yeah the trip to the hospital lasted less than a week thanks to the
advanced way to remove appendix, but since then I started on the proper
schedule of sleeping at least 7 hrs a day no matter what, diet, exercise and
everything else, so getting enough sleep is the part of living a proper life
and the hospital life I have to thank

------
TazeTSchnitzel
I wonder if the changes are eventually reverted. How long would it take? Does
it always?

------
pdkl95
With an AHI[1] of [148, 150] across two tests, I'm quite sure my brain is...
shall we say.. "uniquely connected".

// I just spent the last few days in the ICU due to the heart problems that
come from lack of O2. Not fun. Seriously, get your sleep.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apnea%E2%80%93hypopnea_index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apnea%E2%80%93hypopnea_index)

~~~
austinjp
That sounds extremely unpleasant. What can you do about it, and what are you
managing to do?

------
jessaustin
When I find myself "in a rut" mentally, sometimes a day-night-day of no sleep
followed by a night of slightly more sleep than usual does just the trick to
make me more coherent and productive.

~~~
joshavant
Sleep deprivation is known to have fast-acting, acute antidepressant effects.
This may have something to do with whatever sensation you're noticing.

------
gavazzy
PDF of paper available?

~~~
ancaster
[http://linkinghub.elsevier.com.sci-
hub.cc/retrieve/pii/S1053...](http://linkinghub.elsevier.com.sci-
hub.cc/retrieve/pii/S1053-8119%2815%2901141-6)

~~~
gavazzy
Thanks!

------
slmyers
I watch nature programs narrated by David Attenborough when I need to get to
sleep. There is something strangely calming about observing nature.

