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Comment by Nyra | Hacker News Reader

As someone with serious sleeping problems (at least once a week I miss a night of sleep) and bad sleeping habits overall, I’ve definitely noticed my attention span and ability to think clearly taking a serious nosedive over the last couple years. Who would have thought, sleep is super important.

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Go on Amazon and get yourself one of those acupressure mats. Worst case, you will lose like $25, but I can attest to its effectiveness as one of the early users (and I have recommended it to friends ever since). Cheapest thing ever that can change your life.

I have trouble falling asleep, mind racing, all that jazz. I have to be EXHAUSTED to fall asleep. This thing is a miracle. After 15-20 minutes, you start drifting off, then wake up on it about an hour later, toss it to the side, and immediately fall back asleep, super-drowsy. And in the morning you feel like you had slept 36 hours straight.

Or weighted blankets!!

Second this. I have a 10kg one, and wish I got it sooner. The biggest difference seems to be that I don’t wake up as much in the night.

Magnesium supplements did it for me. I needed to take them for an unrelated reason - eye tremors - and the first time I took them I was suddenly overcome with tiredness that night. I've been taking them ever since to keep my sleep regulated, and they've really helped with my alertness during the day.

I first learned of magnesium supplements here on HN. Changed my life after years of sleep problems.

I'm so excited right now! I have the same issue as you with falling asleep. Is this what you're talking about?:

https://amzn.to/2qZ372D

I hope posting a link to amazon doesn't violate any site guidelines, but man, if this really helps I'm going to order it right away.

Yeah - that type. I wasn't a fan of the neck pillow when I tried it, but your mileage may vary. I flip mine landscape mode so that I get good back shoulder coverage, by the way.

Thanks for the tip, going to order one now. Have a nice weekend!

thanks! could you share the make/model you have or share a link? There are tons on there and want to get a specific recommendation that I know worked for at least one person.

I have the Spoonk brand, so any one of those. They do all look like the same mat, branded differently :)

I wonder if there is evidence that the brain adapts? I too have been having sleep problems due to a heavy footed night owl neighbor. In the beginning it was an issue, however, I found over the last two years my body kicks into a type of an overdrive and overcomes this. Obviously it's not good, however, I do notice a type of compensation.

Afaik the brain just gets used to it in the sense that it makes it feel normal. Measurable things like reaction time and cognitive tests keep getting worse while the test subjects claim not feeling like they get worse after a few days of sustained sleep reduction.

I don't think this comes without a long term cost. Among other things, some studies with pretty sound methodology have shown that people are very bad at self-estimating their own impairment from sleep-deprivation. It's likely worse than you think it is.

I'd encourage you to move if you can afford to, or to invest in a white noise machine and ear plugs that are comfortable to sleep in. Mack's wax ear plugs have made a huge change for me.

> Who would have thought, sleep is super important.

not sure of the sarcasm level here, but it astounds me that anyone wouldn't.

If there was an alternative to sleep, then that would be a huge evolutionary advantage.

Sleep could also just be a low-energy mode for times that are (used to be) unproductive, i. e. darkness.

The study in the linked article (and lots of others like it) begs to differ. If sleep was merely convenient rather the biologically necessary, our cognitive functions would not become severely hampered after only a few hours less sleep. Nor would people die after (medically) losing the ability to sleep after x number of days.

Further, if it were true, overweight people very likely wouldn't need to sleep at all.

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