Thanks for opening this topic. It’s important to realise there are different kinds of sleep problem, so different people will need different solutions:
sleep onset (which tends to be due to stimulation too late at night; CBT sleep hygiene works well for this, if done diligently, and limiting coffee etc)
early morning waking (which tends to be due to stress-anxiety-depression or large amounts of alcohol)
low sleep quality (which can be due to a range of things but alcohol and the wrong medication is a classic cause; Mirtazapine is popular, but has long term dangers like weight gain)
In the UK, melatonin* is no longer available without prescription, only 5-HTP, which is a precursor. Is this because people tended to take dangerously large doses of melatonin? (Precursors tend to be safer, because the body can convert the amount it needs, at the right time.)
Generally fresh air is a good thing but there are caveats especially during a pandemic winter. If you pull in too much very cold air (with low absolute humidity) you can quickly go below 40% RH which is bad for the protective mucus layer of the lung & airways, and the glycans+non-IgG antibodies which are important for innate immunity.
What makes you think slightly lower CO2 or higher O2 levels are good for sleep? Isn’t the converse equally or more likely? (If not, people who live in mountain areas are in trouble! And I sleep really well in the mountains.) I have noticed that people in higher CO2 environments seem drowsy. Of course, this too may not correlate with good quality sleep!
Are you defining good sleep just by duration? For more on this, search < sleep architecture CBT >
On the SAD lighting, many people find the room lighting or boxes impractical. Much easierfor some is a visor or glasses which can be worn while preparing breakfast etc. I’ve been happy with an Australian brand (www.re-timer.com/the-science/research) but there are others that may look cooler!
5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin, which is a precursor to melatonin. I imagine that this would have a much slower and less predictable effect, less suitable for helping to go to sleep in a particular time range.
I share the concerns about possible overuse of melatonin, though I’ve found out helpful at times. I try to adjust light exposure (morning and night) as a higher priority than melatonin.
I may also go back to using low dose melatonin, though, as it’s been helpful in the past and may be needed in modern technological society.
Thanks for opening this topic. It’s important to realise there are different kinds of sleep problem, so different people will need different solutions:
sleep onset
(which tends to be due to stimulation too late at night; CBT sleep hygiene works well for this, if done diligently, and limiting coffee etc)
early morning waking
(which tends to be due to stress-anxiety-depression or large amounts of alcohol)
low sleep quality
(which can be due to a range of things but alcohol and the wrong medication is a classic cause; Mirtazapine is popular, but has long term dangers like weight gain)
In the UK, melatonin* is no longer available without prescription, only 5-HTP, which is a precursor. Is this because people tended to take dangerously large doses of melatonin? (Precursors tend to be safer, because the body can convert the amount it needs, at the right time.)
Generally fresh air is a good thing but there are caveats especially during a pandemic winter. If you pull in too much very cold air (with low absolute humidity) you can quickly go below 40% RH which is bad for the protective mucus layer of the lung & airways, and the glycans+non-IgG antibodies which are important for innate immunity.
What makes you think slightly lower CO2 or higher O2 levels are good for sleep? Isn’t the converse equally or more likely? (If not, people who live in mountain areas are in trouble! And I sleep really well in the mountains.) I have noticed that people in higher CO2 environments seem drowsy. Of course, this too may not correlate with good quality sleep!
Are you defining good sleep just by duration? For more on this, search < sleep architecture CBT >
On the SAD lighting, many people find the room lighting or boxes impractical. Much easierfor some is a visor or glasses which can be worn while preparing breakfast etc. I’ve been happy with an Australian brand (www.re-timer.com/the-science/research) but there are others that may look cooler!
* https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20181112/as-melatonin-use-rises-so-do-safety-concerns
https://alaskaregional.com/blog/entry/4-reasons-to-be-cautious-about-melatonin
5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin, which is a precursor to melatonin. I imagine that this would have a much slower and less predictable effect, less suitable for helping to go to sleep in a particular time range.
I share the concerns about possible overuse of melatonin, though I’ve found out helpful at times. I try to adjust light exposure (morning and night) as a higher priority than melatonin.
I may also go back to using low dose melatonin, though, as it’s been helpful in the past and may be needed in modern technological society.