I did some experimentation with large bolus doses of vitamin D (well not that large, but 24,000 when I was normally taking 3,000 a day).
I found that this disrupted sleep for a few days depending upon the size off the dose. I concluded that unmetabolised cholecalciferol was mildly toxic (in that it disrupted sleep), but 25 hydroxy vitamin D was not.
This fits with it being better to take cholecalciferol in the morning.
I also find if I get a lot of sun at the beach that disrupts sleep as I generate a lot of my own cholecalciferol.
The studies using bolus doses on a monthly basis also find that vitaminD is not as helpful as other studies.
Have used (on/off) many supplements ā apigenin, magnesium glycinate and threonate, choline, inositol, and melatonin, and probably a couple I am forgetting. Have also tried Trazodone but decided I didnāt want to keep taking it.
There are a few things that are critical for me: absolutely pitch black room and cool temperature. Minimal wine during the day and none near bed time.
Frankly, other than melatonin (10 mg extended release) I am not sure that any of the supplements do anything much.
The only factor that reliably predicts good sleep (meaning at least 15% slow wave) is: having swam laps the day before, and sat in the hot spa before and after. I do that twice a week and exercise the other days. But only the swim days are correlated with my best sleep.
I am finding a 10 kilometer hike with a weighted pack is giving me the best sleep of anything I have tried. I think that CBD is helping but not at all sure of anything else.
When I do strength training, even with 40 minutes of aerobics following, I think it actually makes for poorer sleep.
My sleep patterns have gotten a lot better over the previous six months, but it is really a mystery to me what makes it better or worse honestly.
and it brought up the issue of timing of exercise and sleep. Apparently there is some data that suggests significant exercise late in the day (I sometimes hit the gym between 9pm and 11pm) heats up muscles and reduces sleep. So one other factor to consider, the timing of your exercise. Iām working to move my exercise routine to mornings.
Wow, only 100 mg that is inspiring. I could certainly try doses at that level. Did you find a linear dose/response relationship when you experimented?
According to the linked study, changes in sleep architecture (more deep sleep) were more consistently observed at doses of tryptophan between 5 and 12 g. I have hesitated to start tryptophan based on those high doses.
I took tryptophan briefly after I had a viral infection to increase serotonin and improve sleep. 100 mg helped a lot. I donāt take it now bc my sleep is good, 8 h on average. I continue taking melatonin, 3 mg.
Which strain of canna? Sativa or Indica? I did find that Delta 8 (sativa) had an aphrodisiac effect and greatly amplified emotions. It also felt like it induced a flood of oxytocin. Did not help me at all with sleep, unfortunately.
sativa is to keep you awake lol. Indica was that helped me get asleep. As for sexual pleasure I think both are great. btw, it doesnāt make one a raging bull, but you enjoy it way more, lol
How do you all improve deep sleep? I think my numbers are not good there and improvement has been elusive. Some nights I get a very high percentage and others practically none per my apple watch.
I have tried a lot of things, like some of the supplements you all mentioned. The only thing that seems to amp it up is consistent level 2 aerobic activity for an hour or two, no later than about 4 hours before I sleep. Any other ideas?
Now I wonder if the watch is having a hard time dealing with my very low resting heart rate (about 60) in determining when I am in deep sleep. But I can say that the one sleep study I did (where I slept horribly of course) did show a low level.
I have had the same issue. My solution is to attack it indirectly. Focus on getting in sync with your circadian rhythm. Feel sleepy at bedtime without drugs. Do easy cardio / walking in AM and in PM. Do short deep breathing exercises a few times everyday.
Iāve been finding Source Naturals Sleep Science NutraSleep - Multi-Nutrient and Herb Complex to be pretty helpful. Iāve taken a number of just herbal combos and find that I develop a tolerance after a while so that they seem to stop working. Iāve been taking this for a couple weeks now and it seems to really help.
Psychological stress leads to all sorts of disorders including drinking, overeating, lack of sleep, CVD, etc.
I observed in my work environment that people who were stressed the most, and unfortunately, that is usually people at the bottom of the totem pole, tended to be more prone to obesity caused by their use of food as a comfort source.
I once asked my boss why he never seemed stressed. He said;" I donāt get stress, I cause stress."
Retirement removed a lot of stress that I didnāt realize that I had.
I think that there is not enough attention paid to the adverse effects of stress by the usual YouTube fitness gurus.
@desertshores I agree. And the solution most often used is to workout hard to āburn stressā. But that is just more stress. That ex-boss must have been a gem.
Hello Deborah, Iāve tried some of the things you noted, but without success so far which means I still use diphenhydramine (benadryl). Do you have any updates on what you do to improve sleep?
Jay, I too have found that diphenhydramine almost guarantees a good nightās sleep --but ā I wonāt use it more than may-be once a month. It can be bad for the brain. So if you are using it consistently, suggest weaning off it.
Nothing more definitive to share. It seems that not eating after about 6 (bedtime at 10) and no alcohol at all is helpful. I exercise every day but it seems that swimming leads to better sleep than about the same amount of time (50 minutes) of other exercise, eg. Peloton and weights. Strangely, the Fitbit is telling me that swimming is more vigorous but it doesnāt feel that way. I swim 2x week, and do Peloton/weights or sometimes a 4 mile walk instead on the other days.
My son shared some of his Indica with me. I use a vape. two-three puffs. I am not really sure it helps with sleep maintenance, or with SWS. I have also purchased gummies at a medical dispensary (bought a license). I prefer the vape because it is a little easier to control/predict, and it works much faster.
