4 replies to this topic

[jroseland]

This summer I'm moving to Berlin, Germany and I'm wondering what sleep hacking considerations are going to be of my new lifestyle.

 

I'm a developer and most of my clients are in North America, 9AM California time is 5PM Berlin time, so I'm planning to adjust my workday.

 

I'm also going to be living in one of the greatest nightlife cities in the world, which I plan to take advantage of, so I'm going to have a quiet nocturnal existence! For foresee an average day of me waking up around 11AM or noon, working 12 hours and then doing something fun for a few hours and going to bed around 3AM-4AM

 

I know there are some biological disadvantages to sleeping during the day and spending hours working in front of a computer at night. What supplements and/or sleep hacks do you suggest

 

[timar]

Honestly, I don't think that there are any supplements that can make up for the detrimental, life-shortening effects of such a lifestyle. There are plenty of studies showing dramatic negative effects of shift work. Add heavy partying and the substances that come with it and you are up for an early death, I suppose.

 

We can only "hack" so much. Circadian rythms are hard-wired into our biology. Sometimes it is wiser to accept nature instead of trying to overcome it.

 

That said, you should make sure to take a long-term supply of melatonin with you, as it is illegal in Germany and impossible to get without a medical prescription. Taking 1 mg before going to bed and making shure that the room is adequately darkened should at least improve the quality of sleep in the morning hours.

 

It should go without a mention that given the lack of sunlight you should monitor you vitamin D level and supplement accordingly,

 

Consider this blog article by Josh Mitteldorf and the story of his friend George, who didn't like wasting time with sleep.

Edited by timar, 27 March 2015 - 01:38 PM.

[Aurel]

@timar: you can now get melatonin again in germany. Easy enough you go to the next "dm" store and get yourself a package of greendoc (http://www.greendoc....ler-einschlafen). One pill contains 0,5 mg of melatonin.

 

@jrose: let me know when you are in berlin. I live there and at the moment I barely go to sleep before 4am as well (I don't like it, but that is how my clock is ticking at the moment).

[ironfistx]

While I was living in Chicago I went to bed around 2 or 3am and got up at 11am.  There was nothing I did differently, I just ate at different times.  Are there any studies you can link to that that mention that hist kind of thing is unhealthy because a guy who supposedly was a member of a sleep team said that as long as you get the right amount of sleep the hours don't matter.

[proileri]

Some things that might help your body to adjust to a different rhythm would be melatonin, bright light therapy lamps and having light blocking curtains so you can have a dark bedroom throughout the sleep cycle.  

Edited by proileri, 29 July 2015 - 07:21 AM.