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levite · 02-04-2011, 02:47 PM

So, I also have sleep apnea (OMG, breathing machine is awesome, right? I didn't think anything would be worth having to sleep like Darth Vader, but there is no underestimating a good night's sleep, is there?!), and I know just what you're talking about, and I've done a lot of playing with the mix.

First off, anytime I've got something important in the morning, I always try to get to bed a little earlier than normal, because extra sleep really does help.

Second, don't underestimate the natural rhythm factor. I am, biologically, very very much not a morning person. So I know that when I have to get up at the hairy ass-crack of dawn for stuff, I need to prepare. Not only going to bed earlier, but also, drinking some caffeine in the morning (though I've managed to cut way, way down on my overall caffeine intake).

And though I'm usually a light breakfaster if it's a weekday, if it's really early, I eat a good breakfast. This is totally key: eggs and oatmeal. Not together in the same dish, but having the two for breakfast. I have a couple of scrambled eggs and a dish of steel-cut oatmeal (raisins, little splash of maple syrup, half a pat of butter, pinch of salt-- no milk, no sugar, nothing else) and a couple of vegetarian breakfast sausages, and I swear to you, not only am I energized and good to go, but I don't get hungry or snacky at all until at least four o'clock. Breakfast of champions, my hand to God.

Finally, drink a lot. It wasn't until my doctor told me that I had to drink way more water than I was drinking (and it wasn't like I was going around thirsty) that I figured out the full range of benefits from being well hydrated. Personally, I like a little flavor in my beverage, so I mostly drink Crystal Light from my water bottle-- nice flavor, no calories or carbs or anything, no carbonation, and the flavorings don't impede maximum hydration. On an average, not too hot day, I probably go through a 25 ounce bottle of that stuff every couple of hours, not including what I drink with meals or snacks, and not including what I drink during/after exercise.

My whole fourth year of rabbinical school I was falling asleep in classes and other places. Once I got the machine, figured out that I needed more sleep than I thought I needed, and started balancing my energy with the right kinds of food and lots of hydration, I was awake and involved in every class, and my classroom teaching sharpened up-- my whole life changed.

02-04-2011, 02:47 PM	#9 (permalink)
levite Minion of Joss Location: The Windy City	So, I also have sleep apnea (OMG, breathing machine is awesome, right? I didn't think anything would be worth having to sleep like Darth Vader, but there is no underestimating a good night's sleep, is there?!), and I know just what you're talking about, and I've done a lot of playing with the mix. First off, anytime I've got something important in the morning, I always try to get to bed a little earlier than normal, because extra sleep really does help. Second, don't underestimate the natural rhythm factor. I am, biologically, very very much not a morning person. So I know that when I have to get up at the hairy ass-crack of dawn for stuff, I need to prepare. Not only going to bed earlier, but also, drinking some caffeine in the morning (though I've managed to cut way, way down on my overall caffeine intake). And though I'm usually a light breakfaster if it's a weekday, if it's really early, I eat a good breakfast. This is totally key: eggs and oatmeal. Not together in the same dish, but having the two for breakfast. I have a couple of scrambled eggs and a dish of steel-cut oatmeal (raisins, little splash of maple syrup, half a pat of butter, pinch of salt-- no milk, no sugar, nothing else) and a couple of vegetarian breakfast sausages, and I swear to you, not only am I energized and good to go, but I don't get hungry or snacky at all until at least four o'clock. Breakfast of champions, my hand to God. Finally, drink a lot. It wasn't until my doctor told me that I had to drink way more water than I was drinking (and it wasn't like I was going around thirsty) that I figured out the full range of benefits from being well hydrated. Personally, I like a little flavor in my beverage, so I mostly drink Crystal Light from my water bottle-- nice flavor, no calories or carbs or anything, no carbonation, and the flavorings don't impede maximum hydration. On an average, not too hot day, I probably go through a 25 ounce bottle of that stuff every couple of hours, not including what I drink with meals or snacks, and not including what I drink during/after exercise. My whole fourth year of rabbinical school I was falling asleep in classes and other places. Once I got the machine, figured out that I needed more sleep than I thought I needed, and started balancing my energy with the right kinds of food and lots of hydration, I was awake and involved in every class, and my classroom teaching sharpened up-- my whole life changed. __________________ Dull sublunary lovers love, Whose soul is sense, cannot admit Absence, because it doth remove That thing which elemented it. (From "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" by John Donne)