Can't sleep before big events? Neither did I - but there are solutions

[@ab_c4429]

Great video. I feel like the obsession you describe is even more amplified with all the health optimization info and podcasts that have sprung up over the last couple of years. By all means it's great to work on your health. But some of it is so specific it borders on the obsessive. But regarding your experience, I've felt that sometimes the state of not having slept enough adds to the excitement before a big event. It pumps you up in a way I can't really describe.

[@nikos_1717]

I agree totally. I do as much as I can for my health, but there is a point beyond which the concern for it becomes (pun intended) unhealthy.

[@duncancurry4]

Intermittent fasting in which I eat big breakfast and lunch but no dinner works for me. Not eating from 6-8pm is very hard, but once I get past that I am not hungry and I get very sleepy. I can go to bed early. I then have a great night sleep because stomach is empty. I wake up early, very energized and ready for gym. Surprisingly, I don’t wake up hungry. Good way to lose weight too if you want.

[@nikos_1717]

Intermittent fasting worked so great for me, that I had to stop it...I lost too much weight. Also good for my productivity skipping breakfast. You make a good point: not having to digest during the night is, all other things being equal, good for my sleep.

[@stephenharper4440]

I have found that even if I skip breakfast, but eat a large lunch, I have no appetite for dinner at all and the most I can eat at night is a salad.

[@stephenharper4440]

I also have found that if I eat a decent breakfast, I can skip lunch and then eat dinner at night. I found this very helpful at OCON23, when I had to attend banquets. At OCON24 I will be sure to get up early, shave and then go to my first class. If I am meeting a friend for breakfast, I will go, otherwise I will skip breakfast and then eat lunch-a large lunch if I have no commitments for dinner, and skip dinner or a light lunch and then dinner at night. Another important thing that I will try to do is arrive the day before the conference and get plenty of rest and exercise that day.

[@michaeldeangelis1225]

Perfect advice. Don't make a big deal out of it. Low carb lifestyle helps in many ways especially with anxiety. Always great to hear from Nikos on his channel or ARI.

[@nikos_1717]

Thank you! Latest development: I've started tracking my sleep with a wearable, and despite my prediction to the opposite, it has improved my sleep. Seeing it as a 'video game' and wanting to higher your score (what time you go to bed, hours of sleep etc) has had a positive impact.

[@eduardorpg64]

"I had to give a talk in OCON last year (referring to OCON 2022)". I just came to say that you talk about the Soviet Union in OCON 2022 was freaking amazing! I loved it!

[@nikos_1717]

Thanks so much Eduardo! Prepping for the OCON 2023 talk these days

[@lmf9308]

I really like this idea that it's not a big deal if you can't sleep the night before an important event. It's very liberating. And it's true, too: when you're in the middle of the speech or the exam or whatever it is, you won't even notice the lack of sleep. I'm glad you decided to make your own channel, by the way! Whenever I've seen you on ARC-UK, I have always wanted to hear more of what you have to say, and less of what the other people have to say. Your takes are always super interesting.

[@nikos_1717]

Thank you, glad you found this useful. In the long term lack of sleep catches up with you, but especially for one-off events, the impact will be minimal or non-existent. So letting go of the worry is liberating indeed.

[@LaidBackPedalPusher]

Thanks for the ideas! Very timely for me because tonight is going to be one of those nights. I need to travel by car to be at a special animal clinic at 8:15 AM, about a hundred miles from home. It took months to get an appointment for my pup's eye surgery. Even with navigation, I often manage to get lost. Most of your advice won't work for my anxiety this time, but it actually helps to hear you say not to worry about it too much. In this case, all I have to do is get my sweetie ready and get there on time. To solve my own health problem, I have recently added colostrum to my supplements. This increases my metabolism. I know, because I get warm an hour or so after taking it. In any case, I now take my supplements early in the day to take advantage of that energy. I also need to find a bed lamp with an automatic shutoff, because reading is often the only way for me to get back to sleep.

[@nikos_1717]

Thanks for the kind words, and hope everything goes well. Good luck!

[@LaidBackPedalPusher]

@@nikos_1717 Everything went great! Thanks, Nikos!

[@theanalyticsyntheticdichot4404]

What helps me on days where I couldn't sleep the night is to adopt a polyphasic sleep cycle where you sleep for 25 minutes every 3 hours.

[@nikos_1717]

Can work if you're at home, and power naps do give you a boost. But doesn't work if you're at a venue etc.

[@theanalyticsyntheticdichot4404]

@@nikos_1717 Fair enough. At my university there are snooze rooms and sleep labs where you are allowed to refresh yourself. It's not ideal because of hygiene concerns, but it's better than being sleep deprived in my opinion.

[@ab_c4429]

Did you ever try out guided meditation? It used to work really well for me. Also taking hot shower before going to bed also helps.

[@nikos_1717]

Yes, it is great for relaxing me, but not pre-night sleep. PS: I remember listening to Andrew Huberman, who has good stuff on sleep, discouraging people from meditating pre-sleep.