How to avoid daytime sleepiness?

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To combat daytime sleepiness, offers several strategies which revolve around regulating your exposure to light, among other things:

  1. Morning Sunlight Exposure: Start your day by getting bright light in your eyes. This sets in motion wakefulness mechanisms, metabolism, mood, and well-being. It also anchors the cortisol pulse to early in the day, positively impacting alertness and preventing the wired and tired feeling in the evening 1.

  2. Throughout the Day: Continue to get sunlight throughout the day if it's not painfully bright; this is great for staying awake. Also, if you must nap, keep naps shorter than 90 minutes and ensure they don't disrupt nighttime sleep 1.

  3. Safe Light Exposure: If waking up before sunrise, you can use artificial lights. Once the sun rises, try to get actual sunlight exposure as interior lights wouldn't be enough to trigger wakefulness signals 2.

  4. Evening Sunlight: Viewing sunlight at sunset can help signal the transition to evening, preparing your body for sleep later 3.

    Maximizing Sunlight

    Discover the impact of early exposure to sunlight on wakefulness, mood, and overall well-being. Andrew explains how getting as much bright light in your eyes as possible throughout the day can enhance your focus, creativity, and metabolism. Learn why anchoring to the early part of the day is crucial for optimal cortisol levels and how delayed exposure to sunlight can contribute to feelings of depression and anxiety.

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  5. Avoid Late Caffeine and Intense Exercise: Be cautious about consuming caffeine late in the day and exercising intensely in the afternoon or evening as these can delay your circadian clock, and make it harder to fall asleep at night 4.

  6. Consistent Sleep Schedule: If you had a bad night of sleep, avoid napping, consuming extra caffeine, or going to bed earlier the next night. This helps you stick to a regular sleep pattern 5.

  7. Integrate These Practices: Aim to practice morning sunlight viewing at least 80% of your days. If you miss a day, make up for it by doubling the duration of sunlight exposure the following day 6.

Incorporating these tips should help improve alertness throughout the day and enhance overall sleep quality.

RELATED QUESTIONS

How to increase serotonin?

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To increase serotonin, offers a variety of strategies that can be broadly categorized into nutritional, behavioral, and potential supplementation approaches:

Nutritional Approaches

  • Tryptophan-Rich Foods: Consuming foods high in the amino acid tryptophan can lead to increases in serotonin. Examples include milk (particularly whole milk), canned tuna, oats, cheese (such as cheddar), nuts, seeds, and certain fruits like bananas and apples 1.
  • Carbohydrate-Rich Foods: Carbohydrates can increase serotonin. Andrew mentions this in the context of feel-good effects some may seek from food 2.

Behavioral Approaches

  • Physical Contact: Engaging in physical contact with loved ones, friends, and pets can increase serotonin transmission 3.

    Boosting Serotonin

    Andrew discusses how certain foods enriched in tryptophan can lead to net increases in the amount of serotonin available in the brain and body. He mentions foods like turkey, milk, oats, cheese, nuts, seeds, bread, chocolate, and fruits like bananas and apples as sources of tryptophan.

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  • Gratitude: Giving and receiving gratitude can elevate serotonin, with receiving and even observing gratitude being particularly potent 4.
  • Social Connection: Strong social connections, whether with humans or animals, positively affect serotonin levels, contributing to general well-being 5.

Supplementation (Caution Advised)

  • Cissus Quadrangularis: An herbal supplement that can increase serotonin, but may need to be cycled properly 6.
  • 5-HTP: A common supplement used as a precursor to boost serotonin but requires caution due to potential side effects and disruptions to sleep patterns 7.

emphasizes the importance of consulting with a healthcare provider before starting any supplementation to safely increase serotonin levels. Additionally, it is mentioned that overeating, particularly carbohydrate-rich foods, can increase serotonin, but this should be approached carefully as part of a balanced diet 2.

Remember, individual responses to various interventions can vary greatly, so it's important to consider these suggestions within the context of one's overall health and under the guidance of a healthcare professional.

RELATED QUESTIONS

Can you elaborate on the use of 5-HTP supplements and their side effects?

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5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan) is a supplement that is sometimes used to increase serotonin levels. However, has discussed how it needs to be used with caution. Here are key points about the use of 5-HTP and potential side effects:

  • Disruption of Sleep Architecture: Taking 5-HTP, especially close to bedtime, can disrupt normal sleep patterns. It may induce deep sleep early in the night, followed by waking, with difficulty returning to sleep because it can alter the timing of serotonin release which normally occurs later in the night 1 2.

  • Side Effects on Appetite and Libido: 5-HTP can blunt one’s appetite and potentially decrease body weight due to its impact on serotonin levels, which may control the urge to ingest food. However, this effect on appetite control must be carefully considered, as it might also increase cortisol levels and could have other unintended consequences, including affecting libido 3.

    Boosting Serotonin

    Andrew discusses the effects of taking serotonin supplements and suggests alternative ways to increase serotonin levels, such as consuming carbohydrate-rich foods. He also recommends a free resource for exploring the effects of different compounds on neuromodulators.

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  • Individual Variations in Response: People vary greatly in their sensitivity to 5-HTP. Some individuals may have a positive response, while others, like himself, might find that it leads to adverse effects such as poor sleep quality or a loss of appetite. Therefore, he emphasizes the importance of individualized experimentation if one chooses to use it 4 5.

  • Serotonin Production Concerns: Long-term use of supplements close to the chemical you're trying to increase, like serotonin, could potentially create issues with the body's own production of that chemical. Hence, recommends being cautious with regular use 1.

  • Alternative Options for Serotonin Increase: Rather than taking 5-HTP, discusses alternative supplements and behavior modifications that may boost serotonin more safely. For instance, cissus quadrangularis may be used under careful cycling protocols to increase serotonin and myo-inositol might offer some benefits without the side effects associated with 5-HTP 4.

Due to these potential side effects, suggests exploring these options with the guidance of a healthcare provider to ensure safety and appropriate use.

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