Sleep Quality & Deep Sleep

[Dave Clark]

Ok so after researching around I was not comfortable with grounding through the electrical system of my house. People have reported problems with it due to feedback from the power system, etc. So what I did was head down to the hardware store and got a copper water pipe about 5 feet long and 3/4 in diameter. I got pipe instead of a grounding rod because the pipe has more surface space to contact the earth. I then got 14 gauge solid wire and hooked it on onto the pipe with a ground clamp. I got aluminum screen(this is only temporary until I get silver cloth or something like that) and draped it across my bed. I hooked the grounded wire to the screen with an alligator clip. Working on getting the right resistor for extra protection just in case of lightning strike or tampering. Put fitted sheet back on bed.. Tested with voltmeter and indeed body voltage drops dramatically after laying on bed. Bingo bongo, all good. Tonight we be first night sleeping on it.

I believe Intuition -Physician uses a 100k resistor on theirs.

 

[charlie]

I believe Intuition -Physician uses a 100k resistor on theirs.

Thank you. I have seen those recommended but then saw another one that is supposed to be better. Gotta go back and find it.

 

[lvysaur]

I saw a post recently by @Janelle525 about vitamin D toxicity when losing weight, and I have historically supplemented with vitamin D, so I became worried about continuing (https://raypeatforum.com/community/attachments/capture9-jpg.8944/). You could be right on the money.

I have always noticed either no effect or a negative effect from vitamin D supplementation. The supplement typically does nothing, and getting over an hour of sunlight makes me feel irritated and somewhat adrenergic.

My guess is that I, as well as the others who seem not to benefit from D, have the "African" gene variant for high vitamin D binding protein.
African People Aren't Vitamin D Deficient
This gene variant occurs in 90% of Africans and 50% of non-Africans, and results in a much lower amount of vitamin D binding protein (essentially the SHBG of vitamin D).

Basically all medical studies are done on whites, so the benefit from vitamin D that the studies purport is probably only picking up on the other 50% with high levels of the binding protein (and thus lower levels of unbound vitamin D).

 

[YourUniverse]

I have always noticed either no effect or a negative effect from vitamin D supplementation. The supplement typically does nothing, and getting over an hour of sunlight makes me feel irritated and somewhat adrenergic.

My guess is that I, as well as the others who seem not to benefit from D, have the "African" gene variant for high vitamin D binding protein.
African People Aren't Vitamin D Deficient
This gene variant occurs in 90% of Africans and 50% of non-Africans, and results in a much lower amount of vitamin D binding protein (essentially the SHBG of vitamin D).

Basically all medical studies are done on whites, so the benefit from vitamin D that the studies purport is probably only picking up on the other 50% with high levels of the binding protein (and thus lower levels of unbound vitamin D).

Ive been monitoring your posts on vitamin D and genetics for a while, its very interesting. I find I do better with more vitamin D, so I may not have that high vitamin D binding protein gene. I currently take 10,000 IU every day, and sunbathe as often as possible. When I go a few days without bathing, I have trouble sleeping - a "tired but wired" effect.

Recently, I took the bathing too far and got a pretty severe sunburn all over my chest, stomach and shoulders, and hands and feet have been freezing ever since. I assume this is a fairly severe systemic stress, and it worked against my aims at deep sleep, but regular lighter bathing does help, at least from my perspective.

A few months ago, I had some severe problems with reflux and indigestion, most likely caused by severe stress and eating things that were too fatty too close to the evening. When my stomach is too full, I have trouble sleeping, and I notice I need to sleep on my left side or it will try to come too far up and out...

Aside from those things, I feel like sleep is mostly mental. When I am content, when I know I put an honest days work and exertion, and "did the right things" which is totally based on my understanding of my own goals, I sleep much better. Maybe discontent and lack of progressive action is the major cause of insomnia.

I use "severe" too much

 

[Frankdee20]

Cortisol issues can effect sleep, low magnesium status can effect sleep, high catecholamines can effect sleep.... Very high histamine and low acetylcholine can effect sleep..... I find half a pill of doxylamine really helps

Zinc, Magnesium, Inositol, Glycine, GABA, Niacin, Theanine and the nervines like Chamomile, Magnolia, Lemon Balm, Kava and Valerian/Passion Flower can also help.

 

[metabolizm]

Aside from those things, I feel like sleep is mostly mental. When I am content, when I know I put an honest days work and exertion, and "did the right things" which is totally based on my understanding of my own goals, I sleep much better. Maybe discontent and lack of progressive action is the major cause of insomnia.

You hit the nail on the head here.

 

[lvysaur]

I find I do better with more vitamin D, so I may not have that high vitamin D binding protein gene.

It's the opposite, high binding protein = less free D.
Low binding protein = more free D = healthy even though supposedly "deficient" according to lab tests

but regular lighter bathing does help, at least from my perspective.

I benefit from sunbathing too, but I feel the effects within minutes, so it's probably not due to vitamin D production. I also feel the effects even when the sun is below a 45(?) degree angle, when it's impossible to make D. So the benefits for me are purely from the light.

When I am content, when I know I put an honest days work and exertion, and "did the right things" which is totally based on my understanding of my own goals, I sleep much better. Maybe discontent and lack of progressive action is the major cause of insomnia.

Probably yeah. But the "mental" leads to real physical effects. Sleep deprivation = higher neutrophil counts, for example.

 

[YourUniverse]

It's a good call about the light, maybe it is the light and not the D.

Probably yeah. But the "mental" leads to real physical effects. Sleep deprivation = higher neutrophil counts, for example.

Can you expand on neutrophils? Are they good or bad, for example? If they are good, does that suggest it's better to be sleep deprived?

 

[lvysaur]

Can you expand on neutrophils? Are they good or bad, for example? If they are good, does that suggest it's better to be sleep deprived?

I don't think they're a good thing, they're correlated with poorer disease outcomes and they are part of the innate immune response (not adaptive)

I've had blood tests done a few times when I had a high heartbeat, sleep deprived, and both times showed neutrophil counts toward the high end (though technically within the reference range).

There are also many papers showing causation between sleep deprivation and elevated neutrophils.

 

[YourUniverse]

I don't think they're a good thing, they're correlated with poorer disease outcomes and they are part of the innate immune response (not adaptive)

I've had blood tests done a few times when I had a high heartbeat, sleep deprived, and both times showed neutrophil counts toward the high end (though technically within the reference range).

There are also many papers showing causation between sleep deprivation and elevated neutrophils.

Are their effects reversible..?

 

[lvysaur]

Are their effects reversible..?

Yes probably

 

[David PS]

These articles from February & March 2023.

Brain Waste Removal System and Sleep: Photobiomodulation as an Innovative Strategy for Night Therapy of Brain Diseases

Emerging evidence suggests that an important function of the sleeping brain is the removal of wastes and toxins from the central nervous system (CNS) due to the activation of the brain waste removal system (BWRS). The meningeal lymphatic vessels (MLVs) are an important part of the BWRS. A...

www.mdpi.com

Lights at night: does photobiomodulation improve sleep? : Neural Regeneration Research

ce, so many individuals have trouble sleeping well. Poor quality sleep has such a detrimental impact on many aspects of our lives; it affects our thinking, learning, memory, and movements. Further, and most poignantly, poor quality sleep over time increases the risk of developing a serious...

journals.lww.com

In this review, we focus on a potentially new non-pharmacological treatment that improves the quality of sleep. This treatment, called photobiomodulation, involves the application of very specific wavelengths of light to body tissues. In animal models, these wavelengths, when applied at night, have been reported to stimulate the removal of fluid and toxic waste-products from the brain; that is, they improve the brain’s inbuilt house-keeping function. We suggest that transcranial nocturnal photobiomodulation, by improving brain function at night, will help improve the health and well-being of many individuals, by enhancing the quality of their sleep.

 

[AinmAnseo]

Are you taking any thyroid? May be I have missed this? Do you know what your thyroid levels are? Ray Peat says that all poor quality sleep is low thyroid. But perhaps you know this?

Maggie,
- Ray Peat says that all poor quality sleep is low thyroid. But perhaps you know this?
Where can I find more information on his statements about sleep and thyroid?