Seasonal Sleep Cycles

Baron

Baron

ET Founder
I was sleeping pretty good during the summer (11PM - 7:45AM) but starting last week, my sleep completely changed to 10PM - 4:30AM. This is the third year in a row that this has happened around this time of the year. I don't set an alarm or anything. I start getting tired around 9:30PM and then by 10PM my head is on the pillow. And without setting an alarm or anything, I will wake up at precisely 4:30AM. And when I mean wake up, I mean I'm waking up very alert and ready to get on with my day.

I was just wondering if anybody else has noticed seasonal changes in your sleep, or if you're on the same schedule all year around.
 
I think it is called getting older. My bet is that in the summer you may have more stimulation to stay up longer, thus you sleep longer. But you will find out that your "winter" cycle is going to be the new normal eventually.

Since I passed 50 I only sleep 5-6 hours, and just like you, once awake, I feel fully rested and ready to go. I mean around 4-5 am....
 
Do you get a lot of sunlight in the summer? That releases your natural melatonin. In the winter, try a melatonin supplement about an hour before bedtime.
 
Baron said:
I was sleeping pretty good during the summer (11PM - 7:45AM) but starting last week, my sleep completely changed to 10PM - 4:30AM. This is the third year in a row that this has happened around this time of the year. I don't set an alarm or anything. I start getting tired around 9:30PM and then by 10PM my head is on the pillow. And without setting an alarm or anything, I will wake up at precisely 4:30AM. And when I mean wake up, I mean I'm waking up very alert and ready to get on with my day.

I was just wondering if anybody else has noticed seasonal changes in your sleep, or if you're on the same schedule all year around.
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Light-levels and clock changes, man. I bet in the more northern latitudes you'd be a wreak after the clock change. It's radical. 'Round these parts, sun sets just before 4:30 PM now, and it's still setting earlier and earlier until X-Mas. And as Pekelo mentioned, aging plays a part.
 
ipatent said:
Do you get a lot of sunlight in the summer? That releases your natural melatonin. In the winter, try a melatonin supplement about an hour before bedtime.
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I'm in Florida, so yeah, tons of sunlight in the summer. I tried melatonin in the past, but the dreams were crazy as hell. I may try it again and see what happens though.
 
When I was younger, and before I had defined time commitments, I was clockwork for getting up in the morning. 7:00 am, no matter what and my day was under way. When I worked for an airline, I had an early start most of the time and was up 5 minutes before my alarm every day, which was set for 4:15am. Oddly the only 2 times I slept through were when the kids had been playing in our room and turned off my alarm the day/night before.
Nowadays I am up at 0520, but it is the alarm waking me, and usually not feeling great about getting up. On the weekends, 0730 is my max sleep until time. I don't remember the last time I made it past 0730, even if I wanted too.
After about 5 minutes of being up I am good for the day, although I admit in the past it may have been a product of caffeine loading. For the past few months, I have cut my caffeine consumption and am still ready to go after about 5 minutes of awake time.
Maybe when I am retired fully, I'll get a consistent pattern again.
 
Baron said:
...I tried melatonin in the past, but the dreams were crazy as hell. I may try it again and see what happens though.
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Aww man, that is the best! You are getting legal acid trips while you sleep! Dude, get back on some Melatonin. Try half the dose you used to take, so the dreams will be less mushroomy, but get good sleep.
 
A note on Melatonin. The original research was done using 300 microgram pills and that worked well. There is some patent issues, so the rest of the makers making 1 mg, 3mg or even 10 mg pills, hugely overdosing us. Then people are complaining of being foggy next day or even not being able to sleep.

You can actually buy Melatonin in microgram doses, or do as I did, got the 1 mg and break it in half or 1/3rd...
 
Pekelo said:
A note on Melatonin. The original research was done using 300 microgram pills and that worked well. There is some patent issues, so the rest of the makers making 1 mg, 3mg or even 10 mg pills, hugely overdosing us. Then people are complaining of being foggy next day or even not being able to sleep.

You can actually buy Melatonin in microgram doses, or do as I did, got the 1 mg and break it in half or 1/3rd...
More...
Interesting, my kids talked me into trying Melatonin a few years ago when I was having sleep issues. I did for about a week, but every morning I had a ripping headache and a definite foggy brain. These were pills bought at Walgreens and I bet they are as you describe a huge overdose amount.
While I am not having the same sleep issues these days(beyond not enough, for other reasons), I may try again at the dose level you mention just to see if it is a better effect.
 
I saw on Amazon one with 12mg. That is 40 times the recommended dose! I bought a 1 mg at Walmart for 3 bucks I think, and because it is 120 pills, that is literally one year of supply. Practically free...

Anyhow here is the more in depth explanation about the patent/dose confusion:

https://slatestarcodex.com/2018/07/12/did-a-melatonin-patent-inspire-current-dose-confusion/

TL,DR: Over 1 mg, makers don't have to pay royalties. "The patent probably guided supplement companies, but expired about five years ago. It’s now legal to produce melatonin 0.3 mg pills, but people are so used to higher doses that few people do."

Bonus info: melatonin is a hormone.
 
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