Dear Brain:

[tetragon]

Dear pile of grey mush in my head,

It has been interesting when you decided to show me how I had been having problems with doing things that required focus and concentration by suddenly starting to be able to do that stuff again; I didn't realize what I could not do until I could do it again. This is about that. Could you please just reschedule when that level of concentration occurs? I want to be sleepy at bedtime. You can even switch that scheduled time with what appears to be your designated sleepy time: 14:00.

It would actually be rather nice to be able to make use of that at work, instead of having the last two hours at the office and the commute home be a struggle to stay awake. The winter cold will probably, eventually come, and I would rather not have to take the walk to Timmy's and walk back (without buying anything) for only a brief extension in not nodding off in the trafficked hallway that my desk is in. I don't even have any walls to hide the jerks awake. I know that that the environment there is actually better than my apartment for sleeping, just as cold and both darker and quieter, if you ignore all the people walking past and holding meetings immediately behind me, but that's why I'm looking at picking up some blackout curtains for the apartment (my manager won't let me move my desk into the light no matter how many people think I should be over in the light, even though I don't really need to be in the dark).

As for at home, at night, just think of how much easier sleep would be if you saved up the "struggle to stay awake" level of being for then. While you are better at letting me get to sleep than you used to be, it would be nice if you were actually sleepy after I make certain I'm home over an hour before when I want to go to bed and I spend the rest of the time quietly not doing exciting things, like use any of my electronics. The thoughts of all the projects to do should be for the afternoon and evening, which is when you wanted to sleep. You could even pipe up with the projects in the morning, instead of trying to get me back into bed. It took me a few months to get out of the habit of returning to bed and sleep in the morning after disabling my alarm clocks, without remembering any of the disabling of the alarm clocks. I don't intend to get back into that one; I may have had that habit for years, but it was just too annoying.

In short, please just switch your afternoon and night states. That shouldn't be too hard for you.

Regards,
Tetragon

[robysue]

Tetragon,

I'd like to send that same letter to my brain on the worst of my days/nights.

One idea that helps me is the use of a so-called SAD light in the morning right after I wake up for 30-40 minutes or so. SAD lights are super, super bright---as bright enough to approximate outside natural daylight indoors. They were designed to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder---also known as the winter time blues that some folks find extremely disrupting to their daytime functioning in the winter time. SAD lights do not require any prescription, but they can be a bit pricey.

[tetragon]

I have a light. It arrived less than a week ago. I'm figuring out how to use it. In the morning, that is. I'm not going to do anything to it in the evening that risks turning it on. I just love how it displays a countdown for its timer that you can't actually see without blocking the light.

[avi123]

If I had SAD I would move to a sunny state at least for the winters. While living in the Boston area, those lamps did not help me much with my Psoriasis.

[robysue]

I have a light. It arrived less than a week ago. I'm figuring out how to use it. In the morning, that is. I'm not going to do anything to it in the evening that risks turning it on. I just love how it displays a countdown for its timer that you can't actually see without blocking the light.

It's not rocket science: Sit in front of the light for about 30 minutes as soon as possible after you first get up for the day and preferably before it's getting late (like 9:00 or 10:00). I usually eat breakfast and download my data in front of the light.

[mars]

Hi tetragon

These links might help -

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=Circa ... =firefox-a

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... .4.2.1l9l0

Explore and enjoy

Mars

[tetragon]

It's not rocket science: Sit in front of the light for about 30 minutes as soon as possible after you first get up for the day and preferably before it's getting late (like 9:00 or 10:00). I usually eat breakfast and download my data in front of the light.

And so I was able to get everything set up and running at 5:15. There are times that I really hate my schedule and latitude. It was much easier when I could work on my projects until 3:00 or 4:00, and only go to bed because the person I was working with on the west coast got tired and I needed to head to work for 10:00 or 11:00.

[Squirrelfriend]

If I had SAD I would move to a sunny state at least for the winters. While living in the Boston area, those lamps did not help me much with my Psoriasis.

It's a common misconception that sunny weather cures SAD. I spend my winters in Arizona, and I still use the light box for my SAD. For many of us with SAD, it's about the diminished photo period, and that happens in sunny places, too.

[chunkyfrog]

I used to think I had SAD.
It seems to be gone now.
Could it have been the apnea?
This would not have been the first thing my (former) doctor got wrong.

[robysue]

I used to think I had SAD.
It seems to be gone now.
Could it have been the apnea?

Well, in my case the SAD-like symptoms were easily managed pre-CPAP by having a light come on in my bedroom about 30 minutes before the alarm went off. But last winter, my first with CPAP/BiPAP? I simply could not function at all. SAD was definitely part of it and also part of what was driving the insomnia since with me SAD seems to be accompanied by a circadian problem as well. And the SAD lights are good at providing help for those of us with circadian rhythm problems as well.

[chunkyfrog]

I tried light; it didn't really help.
Then it became a 'female problem'.
--the female problem that too many doctors are too damn lazy.

[robysue]

I tried light; it didn't really help.
Then it became a 'female problem'.
--the female problem that too many doctors are too damn lazy.

I'm all too familiar with that particular female problem. Odd thing is, I've had it with female docs just as bad as male docs.

[tetragon]

It's not rocket science: Sit in front of the light for about 30 minutes as soon as possible after you first get up for the day and preferably before it's getting late (like 9:00 or 10:00). I usually eat breakfast and download my data in front of the light.

And so I was able to get everything set up and running at 5:15. There are times that I really hate my schedule and latitude. It was much easier when I could work on my projects until 3:00 or 4:00, and only go to bed because the person I was working with on the west coast got tired and I needed to head to work for 10:00 or 11:00.

After trying this for a week, there is one thing in particular that I noticed: the light seems to have turned me into some form of animalian sunflower. Wherever I position the light, I stay rooted where I sit, but turn and lean into the light as I do whatever it is I'm doing. Whenever the light turns off, there is a sudden yearning for its return. I'm still having some difficulties with afternoons and evenings on days that I'm in my mushroom farm of an office, but at least waking up is easier.

[RocketGirl]

After trying this for a week, there is one thing in particular that I noticed: the light seems to have turned me into some form of animalian sunflower. Wherever I position the light, I stay rooted where I sit, but turn and lean into the light as I do whatever it is I'm doing. Whenever the light turns off, there is a sudden yearning for its return. I'm still having some difficulties with afternoons and evenings on days that I'm in my mushroom farm of an office, but at least waking up is easier.

Since the light is having an effect, you might consider putting full-spectrum light bulbs in the lights where you spend the most time and especially where you do close work like reading, including your office - I started doing this several years ago and it has really helped a lot with the winters. The bulbs last a long time, too, so you don't have to replace very often.

[tetragon]

Since the light is having an effect, you might consider putting full-spectrum light bulbs in the lights where you spend the most time and especially where you do close work like reading, including your office - I started doing this several years ago and it has really helped a lot with the winters. The bulbs last a long time, too, so you don't have to replace very often.

I can't adjust the lighting where I work; while it is darker in my office than the room I was initially to do an MSLT in, the dark is needed for my coworkers who do things like colour-editing. As much as I don't need to be there, I would need to either change departments or get some form of documentation compelling enough to convince my manager to let me sit at the other end of the office.