Sleep Hacks
My local transhumanist group is having a month dedicated to sleep hacking. Sleep hacking is one of the easiest places to start biohacking because it is low-risk and low-commitment. I’m gathering hacks that just about anyone can do with minimal effort or expense so a sensory deprivation chamber is not in this scope. Most of the attendees probably won’t want to go through more effort than a stop at the drug store or downloading an app.
There will be a presentation where I will talk about the simplest hacks, and some advanced ones, then get people started on the biohacking path. This group will be targeting people who want to see immediate results with minimal effort, you know, the general populace. Our group’s goal is to help people improve their lives and show that biohacking is not dangerous or scary.
If your hack is anecdotal go ahead and tell me. I won’t present anything as true unless there is evidence but telling the group what other people have done is valuable. For example, Cassox’s VIP experiment [from this thread] will be mentioned.
If you have a brand new idea DEFINITELY tell me because these groups include people who want to be on the cutting edge and we might be able to get a small experiment together. For example, I have thought about painting my eyelids chrome to block out more light than bare eyelids. Maybe this would help people sleep more restfully. Maybe it could help travelers sleep. I don’t know and I doubt it would do any harm.
Some of the other hacks are:
Kava tea
Passion flower tea or supplements
Krill oil
Magnesium
Collagen
Melatonin
White or pink noise generator
Meditation
Eliminating blue light from monitors
There will be a presentation where I will talk about the simplest hacks, and some advanced ones, then get people started on the biohacking path. This group will be targeting people who want to see immediate results with minimal effort, you know, the general populace. Our group’s goal is to help people improve their lives and show that biohacking is not dangerous or scary.
If your hack is anecdotal go ahead and tell me. I won’t present anything as true unless there is evidence but telling the group what other people have done is valuable. For example, Cassox’s VIP experiment [from this thread] will be mentioned.
If you have a brand new idea DEFINITELY tell me because these groups include people who want to be on the cutting edge and we might be able to get a small experiment together. For example, I have thought about painting my eyelids chrome to block out more light than bare eyelids. Maybe this would help people sleep more restfully. Maybe it could help travelers sleep. I don’t know and I doubt it would do any harm.
Some of the other hacks are:
Kava tea
Passion flower tea or supplements
Krill oil
Magnesium
Collagen
Melatonin
White or pink noise generator
Meditation
Eliminating blue light from monitors
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Comments
The obvious downfall is that wearing it around would look like eyeshadow. I couldn't get away with that at work. I could put a neutral color over a light blocking layer but I shouldn't be testing this at work anyway. Or while driving, who knows if this could replicate narcolepsy.
I would hypothesize that you wouldn't notice a difference until your eyes had been closed for at least a few seconds and your pupils dilate.
I upped dosage to 1 full teaspoon and noticed in my afternoons spent outside I had felt as if it were still morning and had difficulty waking up. Went back to half a teaspoon and I'm back to feeling energetic most mornings.
Again, it could be placebo. Or lifestyle changes ( less alcohol, caffeine, more exercise, etc
Edit: at 1 full teaspoon a day I noticed a sharp increase in short term memory loss. For example , I would remember what someone had said a week prior but forgot who said it (e.g a co worker, classmate, friend). Whereas normally I would remember the person speaking and what they said
My goal is to make biohacking approachable and easy for people who might be unfamiliar. In other words, sleep hacks that provide a lot of bang-for-the-buck.
They should be low-risk and ideally that would have a proven record but something edgy would be good to hear about.
That should be a wiki page,"is biohacking right for me?" We should come up with more simple stuff for people to try, maybe a vegetable based nootropic?
That is exactly the kind of approach I take with people. People's eyes light up when they hold a magnetic ring to a microwave and feel the waves for the first time. When I tell them I can feel that all they time they get a kind of awe. Never open a conversation with "I cut finger open to shove a magnet in there." You need to sell people slowly on something so extreme.
Earlier I started a thread that used simple tricks, like a magnet ring, that would let people experience the benefits of implants by purchasing a wearable version so they could "Try it before you buy it." [LINK] More STUFF like that would be great.
My local transhumanist group is trying to get more people interested in the movement. Biohacking is my forte but trying to get people excited isn't always easy and I don't want to scare people off. Even at transhumanist meetings I don't always pipe up that I have implants.
The biosafe coating is a great pursuit but that's high school chemistry lab level compared to the second grade spelling bee I'm trying to do. It's important to show people that biohacking isn't just scalpels and pills. Sleep seemed to be a good jumping on point.
It automatic based on sunrise and sunset, you only need the blue reduction on a night.
Sincerely,
John Doe
I haven't seen a montage which encourages or mimics sleep but I haven't looked very much. Have you found anything? I have a tDCS but I haven't used it since I used the wrong salt concentration and hurt my arm.
There's definitely worse ideas. But this one can suck if it rolls around somewhere it shouldn't.
Sincerely,
John Doe
Surprise house fire? Sudden pain? Waking up to some sort of cacophony and you don't know what it is? Being able to see asap is key. Thing is, a basic sleep mask will have the same blackout effects, and is MUCH faster to remove should you wake up to a piece of you on fire (or something else equally alarming).
(ps. grazerquart, your avatar is top quality and perfect!)