Using a skinfold calliper to measure fat loss?
Are they an accurate tool to measure body fat percentage and lean body mass over time? If so, is there a protocol? I've heard conflicting advice (even if we get someone else to measure). If so, what points to measure (chest, abdominal, suprailiac, midaxillary, triceps, subscapular, thigh)? Thanks!
Sleep and adrenaline spikes
Hi Dr Andrew. As a result of historical PTSD and Trauma I have had plenty of issues, especially around sleep. I have given up alcohol and now on 133 days. Yet I am more tired now than ever before, I think alcohol just gave me some fake energy. I feel like death when I wake up and my coffee (90 minutes after waking as suggested) is the thing that wires me up to an alive state. I am tired of being tired. I underwent a sleep analysis test. On paper they have indicated I am overall a good sleeper, however during the night of sleep monitoring I had 40 to 50 significant adrenaline spikes. Therefore according to the dr it explains why I may feel awake but I am not. HIs solutions are: 1) do what I do now, therapy, exercise, healthy eating, mindfullness etc ... though in his own words this process is slow and I might still be similar in 20 years OR 2) anti depressants - there is no way. I have tried 8 different anti depressants in my life all made me suicidally depressed OR 3) Psilocybin or other psychedelic treatments... Latter is the most ideal course of action in my mind as it may mean a few treatments with exponential results. However this type of treatment is not yet live where I live and may take another year or so before it actually is fully approved and running. Any thoughts, suggestions, or guidance will be appreciated
Sleep toolkit for occasional insomnia
I follow most of the instructions mentioned in the podcast for better sleep. I get my morning sunlight, delay caffeine intake for at least 60 minutes, sometimes I manage to hit the 90-minute mark and I get a good quality sleep most of the time. However, if I am stressed about something, mostly work, I can still get the terrible insomnia I used to have before improving my routine. Would it be a good idea to purchase the sleep toolkit (Magnesium Threonate, Apigenin, L-Theanine and use it only during those stressful days? For example, I have an important work trip in November. Last year I could barely get an average of 4 hours of sleep throughout an entire week and my performance was really bad. Would the supplements work if I took them for, say, 10 days and then stopped? If those supplements are not a food idea, maybe melatonin could be justified for just a few days? I don't want to take any of the heavy stuff.
Can you deplete Dopamine with Intrinsic Motivation?
Hey Prof, so based on the several videos you've now done on Dopamine, we know that continuous large spikes in Dopamine will eventually lead to a lower baseline in Dopamine and lost in motivation. But how is the release of Dopamine through a Growth Mindset or being Intrinsically Motivated different such that it is more sustainable? Even though these frameworks link the release of Dopamine to Effort, isn't it still theoretically possible to end up in the same situation of having a lower baseline of Dopamine by engaging with that Effort which releases Dopamine often enough?