What is the optimal sleep schedule and protocol given that I **have** to sleep late 1 day a week?
Like many others I assume they like having fun on the weekends. Unfortunately, due to reasons out of my control -- most events happen in the evening and end really late (for me 2am). If it were up to me I'd start it at 1pm and end it 5pm -- but odd societal stereotypes are hard to shift (but your podcast is helping I hope). In my specific case it is latin dancing nights. I already cosume zero alcohol, no drugs etc. I do this for the pure joy of dancing. I assume others have similar reasons to break their sleep schedules. Given this, is a optimal protocol to sleep say at 11-12pm every day (and have a normal 9-5, but on the weekend on a *single* day sleep in or whatever is needed that day) or just shift the entire sleep schedule to sleeping at 2:30am (say waking up at 10am or 11am)? At this point I am in a fork deciding if considering if consistent sleep schedule is most important (even if we are not in phase with the sun perfectly, in fact losing quite a few hours if we wake up at 10am or 11am) or being in phase with the sun. I am aware that being in phase with the sun + consistency is the global optimum - but given my circumstance to live a deep meaningful life I need to make some changes.
Recharging mental energy after work
Is there any protocols/supplements that can help with recovering mental energy after work, in order to pursue other endeavors? I work as a software developer, which eats my mental batteries, and also do resistance training before work, very early in the morning (6:00-7:30ish). The workouts, though they're intense (mostly resistance training with kettlebells at a steady zone 2 pace) I don't think they take much of my drive, as I really enjoy them, and look forward to do them. I sleep around 6.5 -7 h and usually wake up pretty fresh and ready to go without even taking caffeine. Then I work 09:00-18:00 (usually I have to do at least half an hour more, with as many as 4 hours extra, unpaid) My goal, is to take the rest of the afternoon until 22:00ish to study and work on my main passions, which are music composition, and playing guitar. The problem is after work, I'm just in some sort of zombie state, in which I can't even procrastinate efficiently. Is there some sort of protocol or thing I could take to at least function at a minimum? I don't really need much to get going, so I'm not expecting some sort of miracle that makes me completely lucid like if I was just waking up from a full night's rest. I barely eat any carbs, as they make everything worse. I only eat bananas mangoes occasionally, and honey. And I eat them at night close to mi wind down time before bed. I avoid seed oils as I have noticed they not only contribute to the mental clogging, but they also affect my skin. So my diet is pretty much red meat, fish sometimes, fermented dairy, eggs and use ghee to cook. I do also eat half an avocado a day, as I love them. Hopefully you can shed some light into this. Thanks a lot for all you share with us!
Difference between Theanine vs L-Theanine for caffeine jitters and can Huperzine A increase focus?
Thank you for your work and contributions! I'm curious as to the difference between Theanine vs L-Theanine for the use of curbing the jittery effects of caffeine. You mention Theanine, but not L-Theanine. I tend to be sensitive to caffeine and have been taking L-Theanine prior to consuming regular caffeinated coffee for several years. I also found pairing the L-Theanine with Huperzine A seems to enhance my focus, especially when playing a sport such as Pickleball first thing in the morning. Do you think that Huperzine A can actually have an impact on focus? If so, do you believe pairing it with other substances can reduce or enhance its effects?