Rebalancing... Hormones?

[Gumby]

But, I really hope someone here tries it out and reports back. Supposedly there is a snowball effect in that it takes a few days to get in the routine and get the hormone surges rolling.

I will buy it and compare it to the melatonin supplement.

Good news. I started getting 8 hours of sleep for the past week and I've been having segmented sleep and remembering my dreams.

I also ordered the cheap $8 low-blue glasses. I figured, what the heck. They arrived yesterday. I put them on around 7:30pm. Got the dirty looks from my wife, and then I started getting sleepy pretty quickly — I really noticed a difference in how tired I felt. Went to bed at a decent hour and then I had the best night sleep I've had in a loong time. Not only that, but my awake time was more vivid than usual today — that was probably the best part.

However, it seems that there is more to the science of low-blue light than what meets the eye (pun intended). The guy behind the company that sells the expensive low-blue glasses used to work for GE and was heavily involved in GE's lighting research. He recently wrote a very short book that summarizes the science behind the low-blue wavelengths and how reducing blue-light exposure during the evenings may reduce the incidence of cancer (the evidence is pretty compelling). You can read the preview of that book here (the full-price e-book is less than $4, also available on Amazon).

http://books.google.com/books?id=VrsQMK ... frontcover

However, from skimming the book, it seems that in order for the glasses to really maintain melatonin production, over the long term, you need to put them on close to the same time each night and also be exposed to blue-light/sunlight close to the same time each morning. In other words, you can't just put them on at 8pm one night and 11pm the next night and 7:30pm the next night and wake up at different times and expect your melatonin production to improve significantly. It won't work as well over the long term if you aren't consistent. The good news is that it sounds like the actual start time (7pm vs. 10pm) doesn't matter as much as making it consistent each night.

So, it sounds like in order for the glasses to work, you need to use them to simulate a real circadian rhythm — with a sunset/sunrise that mimics what could happen in nature (these times only change slowly with the seasons).

In any case, these $8 low-blue glasses are pretty awesome for making you feel sleepy in the evening and I already noticed a benefit on the first night. It will be interesting to see if I'm able to maintain it.

[Lone Wolf]

Wait, are you sure that you mean 750 mg of melatonin?  Holy cow, that is one serious dose!  Even 25 mg is a very large amount.  I take more like 0.75mg-1.5mg if I've had some caffeine and need to get to sleep.

Oops, I meant mcg! 

LOL, cool.  The highest I've gone was 3 mg at bedtime in order to induce REM rebound, so 750 mg was really knocking my socks off.  750 mcg is obviously extremely reasonable. 

Ah, I didn't realize that you were so desensitized to acetylcholine.  I'm sorry to hear that, man, but it sounds like you've managed to muddle through.

That strikes you as being desensitized rather than deficit?  I never considered that.

Well, I just know that nicotine use causes long-term desensitization of nicotinic receptors.  (I know you know this, but for the benefit of anyone following along, nicotinic receptors are one of the two types of receptors for acetylcholine.)  One of many reasons that even though it's generally agreed that nicotine can be used as a powerful lucid dreaming aid, only the most adventurous of folk use the nicotine patch for that purpose!  (Playing with fire, IMO.)

Anyway, you are both better studied on this subject and more familiar with your own body, so if it doesn't sound like this applies to you, you are undoubtedly right!

BTW, how late in life did you become this educated / nutritionally aware and interested in supplementation and life extension?

[Lone Wolf]

Good news. I started getting 8 hours of sleep for the past week and I've been having segmented sleep and remembering my dreams.

Awesome!!  Does this mean that you found yourself falling into the segmented sleep pattern naturally or did you have to nudge yourself in that direction with other aids like alarm clocks?  (Not including the ultra-cool glasses.  )

It's great that you are also remembering more of your dreams.  Getting a full measure of sleep comes with so many side benefits beyond just the whole "no longer feeling like you'll fall over without caffeine" thing.

I also ordered the cheap $8 low-blue glasses. I figured, what the heck. They arrived yesterday. I put them on around 7:30pm. Got the dirty looks from my wife, and then I started getting sleepy pretty quickly — I really noticed a difference in how tired I felt. Went to bed at a decent hour and then I had the best night sleep I've had in a loong time. Not only that, but my awake time was more vivid than usual today — that was probably the best part.

Ha!  My $8 glasses should be here next week.  I am sure that, like yours, my wife will also find them unbearably sexy.  Because of that, I was mostly planning to wear them when I lurk around  reading/meditating/whatever after first sleep.  Maybe they need to sell a version as contact lenses for evening wear.    I'll also check out that book.  Sounds cheap and informative.

It's cool that the effect was so noticeable for you.  I'm excited that your sleep quality improved so much!  You're way ahead of me, because even though I try to cut down on my screen time in the evening and use f.lux, I'm still bombarded by artificial light in the evening.  I try to keep it under control, but it's a tough thing to manage in the modern world.  Pleasant dreams! 

[MediumTex]

I'm sure the glasses will generate a nice placebo effect if nothing else.

I've always thought that the best types of medications and/or therapies were placebo-based, mostly because of the minimal side effects you must experience to get the benefits. 

[MachineGhost]

BTW, how late in life did you become this educated / nutritionally aware and interested in supplementation and life extension?

Let me see...  there were two phases.  Naturopathic medicine starting around 21 and then life extension around 30.  My father's death when I was 27 definitely played a role in broadening my horizons beyond the narrow worldview of naturopathy, but it was not a knee-jerk reaction, so it took a few years to reacclimate myself with mainstream scientific research.  Before that time, I had the typical knee-jerk reaction against the ideal and thought it was absurdly ridiculous!

[MediumTex]

BTW, how late in life did you become this educated / nutritionally aware and interested in supplementation and life extension?

Let me see...  there were two phases.  Naturopathic medicine starting around 21 and then life extension at 30.  My father's death when I was 27 definitely played a role in broadening my horizons beyond the narrow worldview of naturopathy, but it was not a knee-jerk reaction, so it took a few years to reacclimate myself with mainstream science.

MG,

Have you had your T levels checked?  If so, where were they in relation to what are considered normal levels?

[MachineGhost]

Have you had your T levels checked?  If so, where were they in relation to what are considered normal levels?

Last time I had it tested was back in early 2004.  My T was 160.8 pmol/L, DHEA 72 pg/mL and 8AM cortisol 3.88 mcg/dL.

From what I can tell converting the saliva to blood values to check against the optimal range, both the T and DHEA were below the optimal range.  The lab ref range suggested my T was low-normal, DHEA low-normal, and the cortisol was >=3 standard deviations above normal (maxed out).

I don't think I've dealt with stress successfully since those results even though I've tried lots of modalities, supplements, etc..  I do believe it's contributing to my joint issues as I developed TMJ in 2007.  I plan on getting a more comprehensive hormone test soon.

[MediumTex]

Have you had your T levels checked?  If so, where were they in relation to what are considered normal levels?

Last time I had it tested was back in early 2004.  My T was 160.8 pmol/L, DHEA 72 pg/mL and 8AM cortisol 3.88 mcg/dL.

From what I can tell converting the saliva to blood values to check against the optimal range, both the T and DHEA were below the optimal range.  The lab ref range suggested my T was low-normal, DHEA low-normal, and the cortisol was >=3 standard deviations above normal (maxed out).

I don't think I've dealt with stress successfully since those results even though I've tried lots of modalities, supplements, etc..  I do believe it's contributing to my joint issues as I developed TMJ in 2007.  I plan on getting a more comprehensive hormone test soon.

This may sound dumb, but from reading hundreds of your posts over an extended period you feel like a person with high cortisol levels who perhaps doesn't manage stress well.

[MachineGhost]

This may sound dumb, but from reading hundreds of your posts over an extended period you feel like a person with high cortisol levels who perhaps doesn't manage stress well.

  Well, its certainly not from a lack of trying!  I've been really disappointed none of the alleged anti-stress or adaptogen herbs have worked.  Exercise only has a limited benefit.  I've even tried yoga for awhile once I got over the gay issues.

I swear it almost seems like my body has a negative feedback mechanism specifically for stress.  It may go away temporarily, but it will always come back.

But honestly, do I feel like I did at 25 with that sense of strength, aggressiveness and that the world was my oyster?  Not at all, and to me the stress is the most significant change between that point and now.  I really don't see any other alternatives other than hormone replacement, but I'm proceeding cautiously.

A thought occured to me the other day.  If you just replace your T back to what it would be for your age, wouldn't that not allow the negative feedback loop to continue to act?  It seems to me it would be a seesaw between LH and testosterone.  What proof is there that replacing T to normal levels with no buildup would force the pituitary to chronically reduce LH to nonexistent?

[MediumTex]

This may sound dumb, but from reading hundreds of your posts over an extended period you feel like a person with high cortisol levels who perhaps doesn't manage stress well.

  Well, its certainly not from a lack of trying!  I've been really disappointed none of the alleged anti-stress or adaptogen herbs have worked.  Exercise only has a limited benefit.  I've even tried yoga for awhile once I got over the gay issues.

I swear it almost seems like my body has a negative feedback mechanism specifically for stress.  It may go away temporarily, but it will always come back.

But honestly, do I feel like I did at 25 with that sense of strength, aggressiveness and that the world was my oyster?  Not at all, and to me the stress is the most significant change between that point and now.  I really don't see any other alternatives other than hormone replacement, but I'm proceeding cautiously.

A thought occured to me the other day.  If you just replace your T back to what it would be for your age, wouldn't that not allow the negative feedback loop to continue to act?  It seems to me it would be a seesaw between LH and testosterone.  What proof is there that replacing T to normal levels with no buildup would force the pituitary to chronically reduce LH to nonexistent?

My own experience with stress is that you have to do something to break the cycle that your body has gotten into.  In the same way that a musician's muscles have been conditioned to play his instrument, I think that a person who struggles with stress is struggling to un-train his body in a large number of unhealthy physical responses to certain situations.

Have you had the feeling of being in love in a while?  I think that is one way of breaking or disrupting stubborn stress patterns.  I think that it takes a very potent emotional experience to displace these deeply rooted stress responses.

How about tried and true tools such as Xanax and other types of chill pills?

If you were to try T replacement therapy for a month or so it would at least give you a sense of whether it is anything you might have a deeper interest in.  If you felt the stress dissolving after a few weeks on T, it might open up a whole new frontier for you.

In reading countless descriptions of men's experiences with T replacement therapy a common theme that emerges in many cases is men who feel the way you are feeling right now.  I'm not saying that it's only low T that causes those feelings, but if your T levels are considered low and you are also feeling like you can't get a handle on stress I might look into T replacement as a serious option to experiment with (assuming your doctor is on board with that as well).

On the Men's Health forum there is a mammoth T thread (it's like 50+ pages) that has a lot of useful information, most of it from people who have just started doing T replacement therapy.  You might check it out.  Ironically, I felt more aggressive before I started the T replacement, mostly I think because I just didn't feel good and had a shorter fuse in general, so if becoming more aggressive is a concern of yours I wouldn't use that as a reason not to look into T replacement because it might actually chill you out a bit.

[MediumTex]

A thought occured to me the other day.  If you just replace your T back to what it would be for your age, wouldn't that not allow the negative feedback loop to continue to act?  It seems to me it would be a seesaw between LH and testosterone.  What proof is there that replacing T to normal levels with no buildup would force the pituitary to chronically reduce LH to nonexistent?

I think that at a certain point you just have to experiment and see what works for you (or maybe just figure out that T replacement won't do anything useful for you).

It's been a very positive thing for me so far.  I'm not saying it will continue to work well indefinitely--I'm just saying that I feel like old patterns of response are gradually being modified and I like it.

One thing that I have felt intuitively for a long time is that each of us has certain dysfunctional ways of meeting reality and they manifest themselves in resistance to what would otherwise be very positive changes in our lives.  You see this in the patterns of our relationships, the patterns in our levels of personal fitness, and I think that you especially see it in patterns of mental health.  As much as a person might say that he wants to shed his Hamlet-ish outlook on life, he may actually be fiercely clinging to it, probably for a variety of complex reasons.  The point, though, is that I think that people often unconsciously struggle against things that might make them feel better, again for reasons that are hard to fully explain.

In my own case, the experience with the T replacement has not triggered any of these unconscious efforts at resistance that I can detect, and in fact I have found it easier to get into a new routine of better diet, more exercise and what feels like a healthier attitude in general since starting out.  This aspect of it is huge for me, because I feel fully engaged in the process that the T replacement is a part of, as opposed to feeling like a drug is constructing a new artificial reality because the old reality wasn't working well (which is what I think that antidepressants basically do).

[Gumby]

I'm sure the glasses will generate a nice placebo effect if nothing else.

I've always thought that the best types of medications and/or therapies were placebo-based, mostly because of the minimal side effects you must experience to get the benefits. 

Definitely not a placebo effect. And there seems to be a good amount of scientific evidence in the medical literature to support the low-blue light theories. For instance...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21193540
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21552190
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20599459
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16439671
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15600132

I'm currently reading the book by the former General Electric scientist and there's a very noticeable correlation between blue wavelengths (i.e. the mid-day sun and modern filaments) and suppression of melatonin in the medical literature and various studies. Apparently, it wasn't until the invention of the modern tungsten filament that artificial blue wavelengths were even possible. Before that, everything was pretty much amber at night for our ancestors (sunset, twilight, fire, oil lamps, early filaments).

As far as your pineal gland is concerned (the gland where melatonin is triggered/produced) putting on the amber glasses is the same as stepping into a dark room.

So, if you want to feel the so-called "placebo" effect of the amber glasses, without buying them, all you have to do is step into a completely dark room for ten or fifteen or 30 minutes anytime after 8pm.  If your pineal gland is working properly, you will start to feel sleepy and it will start to become a little more difficult to stay standing. This is no placebo effect. In fact, what's happening is your pineal gland has startes producing melatonin because your eyes stopped sensing blue light. Now step back out into a well-lit room and your eyes will wince at the bright blue light and your melatonin production will stop — this is what it's like to take off the glasses (and it's not good for your circadian rhythm).

From what I've learned so far in the book, the path to good/proper melatonin production is to experience darkness (or low-blue light) at the same every night. Changing the hour that you experience darkness or low-blue light each night is the equivalent of having a little jet lag — your pineal gland doesn't appreciate it and may reward you with less melatonin over time.

So, putting on the glasses is the equivalent of stepping into a dark room and are an excellent way to keep your circadian rhythm on schedule each night. In other words, if you have to stay up late, you put on the glasses when you normally experience (or want to experience) darkness and you don't piss off your pineal gland's desired circadian rhythm schedule.

[MediumTex]

I'm sure the glasses will generate a nice placebo effect if nothing else.

I've always thought that the best types of medications and/or therapies were placebo-based, mostly because of the minimal side effects you must experience to get the benefits. 

Definitely not a placebo effect. And there seems to be a good amount of scientific evidence in the medical literature to support the low-blue light theories.

I'm currently reading the book by the former General Electric scientist and there's a very noticeable correlation between blue wavelengths (i.e. the sun and modern filaments) and suppression of melatonin in the medical literature and various studies. As far as your pineal gland is concerned (where melatonin is triggered/produced) putting on the amber glasses is the same as stepping into a dark room.

So, if you want to feel the so-called "placebo" effect of the amber glasses all you have to do is step into a completely dark room for ten or fifteen or 30 minutes anytime after 8pm.  If your pineal gland is working properly, you will start to feel sleepy. This is no placebo effect. Your pineal gland will start producing melatonin. Now step back out into a well-lit room and your eyes will wince at the bright blue light and your melatonin production will stop — this is what it's like to take off the glasses (and it's not good for your circadian rhythm).

From what I've learned so far in the book, the path to good/proper melatonin production is to experience darkness (or low-blue light) at the same every night. Changing the hour that you experience darkness or low-blue light each night is the equivalent of having a little jet lag — your pineal gland doesn't appreciate it and may reward you with less melatonin over time.

So, putting on the glasses is the equivalent of stepping into a dark room and are an excellent way to keep your circadian rhythm on schedule each night. In other words, if you have to stay up late, you put on the glasses when you normally experience (or want to experience) darkness and you don't piss off your pineal gland's desired circadian rhythm schedule.

I'm anxious to hear back on the results of wearing the glasses in the evening.

I think that you also have to be realistic about other needs that occur around bedtime and if the glasses interfere with that it could make evening wear of the glasses a nonstarter.

Ideally, though, your wife would find that "shooting range instructor" look sexy, and the glasses might be a smashing success all the way around.

[MachineGhost]

On the Men's Health forum there is a mammoth T thread (it's like 50+ pages) that has a lot of useful information, most of it from people who have just started doing T replacement therapy.  You might check it out.  Ironically, I felt more aggressive before I started the T replacement, mostly I think because I just didn't feel good and had a shorter fuse in general, so if becoming more aggressive is a concern of yours I wouldn't use that as a reason not to look into T replacement because it might actually chill you out a bit.

Got a link?

[Gumby]

I'm anxious to hear back on the results of wearing the glasses in the evening.

So far they have been great. Dreaming better and I woke up feeling very refreshed two days in a row. I'll keep you posted.

I think that you also have to be realistic about other needs that occur around bedtime and if the glasses interfere with that it could make evening wear of the glasses a nonstarter.

Ideally, though, your wife would find that "shooting range instructor" look sexy, and the glasses might be a smashing success all the way around.

Heh. Agreed.

But, again, it's basically a way to simulate stepping into a dark room to get melatonin secretion on a proper schedule. So, if you and your wife get to bed at 11pm every night and wake up at 7pm in the morning, you probably don't need the glasses at all. The glasses become useful if you find yourself working past your normal bed time. You just pop the glasses on at 11pm to simulate the dark room you would normally experience at the hour and your pineal gland stays happy that way.

Others may use if for extended melatonin time — to simulate a more realistic sundown time — as I have been experimenting with for now.

[MachineGhost]

I'm pleased to report the liposomal IGF-1 spray appears to be working.  I've been taking it for about three weeks now.  During the first week I did just 2 sprays at bedtime, but reasoned the amount was probably too low to be effective.  So I switched to 6 sprays, which is a full dose.  The total amount of IGF-1 is still pretty small compared to a serving of other formulas, but they are also at least 3x as expensive.

I feel more of an effect from the IGF-1 than I ever have from the DHEA cream that I've been using for several months.  As I'm out and was ready to buy more, I noticed there is also a liposomal DHEA spray available!  So I'm switching to that and see if it works better.

[MediumTex]

On the Men's Health forum there is a mammoth T thread (it's like 50+ pages) that has a lot of useful information, most of it from people who have just started doing T replacement therapy.  You might check it out.  Ironically, I felt more aggressive before I started the T replacement, mostly I think because I just didn't feel good and had a shorter fuse in general, so if becoming more aggressive is a concern of yours I wouldn't use that as a reason not to look into T replacement because it might actually chill you out a bit.

Got a link?

http://forums.menshealth.com/eve/forums ... 083836/p/1

[MachineGhost]

MT,

Have you noticed testicular atrophy yet?  That seems to be the main negative effect of LH being decreased by free form testosterone application that Gumby brought up.  It does not seem to be related to just above-normal physiologic doses.  What I'm curious about, though, is whether these pharmaceutical-branded testosterone gels/creams/patches are bio-identical or are synthetic as the injectable testosterone cyprionate is?  The inferrence seems to be that if you use a compounding pharmacy instead, it will be bio-identical testosterone.

[MediumTex]

MT,

Have you noticed testicular atrophy yet?  That seems to be the main negative effect of LH being decreased by free form testosterone application that Gumby brought up.  It does not seem to be related to just above-normal physiologic doses.  What I'm curious about, though, is whether these pharmaceutical-branded testosterone gels/creams/patches are bio-identical or are synthetic as the injectable testosterone cyprionate is?  The inferrence seems to be that if you use a compounding pharmacy instead, it will be bio-identical testosterone.

I really haven't noticed much change.  Apparently, different people have different experiences when it comes to this side-effect.

I think that what is probably a greater concern in that neighborhood is a reduction in sperm count if you are interested in having children while taking the T supplement.

(I never thought I would be discussing the size of my testicles in an investment forum.)

[Gosso]

Here's an interesting article on oxytocin: Oxytocin – Emotion, Love Potion, Devotion… Plus Fatty Liver and Weight Loss Benefits:

So what else does oxytocin do? After reading up on it for three weeks and still feeling like I’m scratching the surface, I’ve found that it has been shown to relieve pain in fibromyalgia patients, vanquish fear and anxiety, increase commitment to your partner, reduce voluntary caloric intake without slowing the metabolism, reduce abdominal fat, reduce liver fat, lower blood pressure, it has a role in building bones, soothes digestive inflammation, lowers cortisol, heats up icy hands and feet, increases glucose tolerance, decreases the size of adipocytes (fat storage cells), improves wound healing, prevents breast cancer, increases one’s sense of generosity, wellness, ease, trust and happiness.

That's quite impressive, although I'm not sure what the magnitude of these effects are.

Maybe all we gotta do to solve our health problems is:

[MachineGhost]

Just a little update on the orange glasses...

They do absolute nothing for me!  No deep sleep.  No vivid dreams.

I've tried them both with and without taking sublingual melatonin.  No difference.

Just to compare, I even took 3 mg of melatonin which is a dose strong enough to knock out the pineal gland completely.  Nothing remarkable happened (other than severe drowsiness upon waking up).

They also don't go well with glasses at all, so I haven't managed to use them more than half an hour at most.

I "sent" them back to Amazon, but it was not even necessary to return it to receive a credit.  What does Amazon know that I don't?  j/k

[Gumby]

Just a little update on the orange glasses...

They do absolute nothing for me!  No deep sleep.  No vivid dreams.

I've tried them both with and without taking sublingual melatonin.  No difference.

Just to compare, I even took 3 mg of melatonin which is a dose strong enough to knock out the pineal gland completely.  Nothing remarkable happened (other than severe drowsiness upon waking up).

They also don't go well with glasses at all, so I haven't managed to use them more than half an hour at most.

Hmm... Not entirely sure you used them correctly if you weren't able to keep them on for more than 30 minutes, but it sounds like you may be a special case. Obviously if you have prescription glasses, the UVEX glasses won't fit properly and will allow blue light to come in the sides. They do make glasses that fit over prescription glasses, but they are far more expensive (though, offered with a money back guarantee).

https://www.lowbluelights.com/detail.asp?id=24

Ideally, you are supposed to count back 9 to 10 hours from the time you have to wake up and put the glasses on at that time and then manage to not expose yourself to any blue light for the rest of the night. If you expose yourself to blue light for even a second, your melatonin production will stop.

So, let's say you have to wake up at 7:30am. You put them on between 9:30pm and 10:30pm and then go to sleep about an hour or two after you put them on. When you go to sleep isn't as important as when you put on the glasses each night. Again, without exposing yourself to any blue light for the rest of the evening — not exposing yourself to blue light for even a second.

The pineal gland will want a consistent schedule of eliminating blue light in the evenings (i.e. when you put the glasses on) and exposure to bright blue light in the morning (i.e. when you open your window blinds). Some people (not me) use special "light therapy" lights to help achieve the proper circadian rhythm in the mornings and daytime.

A consistent schedule of blocking blue light each evening and exposing yourself to bright blue light in the mornings is what supposedly enhances melatonin production. One doesn't need these glasses to achieve this so long as you have very dim (candle/fire) light each evening — the way people enjoyed their evenings before the first tungsten filament lamp was invented.

Unfortunately, if you constantly change your sleep and wake-up time every few days, your pineal gland will not be able to get itself into a good circadian rhythm and your melatonin production will be severely reduced. That's basically chronic jet-lag. So, clearly there are times when these glasses can't help.

[Lone Wolf]

I got my pair of blue wavelength-blocking glasses a while back and I've been enjoying them!  I use them during my period of wakefulness after first sleep.  (Called "wake back to bed" in lucid dreaming circles.)  I've enjoyed being able to do things like read on the Kindle Fire without worrying that I'd eat a lot of extra blue light.

The glasses are also nice for when I have to deal with some middle of the night emergency brought on by a crying child or by one of our dogs being stricken with projectile diarrhea.  (The glasses got a lot of use while I was doing some recent late-night cleaning.  The less said about that the better.)

I still refuse to wear these in front of my wife.  She saw me try them on only once: the night that I got them.  When she saw me in them, I could not identify exactly what her resulting facial expression was conveying to me.  I decided that it was definitely not, "I can't wait to get you upstairs!"  LOL.

I hope your experiments are going well, Gumby!  Getting a good night's sleep, I hope?

[Gumby]

I still refuse to wear these in front of my wife.  She saw me try them on only once: the night that I got them.  When she saw me in them, I could not identify exactly what her resulting facial expression was conveying to me.  I decided that it was definitely not, "I can't wait to get you upstairs!"  LOL.

I hope your experiments are going well, Gumby!  Getting a good night's sleep, I hope?

I am! And get this... Despite her initial disgust, I let my wife try the glasses after a few nights of dirty looks and she noticed that using them for even 10 minutes before bed improved her sleep. She actually used to wake up with night terrors, startled and confused, in the middle of the night. (I had heard this was a symptom of low blood sugar and cortisol kicking as blood sugar gets too low). But the more she used the glasses, the better her sleep became. She has now completely stopped having waking night terrors. So, I bought her a pair of the $8 glasses and now we both use them for an hour before bedtime.

I also put a low-blue nightlight in my son's bedroom. It's quite bright, so I only turn it on when I have to go in during the middle of the night. And that way, I can take the glasses off, so I don't freak him out.

I've been reading the book — that I referenced earlier in this thread — documenting the science behind the blue-blocker glasses. And I have to say it's a fascinating read. I have definitely noticed more vivid dreams the more I use the glasses each night (putting them on an hour or two before bed). And the book mentions this vivid dream effect in many people as well (though, apparently, not all people). The glasses seem to work best for people who have sleep issues or aren't good at getting themselves to sleep at a normal hour.

[colorado4]

MachineGhost,  Check out a device called Emwave.  It's a small, portable bio-feedback machine that measures heart rate variability and reduces stress.    It's being used by special forces soldiers, police and other high stress fields with good results.  Purportedly, helps alleviate PTSD. I've had excellent results using this product.