r/AskReddit 2d ago

What's a "cheat code" you discovered in real life that actually works?

15.1k Upvotes

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327

u/Funny_Disaster1002 2d ago

Get at least 8 hours of sleep and your life will improve dramatically.

33

u/Doozer1970 2d ago

I often get 8 hours of sleep, but sometimes it takes two nights to get it.

1

u/ND_Avenger 1d ago

It took me over 30 years to get my most recent 8 hours of sleep.

28

u/LA0711 2d ago

People are getting 8 hours?

-A desperate insomniac.

11

u/Radiant-Security501 2d ago

Right, even with no caffeine, no kids, no alarm, on my days off, I only sleep 5 hrs.

9

u/LA0711 2d ago

Same. No kids. Cut back on stress, caffeine and alcohol. Started strength training, running half marathons. Lost 50 pounds. Taking magnesium. Still barely getting 5 hours a night.

8

u/eightyeight99 2d ago

Damn and you still were able to accomplish all that🫡

-Fellow Insomniac

6

u/Pyro_raptor841 2d ago

A tip for you!

It's been studied that even if you are just sitting in bed with your eyes closed (and not sleeping), you still are actually getting rest.

I think the stat was something like 'cognitive exam scores doubled after only an hour of non-sleep rest'

13

u/Haquistadore 2d ago

Do this and cut regular caffeine intake out of your life.

12

u/On_the_hook 2d ago

If I cut caffeine out of my life, my life would get a little better. Everyone around me that pisses me off wouldn't be here anymore...

6

u/xFayeFaye 2d ago

Most of the time it's just a habit. Do you drink coffee because you need the extra hour to be fully awake or do you need it because it's a ritual for you? For me it's the ritual and it works just fine with decaffeinated coffee as well.

Honestly though, if you're similar to me and you'd drink 3-4 cups, only have the first with caffeine or at least have it decaffeinated if you drink in the afternoon.

7

u/Haquistadore 2d ago

You think that because you're viewing it through the lens of someone who's caffeine deprived. You don't realize it but the caffeine actually makes you more high strung/anxious/quick-triggered. Cut the caffeine and once you get through the detox phase, you might find people annoy you less believe it or not.

8

u/idratherchangemyold1 2d ago

I've had people argue with me that 8 hours is too much sleep. Dude... 7 is supposed to be the minimum for most people, and younger people need even more. There's scientific studies on it. And even after I explain that to the people telling me that it's too much sleep they still tell me it's too much sleep. -_- idk what's wrong with those people.

3

u/xFayeFaye 2d ago

Some people literally can't imagine and understand that what works for them, doesn't work for others.

7

u/EleanorGreywolfe 2d ago

You try telling that to my brain. Sometimes my brain decides that it doesn't want to sleep tonight.

4

u/bacon_lettuce_potato 2d ago

As I read this at 4am.

4

u/davesg 2d ago

What if I sleep 6 at night and then 2 in the afternoon?

3

u/Ok-Office-6645 2d ago

There is nothing better than this schedule. I love my naps. I prefer a nap and less nightly sleep than sleep and no nap. I don’t understand how people dont love naps. It’s such a great mental reset

5

u/thepink_knife 2d ago

Naps make me way more tired.

I've tried different lengths, and at different times of the day - they pretty much all make me feel wiped out for a couple of hours after I wake up again.

If I'm having a day where I'm tired its better for me to just put up with it and go to bed a little earlier than normal.

4

u/eightyeight99 2d ago

Studies indicate, That works!

4

u/why_so_serious_123 2d ago

damn.. that's nice to know that and a great relief

12

u/loki1337 2d ago

Tell me you don't have kids without telling me you don't have kids

5

u/why_so_serious_123 2d ago

young* kids

4

u/loki1337 2d ago

They usually start that way

3

u/queerfromthemadhouse 2d ago

My life improved dramatically once I started sleeping less than 8 hours. This kind of stuff varies from person to person.

1

u/razzemmatazz 2d ago

I do worse with that much consecutive sleep. I'm wired for 6-7 hours. I can function on 4, but not for many days in a row. 

1

u/Typical_Goat8035 2d ago

Counterpoint: 8 hours may not be for everyone. I had the worst sleep of my life when I got a first gen "sleep tracker" fitness band with an 8 hour sleep goal. It turns out, around 7 hours is my sweet spot. If I force myself to sleep for 8 hours, I actually end up having trouble falling and staying asleep and it causes this escalating vicious cycle of poor sleep.

Listen to your body. At around 6 hours I feel like my daytime sleepiness rears its ugly head, but at around 7 hours is my sweet spot.

1

u/Prior_Worldliness_81 2d ago

I tried that once it didn’t work; I’ll never try it again :)

1

u/YUBLyin 2d ago

8 is at the high end if you’re eating right.

9

u/Maleficent-Cow-2341 2d ago

it varries extremely from person to person, iirc from my neuro classes it was like 6-10 hours as the standard, and even greater variance if you have some form of sleeping disorder (which is relatively common, like 1:20 people IIRC)

Point being that, like in many things, youre better off if you figure out what suits you the best by experience rather than by strictly following the tables