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Putting Themselves to Sleep
ScienceNOW ^ | 21 November 2012 | Greg Miller

Posted on 11/24/2012 11:24:40 PM PST by neverdem

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To: neverdem

Myrddin just has a weird brain.

Computer programming in his dreams. I can’t even get something in a dream to stay constant from one “look” to the next. Occasionally when very intensely involved with a project I get prolonged dreams about generalities and that’s about it.


21 posted on 11/25/2012 5:32:46 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (How long before all this "fairness" kills everybody, even the poor it was supposed to help???)
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To: HiTech RedNeck
I composed most of my college papers in my head and whipped out 5 to 10 pages as quickly as the old Selectric would tolerate. The same behavior continues over 30 years as a software developer. The whole solution is cooked and dependent on my typing speed to come out in the real world. When working with customers on a problem, I have to be careful not to solve the problem before the customer has fully explained it.

The dream connection is more interesting. I have some dreams that go "on hold" in the morning and resume during the night. Most of it is in 3D and color. Who needs a TV with that going on :-) GABA interferes with that experience by tossing in noise and distractions. It was a harmless investigation to be avoided in the future. The anomaly isn't something I need to have fixed.

22 posted on 11/25/2012 7:43:59 PM PST by Myrddin
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To: Myrddin

hey, why fix a winning formula. when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!


23 posted on 11/25/2012 8:00:35 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (How long before all this "fairness" kills everybody, even the poor it was supposed to help???)
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To: HiTech RedNeck

Yup. Might as well turn it into an advantage.


24 posted on 11/25/2012 10:44:12 PM PST by Myrddin
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To: El Gato; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Robert A. Cook, PE; lepton; LadyDoc; jb6; tiamat; PGalt; Dianna; ...
The Hazards of Growing Up Painlessly

Detecting cancer cells and parasites

A Wet Way to Better Burning?

Doctor disputes common acceptance of ‘brain death’ The link in comment# 19 is quite a read.

FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.

25 posted on 11/25/2012 11:03:07 PM PST by neverdem ( Xin loi min oi)
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To: neverdem

This brain death thing looks like it sure has gotten sloppy. In the name of getting transplant organs, they’ve killed or “killed” many humans or “bodies” in conditions outwardly identical to those in which some degree of recovery to a recognized living state has occurred, if not also recovery to lucidity. We trusted doctors to be sane, humane, and moral. Instead too often it’s nod and wink, and Obamacare can only make it worse.


26 posted on 11/25/2012 11:14:25 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (How long before all this "fairness" kills everybody, even the poor it was supposed to help???)
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To: Myrddin

And, trying not to run ahead of the customer is only logical. You haven’t really solved the problem until you maximally understood what the problem IS. Knowing the right questions to ask helps a lot, of course.


27 posted on 11/25/2012 11:17:29 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (How long before all this "fairness" kills everybody, even the poor it was supposed to help???)
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To: neverdem

Calcium could vary from normal to high normal, to above normal. I’ve been borderline above normal for years and I’m only 27.


28 posted on 11/25/2012 11:41:16 PM PST by wastedyears (I don't want to live on this planet anymore.)
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To: neverdem

I didn’t say what I wanted to. Calcium doesn’t have to be above normal to have parathyroid disease.


29 posted on 11/26/2012 12:16:37 AM PST by wastedyears (I don't want to live on this planet anymore.)
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To: Myrddin
I often find myself writing software algorithms instead of normal "dreaming".

"Those idiots! I could have written that program in my sleep!"

My condolences. I don't dream of software coding but I do have occasional insomnia -- my blood sugar crashes at 4:00 AM and I am unable to go back to sleep.

Cheers!

30 posted on 11/26/2012 3:19:09 AM PST by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy
Can you post information (or links thereunto) for how to control the brain's inner dialogue?

(The middle setting would be *very* advantageous for a programmer, when one has has the intuition, and needs to turn it into working code.)

Cheers!

31 posted on 11/26/2012 3:23:43 AM PST by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: bgill
Wonder if they ever considered these people are easily bored?

I wonder if they've ever been treated with Ritalin or other ADHD drugs as a child?

32 posted on 11/26/2012 5:22:21 AM PST by raybbr (People who still support Obama are either a Marxist or a moron.)
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy; GBA

It’s very easy to clear one’s mind. Meditation, self-hypnosis, and the ability to concentrate can all be learned and practiced to great effect.

It takes effort, but it can be accomplished with perseverance.


33 posted on 11/26/2012 6:12:01 AM PST by TheOldLady
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To: grey_whiskers

My favorite technique comes with an explanation of why it works.

It is based on the idea that the small part of the brain responsible for the internal dialogue is the same part of the brain responsible for attention in general, and that as more attention is needed, it takes priority over maintaining the internal dialogue.

It is difficult for the brain to provide the energy needed to even support attention, much less the internal dialogue, so we use lots of brain tricks to shut out data that might be considered extraneous, and thus conserve energy.

For example, when we look at a picture of a person, we do not try to focus our attention on the entire image, but only on a “darting point”, looking at a small part, then another small part, then another, using our short term memory to imagine the whole picture at once. Importantly, when we look at a picture of a human face, the most frequently looked at points are the eyes. Here is a scan of eye movements of the darting point.

http://i.imgur.com/uM0PQ.jpg

So the trick of the technique is to create more and more demand on our attention, which deprives the internal dialogue of the energy it needs to function, so it is quieted. And the longer it can voluntarily be turned off, the greater our control over it becomes.

The technique involves walking. Just ordinary walking is not easy, and demands considerable attention directed towards the legs. The next part is as you are walking, to hold the fingers in some unusual way, it doesn’t matter how, as long as it is unusual enough to attract your attention to your arms as well. Your arms just hang normally as they do when you typically walk, so it’s just the fingers that are odd.

So now your attention is in two directions. But the third part is the real attention grabber. By unfocusing your eyes, you defeat the “darting point” of your visual focus, and instead, everything in a 180 degree view in front of you becomes of equal importance to your attention. Which consumes an enormous amount of attention.

It takes just a little practice to learn how to walk with unfocused eyes, either looking at the ground 10-15 feet in front of you, or over the horizon, but it is not terribly difficult to learn.

So there is the technique. Walking, holding your fingers in an unusual way or ways, and unfocusing your eyes. Not very hard at all.

A few personal observations about the technique:

Don’t carry physical objects in your hands, as it can get annoying. I dislike even wearing a wristwatch when doing this. Rings are right out.

Never listen to music while you are doing this, or you may get a ferocious “ear worm”, the song endlessly repeating in your head. But if you have an annoying “ear worm” on its own while doing this technique, it will totally burn itself out and won’t trouble you any longer. Yippee!, if such things annoy you.

You can do the technique day or night, as long or short a walk as you like, because the effects are generally cumulative. Some people stop after a couple of weeks because even though they are getting a better state of mental focus and unfocus, they dislike the feeling of silence, like some people dislike quiet, so bring a boom box with them when they go camping.

One thing that some people notice after doing this technique for a while is that they start to get unusual sensations. Typically we ignore or block the vast majority of sensory input available to us, and sustained silence is bound to let some sensations we previously ignored through. I’ve never quite understood why a few people find this so disturbing, but a few do. Most just think it is cool.


34 posted on 11/26/2012 6:39:51 AM PST by yefragetuwrabrumuy (DIY Bumper Sticker: "THREE TIMES,/ DEMOCRATS/ REJECTED GOD")
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To: grey_whiskers
I eat a Zone Bar with my evening mix of pills to avoid both the empty stomach and the wake up from the blood sugar crash. That carries me a good 6 hours before a blood sugar crash wakes me. Ibuprofen or aspirin is necessary at bed time or the pain in my back makes sleeping impossible.
35 posted on 11/26/2012 10:47:44 AM PST by Myrddin
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To: wastedyears
Calcium could vary from normal to high normal, to above normal. I’ve been borderline above normal for years and I’m only 27.

I wouldn't go chasing borderline numbers without a complaint. Is your albumin also borderline high? Most of the ionized calcium is bound to it.

Ionized calcium.

36 posted on 11/26/2012 4:30:55 PM PST by neverdem ( Xin loi min oi)
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To: neverdem
Is your albumin also borderline high?

Never heard of that, what is it? I'd look it up myself but I need to get ready for an overnight job, so that the information might be there when I get home.

37 posted on 11/26/2012 5:25:46 PM PST by wastedyears (I don't want to live on this planet anymore.)
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To: wastedyears
This is a good reference about albumin. Odds are that the first time your blood was checked for calcium, they also checked for albumin along with 12 - 16 other elements and biochemicals.

After you're finished reading it, click on Home at the top of the page on the left. It's a good source for the general public's medical questions. Save it for future reference.

38 posted on 11/26/2012 7:57:33 PM PST by neverdem ( Xin loi min oi)
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To: neverdem; wastedyears

A reminder for after I’ve slept. I’ll make sure to check out that link. Thank you


39 posted on 11/27/2012 5:18:50 AM PST by wastedyears (I don't want to live on this planet anymore.)
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To: neverdem

I checked it out; I don’t think I have a problem metabolizing protein, but I won’t dismiss it completely because I haven’t had it tested.


40 posted on 11/27/2012 10:55:12 AM PST by wastedyears (I don't want to live on this planet anymore.)
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