I think it was a fluke. I don’t see any obvious differences in my Oura ring data after several days of this. It didn’t hurt, but I can’t say it helped. Last night, I tried MB then standing in front of my red light panel an hour later with both IR blocking glasses and my eyes closed. I got VERY sleepy and crashed hard but my heart rate steadily rose for several hours until I woke up around 3 a.m. as I usually do.
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Bummer. It was worth a try. I been taking it when I’ve not been sleeping well; and it helps me not fully wake up when I get up to pee (I fall back asleep easily). I’ve been sleeping well enough not to use it for a week or so. It’s a nice change.
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Well, I’m going to keep trying it in case a few days is not enough to tease the signal from the noise. I have thought that my REM phase post-bathroom break feels less wakeful overall, but the Oura ring isn’t showing it (maybe just insensitive) and I’m skeptical of my subjective assessment when I’m biased in favor of the outcome.
The red light knocking me out cold was very interesting so I’ll try that a few more times too.
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Pat25
#118
Was it only red light - or in combination with NIR?
@AgentSmith I wouldn’t put too much confidence on oura’s ability to track sleep stages accurately. It’s great at tracking sleep duration but not sleep stages. It guesses at sleep stage…maybe it guesses well on average but not for all individuals. If we could adjust the algorithm to fit our personal biometrics vs personal sleep stages …maybe. I took off my Oura ring months ago. My sleep is subjectively better ever since. I no longer “have” to worry about my sleep data and sleep score.
I like the red light plus MB at night idea. My experiment that is working very well is I turn off all the lights at night. I use a small light to get around. I dim my electronics screens so I can work. I get very sleepy very early now.
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A mix: 630, 660, 810, 830, 850nm
Yes, I agree. I’ve had 2 sleep studies and am going in for a third in a couple weeks. For the first two I didn’t have an Oura ring. For this next one I’m going to wear it and see how it compares to the study report. The Oura deep sleep metric does seem to correlate pretty well with how I feel in the morning, and the “awake” frequency seems to correlate pretty well with my sense of that too. Medication changes definitely show up, though that’s pretty stable now.
You’re much better about sleep hygiene! I have 3 kids and my days are so packed that I pretty much go morning to night with no downtime whatsoever (exercise doesn’t count). There’s no time to turn out the lights early and walk around by candlelight. 
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Do you use HGH 2IU daily? Looks like they used 3IU 3-4/week in the TRIIM trial.
LukeMV
#122
Yea I take it daily. I think they did 3-4x per week in TRIIM because they thought it was easier for the people in the study to comply with less injections. I don’t believe Fahy ever explained that.
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Does this push your IGF-1 above the range? If so, does that concern you at all?
LukeMV
#124
No, it is just below 300 which I’m fine with. Even if 120-160 is the sweet spot for longevity, I prefer the quality of life doing what I’m doing instead.
I should note my IGF1 was higher than that range to begin with, likely as a result of testosterone’s conversion to estradiol, which raises IGF1
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@dicarlo2 @LukeMV
You may have already watched this, but I was surprised that Matt and his guest were open to low doses of GH at least for periods of time.
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LukeMV
#126
I did indeed watch that. There is still work to be done to change the overall perception, but I think Greg Fahy’s TRIIM trials have helped open people’s minds to the idea that it can be useful, especially in older individuals.
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Its interesting… I’ve talked to a number of “longevity doctors” on this issue, and frequently they say the positive feelings that people experience using GH make it hard to stop using once they start. These doctors say that there is a legitimate discussion around a therapy like this that may shorten your life a little, but improves the quality of your life significantly.
I think more research needs to be done on this.
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I’ve heard people talk about cocaine the same way (improves the quality of your life). It is an interesting subject but also a slippery slope when trading off between short term and long term benefits, I’d rather find strategies for getting both at the same time (eg, learn to enjoy exercise while reaping the health and lifespan benefits from exercise). Also, I’m afraid I’d really like cocaine.
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LukeMV
#129
I know what you’re trying to say but I don’t think it’s a fair comparison, respectfully. Our bodies don’t naturally produce cocaine. HGH is a hormone that our bodies naturally produce, has shown benefits in certain disease states, and declines with age.
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IMO: hormone replacement therapy makes sense for older people.
There is no reason for younger people to take it unless they have a medical condition that makes them deficient.
I like the fact that peptides can spur natural hormone production.
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I wasn’t talking about cocaine; I was talking about shortcuts to health and happiness. I’ll take the shortcut if necessary but I’m first trying to get the pathways working better so I don’t have to supplement GH or testosterone (or take cocaine to feel happy and confident). But if something is physiologically broken and can’t be fixed, then I will definitely supplement whatever is needed.
Right now I’m busting my ass to avoid or at least delay resorting to taking hormones. I also don’t use cocaine yet.
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LukeMV
#132
Lol, and yes I completely agree with you. Fight off hormone decline naturally as long as possible until you’re left with no other choice. No cocaine necessary
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So, what’s the best way to fight off hormone decay? Probably exercise, sleep, diet, avoid bad things, etc…
What else?
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GH declines from a peak in early 20s
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