#1

One of the things I dislike the most about aging is that time seems to pass much too rapidly. In simple terms what I’ve read says that neural sampling slows down with age. If that’s the case then it makes sense. Fewer neural samples in a day means fewer pages to review when I think back about the day’s events. Another theory is that older people simply have fewer new experiences which also means fewer pages in the book of the day’s events.

I asked ChatGPT about peptides that could be of benefit with this time perception. If you’ve used any of these and found that they bring back some of that time perception you had when you were younger let me know. The question to ChatGPT follows, along with the answer which I condensed:

ChatGPT, are there any peptides that can normalize time perception for older humans so that they experience time as if they were much younger?

A. Peptides That May Influence Time Perception

  1. Semax – Increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), enhances dopamine release, and improves cognitive function, potentially modulating time perception.
  2. Selank – Has anxiolytic and nootropic properties, modulating neurotransmitters that could affect temporal awareness.
  3. DSIP (Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide) – Improves sleep regulation, which can impact cognitive time distortion.
  4. Cerebrolysin – A mix of peptides that enhance neuroplasticity and cognitive processing speed.
  5. Epitalon – A telomerase activator that may influence circadian rhythms and neuronal function.

B. Non-Peptide Alternatives

  • Dopamine-enhancing compounds (e.g., L-DOPA, bromocriptine, selegiline) can alter the brain’s internal clock, as dopamine plays a key role in time perception.
  • Psychedelics (e.g., microdoses of LSD or psilocybin) have been shown to shift time perception, potentially mimicking the time experience of youth.
  • NAD+ boosters (e.g., NR or NMN) may improve mitochondrial function and neuronal processing speed.
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#2

A friend saw the second hand of his clock slow and come to a complete standstill, so it seemed, was not a microdose of course.

So yes, it is processing speed, but also the mere feeling, like the redness of red, as is the illusion of timeflow anyways.

#3

Could you please elaborate? How did this happen?

#4

Consider also the effect of relative time values. For example a 10 year old experiences one day as 1/3,652.5th of its life (not accounting for when it actually became aware of time), whereas a 60 year old experiences one day as 1/21,915th of its life. So it actually feels like time is going by faster. Not sure how you might fix that other than a complete memory reset. :slightly_smiling_face:

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#5

I tale selegiline every morning 1.25mg
I take Epitalon 5 nights a week 120mcg
I did try Semax and Selank is on my to-do list

Time still fly’s by for this old guy :slight_smile: I think @Digby9 has hit the nail on the head as I’ve been thinking along those same lines the past 4 or 5 months.

It goes even quicker when you see so many “peers” at similar ages passing and worse, when people just a few years older are passing.

As a 69y/o I notice when people 70, 75, etc pass, as I wonder, do I only have 4 or 5 years left? but my recent ancestors lived well into their 90’s so I’m hoping I have another 20 years.

Even thinking about 20 years left is not a lot of fun, when I’ve already lived 3.5 x 20 year segments and may only have 1 segment left…

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#6

Are you referring to something your friend took, possibly psilocybin?

#7

I’ve tried or currently use 6 of the 8. Psychedelics are not in my list, but I would try a microdose if offered. I wouldn’t say that any of the chemicals have altered my perception of time.

Not in your post is deep meditation or contemplative prayer (Cistercian), during which one loses a sense of time and after which the persistent calm might seem to slow things down.

But in my experience, travel is most effective, especially travel that is packed full of activities, not lounging on a beach. When the days are so full and stimulating that they go by quickly, paradoxically time seems to slow down because the density of experience is so high. The sensory inputs are different, new information is being processed, new memories are being formed. Maybe it’s like being a child again.

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#8

Excellent idea! Yes, like being a child again where every experience is new and interesting. That could be the ticket or one of the possible tickets.

#9

microdot, not microdose :shushing_face::crazy_face::rofl:

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#10

Psychedelics can seem to make time almost stop, of course they have numerous strange effects- like hearing colors. Truly remarkable. But, I think the results in a 60+ year old would be far less equal to that in a 19 year old. When I was on TRT a few years ago, I felt what I guess could be slowed time perception. More things accomplished in a day, more engaged with everything, outgoing, exciting. Many different facets. But for now, Tune in, Turn on and Live Long!

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#11

Time is so relative and there is nothing absolute about it. I experience similar distorted/accelerated experience in my early fifties even though i have a packed schedule and have to prioritize activities.
Did you ask Chatgpt what are non peptide solutions to crack this issue?
I dont think we need to ask. It is the time tested method of meditation practice. A regular practice of twice daily will let you control your perception of time through the same neural pathways that externally administered neuropeptides target (with sometimes unintended consequences).
Finally, not to get too stoic about it but Seneca was so correct about it. I have a Memento Mori Calendar to remind me of that…every week.:slight_smile:

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#12

A related but, I think, separate experience is looking back on time gone by. The years fly by when I don’t have powerful memories to mark time. The everyday busy busy busy is like chewing gum for the brain.

When I was younger I would have thrilling, exhilarating experiences that involved actual or perceived near death experiences (serious opportunities for: falling a great distance, crashing into a tree at high speed, getting hit by a car while descending on a bike at 50 mph, getting lost in below zero weather in the mountains, nearby lightning strikes, etc). Now I go to the gym. I’m saving myself for what?

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#13

I will soon be taking four of the five peptides on that list which hopefully aids. But for me the most important for slowing time perception is living life to the fullest with all its challenges and delights.

#14

Well, the thrill of riding a Honda 750k on the Blue Ridge Parkway or back country roads is well in my past at this point. Some of those indelible experiences did involve some potentially dangerous encounters, but those are the memories I don’t forget. So, these days in my case the gym is also the place where I go. However, mountain hiking I still do and that’s always good unless there’s a bear sighting (quite rare). But, that is also an indelible memory. In fact, though the Blue Ridge Parkway still has closures due to Hurricane Helene I plan to hike some of the trails that are commonly accessed from the Parkway tomorrow. I’m sure it will be a memorable experience.

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#15

@Jay Enjoy the hike! My thrill for the day was a 30 minute walk around the track in the sunshine before my sauna. I practiced swinging my arms vigorously and seeing my hands in my peripheral vision. I barely survived. (The sauna followed by an ice cold shower was actual murder).

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#16

I thought it was just me and will start paying more attention to this phenomenon. I am using Semak/Selank now; cycled Cerebrolysin last summer and planning to again soon; plus a cycle epitalon a few times a year. Overall, I feel sharper and have better focus. Time seems to slow down when I’m working out and the harder it is the slower it goes. Maybe when we are older we don’t do enough hard things?

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