I recently started seeing a new GP who specializes in Epigenetics. Within fifteen minutes of entering his office with my reports he had me on a new supplement protocol at night: Gaba 1g, L-theanine 400mg, melatonin 10mg. I’ve focused on my circadian rhythms for three years now and have impeccable sleep hygiene, but I was struggling with staying asleep, and I couldn’t get past an hour of deep sleep each night. Within two days of this protocol my deep sleep tripled! I now go to sleep 45 mins earlier, I stay asleep all night, and I’m getting three to four hours of deep sleep a night. I track it using an apple watch and the AutoSleep app. It uses a combination of heart rate drop and movement to determine sleep cycles. It’s been very informative!
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Sleep Tracker
- HeatherLst
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APOE4/4
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Thanks for this, any recommended brands? I see all 3 on Amazon (“NOW Supplements,”) very affordable.
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That’s great progress! Even given the inexact nature of consumer sleep trackers sometimes real trends are apparent, which even Matthew Walker indicated once when citing some Fitbit data (sorry don’t have a link).HeatherLst wrote:I recently started seeing a new GP who specializes in Epigenetics. Within fifteen minutes of entering his office with my reports he had me on a new supplement protocol at night: Gaba 1g, L-theanine 400mg, melatonin 10mg. I’ve focused on my circadian rhythms for three years now and have impeccable sleep hygiene, but I was struggling with staying asleep, and I couldn’t get past an hour of deep sleep each night. Within two days of this protocol my deep sleep tripled! I now go to sleep 45 mins earlier, I stay asleep all night, and I’m getting three to four hours of deep sleep a night. I track it using an apple watch and the AutoSleep app. It uses a combination of heart rate drop and movement to determine sleep cycles. It’s been very informative!
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I found that about 750 mg gaba made me sluggish the next day so I stopped that experiment. I’ve taken l-theanine 100 mg am and pm for years. I think I’ll increase the pm l-theonine and melatonin and see what happens. I usually get 1-1.5 hours deep sleep, occasionally 1.5-2. Never more than 2 going by Fitbit data.
I do find going to sleep earlier, around 9 pm, aids my deep sleep.
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
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Jarrow L-Theanine (Suntheanine) at 100 mg and 60 caps currently $2 off at Amazon ($4.58 instead of $6.54).
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
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@HeatherLst do you feel tired the next day from that much melatonin? That is a hefty dose! Did the dr recommend this protocol specifically to support your APOe4 gene? Very interesting. My favorite sleep supplement is currently Phosphytidyl Serine but I am always looking for ways to better stay asleep through the night.
- HeatherLst
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I don’t feel sleepy. I never ever would have taken that much on my own!
No, it’s not for APOE4. I started seeing him because I wanted a GP who understood Epigenetics and who could help me walk that fine line APOE4/4 demands. I wasn’t in his office five minutes though before he waved off any talk of APOE4 and began asking me other questions. It was like watching Sherlock work out a puzzle. Long story but he’d noticed signs of HPA axis dysfunction as soon as I walked in—but I’d totally missed them. He asked a ton of questions, his medical student took furious notes, he told me things about my childhood food issues no one ever should have known...and then put me on a protocol for my HPA axis issues. I take Gaba, melatonin and others at night, with Sam-e, Taurine and folinic Acid during the day. In three months we’ll reassess and move forward towards the next thing on the list. Sleep just happens to be a benefit of the protocol, so I’m paying attention!
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No, it’s not for APOE4. I started seeing him because I wanted a GP who understood Epigenetics and who could help me walk that fine line APOE4/4 demands. I wasn’t in his office five minutes though before he waved off any talk of APOE4 and began asking me other questions. It was like watching Sherlock work out a puzzle. Long story but he’d noticed signs of HPA axis dysfunction as soon as I walked in—but I’d totally missed them. He asked a ton of questions, his medical student took furious notes, he told me things about my childhood food issues no one ever should have known...and then put me on a protocol for my HPA axis issues. I take Gaba, melatonin and others at night, with Sam-e, Taurine and folinic Acid during the day. In three months we’ll reassess and move forward towards the next thing on the list. Sleep just happens to be a benefit of the protocol, so I’m paying attention!
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APOE4/4
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Hi Heather, so glad you found someone you think could be helping you. I suspect I have these issues too (HPA axis dysfunction) along with the lack of deep sleep symptoms. Would you mind telling us a little more about what he told you? Also, would you mind terribly if I asked you to send me the name of your practitioner in a private message? I have been looking for someone like this for a long time.HeatherLst wrote: Long story but he’d noticed signs of HPA axis dysfunction as soon as I walked in—but I’d totally missed them. He asked a ton of questions, his medical student took furious notes, he told me things about my childhood food issues no one ever should have known...and then put me on a protocol for my HPA axis issues.
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Dear Lyssah,Lyssah wrote:Hi Heather, so glad you found someone you think could be helping you. I suspect I have these issues too (HPA axis dysfunction) along with the lack of deep sleep symptoms. Would you mind telling us a little more about what he told you? Also, would you mind terribly if I asked you to send me the name of your practitioner in a private message? I have been looking for someone like this for a long time.
Welcome to the website! It's so great that after a long time of looking, you might have found a practitioner you are looking for

There is also a list of practitioners in the wiki if you are interested. The wiki is also a great place to find info on how-to use the site should you need it.
And here's a link to the primer Primer for your easy access.
Wishing you health and happiness for 2020,
Flo
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I feel I should chime in to add my own experiences with the Oura ring. I bought one early in 2019 and used it for many months. At first I thought it was great, but after awhile I started to notice that on nights when I knew I'd tossed and turned and slept poorly all night, the Oura would report the next morning that I'd slept great with a lot of deep sleep. Conversely, on many nights where I felt I'd slept terrific and awakened the next day feeling refreshed and like I'd slept very well, the ring would often report that I'd had a very poor night of sleep. I started to feel like it wasn't reliable at all and I put it away. A few months later I decided to give it another try. Wore it for another month, but once again I found this same pattern. My experience with it was that it didn't seem at all reliable in telling me the quality of my sleep, or the amount of deep sleep I was getting. I know others feel differently, but for those still considering a purchase I thought I should mention my experience here. 

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Hi Babl. Hmm. I've noticed the same problem after using it for several months. Lately, when I wake up the tracker does not correspond to the way I felt I slept. I wonder how many others out there are having this experience. I just went onto an Oura Ring FB group but haven't had a chance to check it out for comments.