Behaviors

During the day, repeatedly perform reality checks so the habit carries into dreams and triggers lucidity when reality behaves differently. You can set an alarm as a reminder and use checks like flipping a light switch on and off or pressing your hand into a solid surface.

Listen to sleep stories to get the mind off itself and reduce rumination when trying to fall asleep.

Assess whether you snore by using an app over a couple of nights. When recording, start the app and place your phone face down so it can listen to your breathing all night.

If you know upcoming nights will be short or disrupted, sleep longer beforehand to build sleep credit and lessen the impact of the upcoming debt.

When awake in the middle of the night, avoid trying too hard to fall back asleep because effort and frustration push sleep further away. If sleep is not coming, stop forcing it and instead lie there and enjoy the concept of rest, even with eyes open if needed.

If you consistently wake too early and cannot get back to sleep, try delaying bedtime later, for example from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m., and maintain it for several days to build sleep pressure.

If early awakening persists, speak with a board-certified sleep medicine clinician.

For menopause-related sleep disruption and hot flashes, keep the bedroom cool.

Take walks for reflection and presence; examples included walking to expand beyond narrow daily milestones, walking a mile every day, and using walking as a form of meditation focused on being present.

In the clinical-trial context, macrodosing appears more effective than microdosing. Prioritize set, setting, and safety when making this choice.

For psychedelic use, set and setting are important, along with safety; certainly not for children.

For women who have had strokes or are at risk for stroke, avoid oral contraceptives because they still increase clot risk somewhat, though less than first-generation formulations.

Exercise was discussed as a beneficial lifestyle factor associated with lower stroke incidence and better self-care.

Lower obesity prevalence was discussed as beneficial because obesity is a risk factor for stroke and heart attack.

Avoid stimulant drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine because they markedly increase risk of aneurysms and hemorrhage, damage vessels, and raise blood pressure.

Recommended when concussion is severe; MRI usually does not show molecular abnormalities of concussion but can show contusion or bruising.

Use sophisticated neurologic testing after concussion; eye tracking is described as a very sensitive way to detect brain problems after concussion because tracking worsens. In sports such as football and hockey, pre-season eye tracking can establish a baseline for later comparison.

During concussion recovery, avoid overstressing the brain, but also avoid prolonged sensory deprivation such as staying home in the dark with sunglasses on for long periods. Keep giving the brain input without overloading it.

Mentioned as part of the general vascular-protective approach.

If exploratory or total-body scans reveal findings that concern you, discuss them with a specialist before acting.

For a tiny incidental aneurysm such as a 1.75 mm blister, recommendation was not to change lifestyle; instead, forget about it and get follow-up imaging, as it may never matter clinically.

Guest says he cut back on coffee/caffeine after overdoing work, travel, exercise, and fainting.

Guest says he no longer pushes himself to exercise hard if he is feeling fatigued.

If you feel faint, correlate symptoms with vital signs by measuring blood pressure.

Guest says he personally would not let his kids play football or rugby because of concussion and CTE risk despite acknowledging benefits of team sports.

If you are not a professional athlete, guest suggests choosing other sports with similar benefits and less controversy or risk than football or boxing.

For a common mild head hit or mild concussion causing brief dizziness, guest says in general not to worry or get a scan if symptoms resolve within a relatively short period, such as a day or two.

After stroke, continue moving the body. Evidence supports activity, walking, exercise, resistance training, skill-related training, physical therapy, and even forced activity as beneficial.

Restrain the good limb to force use of the affected limb after stroke; guest notes intriguing data and says it has been shown in animal and some clinical studies.

Guest cautions that forcing use of the affected limb too soon after stroke may be detrimental; timing matters.