Help with focus/stamina/fatigue problem
A little background on me.
Have been doing poker/gambling for a living for 25+ years .
mostly in nyc/NJ/Ac .
cash games. triple stud/limit/deep stack NL.
these games usually did not get affected by my problem because it was usually start at 7pm and end by 1230am.
My problem:
since a little kid I am rarely ever able capable of sleeping more than 5 hours in a row (90%+ of my sleep cycles are under 5 hours) .
if i go to sleep at 9pm im up by 230am, if i go to sleep at 6am im awake by 1130am. Unless the gf put me on a strenuous workout plan the night before, and even then, me getting 7-8 hours of sleep is rare.
The problem is that this translates horrible for tournaments .
my usual routine for my whole life is to sleep my 5 hours (hopefully) and then take a 1 hour nap or so after being up 9-10 hours or so.
it worked perfect in nyc as the games started at 7 and i was refreshed compared to most who just got off their 9-5 ,it was a huge edge for me.
obviously this is not ideal for tourneys. i constantly find myself a chip leader early and then losing focus, clarity in the last 2 levels of the night. Im not punting but im definitely not as sharp in the 9th and 10th hour.
I started playing tournaments in 2014, have around 200k in cashes in around 250ish tournament and up 110k or so gross (I probably have a leak in not rebuying in 98% of tourneys but i dont feel comfortable with under 60bb or 10 big bets
13 Replies
drink a cup of coffee ffs
A little background on me.Have been doing poker/gambling for a living for 25+ years .mostly in nyc/NJ/Ac . cash games. triple stud/limit/deep stack NL.these games usually did not get affected by my problem because it was usually start at 7pm and end by 1230am.My problem:since a little kid I am rarely ever able capable of sleeping more than 5 hours in a row (90%+ of my sleep cy
part 2
so basically, since i cant nap unless i time the dinner break perfectly.
i fizzle out by the end of the night .
today is a good example, fell asleep at 3am, woke up at 730am and wanted to play some online tournaments that start at 2pm but now I feel like i will be fatigued if i did not nap beforehand.
so what can i do to be able to keep focus for those final few hours of tournament play? any supplements i should be taking ?
thanks.
tldr cliffs
cant sleep more than 5 hours.
fade out near end of day 1's
need advice for supplements/techniques for focus/stamina
So what is your exercise routine? Any?
i walk around 15k steps a day and have an active sex life (like 20 min a day avg/60 per day active) but no gym and stuff. i did sign up with tjs service for a little and it helped some so might re up.
slept 5.5 hours today from 630am till noon. i need to fix that for sure but it works out for poker/later starting tournaments
so skipped the wynn horse because i woke up at 7am after 4 hours of sleep and probably a good thing i did as i took a 2 hour nap at 5pm. i do edibles on Tues and wed only and my gf got me sleepy time edibles and slept from 4am til 1230pm and felt great. maybe it was the edibles or the combination of sex and edibles but I felt good and awake and alert til at least 1am today so i definitely will look into maybe edibles before a tourney
coke ldo
i think huberman is a total fraud about most things but some of his sleep advice is actually quite good. if you practice good sleep hygiene and ruled out sleep disorders, i think your only option is to adjust your sleep schedule to maximize alertness during tournament hours.
a lot of things can effect sleep. i added two hours to my average sleep just by fixing some gastro issues that i didn't know about until recently.
coke ldoi think huberman is a total fraud about most things but some of his sleep advice is actually quite good. if you practice good sleep hygiene and ruled out sleep disorders, i think your only option is to adjust your sleep schedule to maximize alertness during tournament hours. a lot of things can effect sleep. i added two hours to my average sleep just by fixing some gast
ha can't do that . heart beats too fast when on it and that was in my 20's
yeah I might have a gastro problem that might interrupt my sleep schedule.
did an edible last night and slept 6.5 hours. downside is I forgot about the horse satty at the wynn and had to pass on it cause of edible
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part 2
any supplements i should be taking ?
need advice for supplements/techniques for focus/stamina
Creatine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M61oqDvN...
There is a whole protocol for getting a good night sleep, but that assumes you can have a regular schedule.
If you do shift work.. airline pilot.. poker player most of it goes out the window.
In your case, I would use
Melatonin
Melatonin isn't great for sustaining sleep - it helps you get to sleep but IME and from what I've read, it's far less effective at sustaining it
I also have this issue although it's exacerbated by anxiety - I always wake after about 5 hours, but if my mind is at peace than I can often get back to sleep, if not then I go to plan b
you've probably tried some or all of these if you've been struggling with sleep for years as I have, but just in case....
- don't eat or drink for at least 3 hours prior to going to bed
- definitely no alcohol
- don't get up for a pee as it raises your heart rate & makes it more difficult to get back to sleep
- try mental blocking tactics when you wake up to close off your mind. eg say 'back to sleep, back to sleep' over and over to yourself and don't let any other thoughts come in. Count backwards in 3s from 300 and picture the number as you say it. That's too easy for me now, so I count backwards in 7s from 600.
- if it doesn't work, get out of bed & go and read somewhere under a medium light - no screens
- i find a gummy quite effective as long as it isn't too strong
- I generally take a sleeping pill once a week for a catch up sleep....I've found half at night when I'm tired anyway and the other half when I wake up after 4/5 hours works best
- rub one out. (unless you can persuade your significant other to give it up smooth at 3am....which I've never managed!)
If I have trouble sleeping, it is usually because i have one or more critical items that are running through my head and
I end up thinking about all the variations I need to be ready for. One of they ways I get over this is to keep a notepad by
my bed and write down 'don't forget X..' then I feel much more relaxed.
It sounds like your sleep pattern is really unique and definitely makes long tournaments challenging. A few things that might help:
* Short, strategic naps before critical tournament blocks can help refresh you, even if you can’t get a full 7–8 hours at night.
* Light exercise earlier in the day can help maintain alertness without over-stimulating you.
* Mental techniques like note-taking or brief mindfulness breaks can reduce cognitive fatigue during the long sessions.
* As for supplements, some people find creatine or caffeine strategically (but carefully) helps with focus, though you’ll want to avoid anything that interferes with your sleep.
Overall, it seems like finding a combination of naps, diet, and mental strategies tailored to your schedule will be the most effective. The consistency you already have with walking and staying active is a strong foundation.
