Dr. Matt Walker: Protocols to Improve Your Sleep | Huberman Lab Guest Series
Andrew Huberman
Apr 10, 2024
Episode description
This is episode 2 of a 6-part special series on sleep with Dr. Matthew Walker, Ph.D., a professor of neuroscience and psychology and founder of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley.
We discuss basic and advanced tools for improving sleep and explain how sleep quality is affected by temperature, light and dark, caffeine, alcohol, cannabis, nutrition, meal timing, and different medications.
Dr. Walker also provides strategies for coping with a poor night of sleep, wind-down routines, technology in the bedroom, insomnia, visualizations, and building sleep “confidence.”
We also discuss the current status of sleep research for developing advanced techniques to optimize sleep.
This episode provides numerous zero-cost behavioral protocols for improving sleep quality and restorative power, which can benefit daytime mood, energy, performance, and overall health.
The next episode in this special series explores napping, caffeine, and additional protocols to improve sleep.
For the full show notes, including referenced articles and additional resources, please visit https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/guest-series-dr-matthew-walker-protocols-to-improve-your-sleep
Use Ask Huberman Lab, our new AI-powered platform, for a summary, clips, and insights from this episode: https://ai.hubermanlab.com/s/e2KRCmn7
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Dr. Matthew Walker
Website: https://www.sleepdiplomat.com
Podcast: https://www.sleepdiplomat.com/podcast
"Why We Sleep": https://amzn.to/4a9Tyyl
Academic profile: https://psychology.berkeley.edu/people/matthew-p-walker
X: https://twitter.com/sleepdiplomat
Instagram: https://instagram.com/drmattwalker
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sleepdiplomat
MasterClass: https://www.masterclass.com/classes/matthew-walker-teaches-the-science-of-better-sleep
Timestamps
00:00:00 Improving Sleep
00:01:16 Sponsors: Helix Sleep, WHOOP & Waking Up
00:05:30 Basics of Sleep Hygiene, Regularity, Dark & Light
00:12:05 Light, Day & Night; Cortisol, Insomnia
00:18:45 Temperature; “Walk It Out”; Alcohol & Caffeine
00:26:05 Sleep Association, Bed vs. Sofa
00:29:43 Tool: Falling Asleep; Meditation, Breathing
00:35:23 Sponsor: AG1
00:36:37 Alcohol & Sleep Disruption
00:40:01 Food & Sleep, Carbs, Melatonin
00:49:25 Caffeine; Afternoon Coffee, Nighttime Waking
00:55:52 Caffeine Metabolism & Sleep, Individual Variation
01:01:19 Sponsor: InsideTracker
01:02:04 Cannabis: THC vs. CBD, REM Sleep, Withdrawal
01:12:03 Sleep Hygiene Basics
01:16:08 Tool: Poor Sleep Compensation, “Do Nothing”
01:20:23 Tool: Sleep Deprivation & Exercise
01:24:11 Insomnia Intervention & Bedtime Rescheduling, Sleep Confidence
01:32:58 Wind-Down Routine; Mental Walk; Clocks & Phones
01:41:29 Advanced Sleep Optimization, Electric Manipulation
01:50:07 Temperature Manipulation, Elderly, Insomnia
01:58:57 Tool: Warm Bath Effect & Sleep, Sauna
02:04:36 Acoustic Stimulation, White Noise, Pink Noise
02:13:30 Rocking & Sleep, Body Position
02:24:17 Enhance REM Sleep & Temperature; Sleep Medications
02:28:35 Pharmacology, DORAs & REM Sleep; Narcolepsy & Insomnia
02:34:12 Acetylcholine, Serotonin, Peptides; Balance
02:40:45 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter
#HubermanLab #Science #Sleep
Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com
Disclaimer: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer
Mindsip insights from this episode:
Incorporate evening carbohydrates to enhance sleep quality
Contrary to popular diet advice, eating carbohydrates in the evening can help some people sleep better, possibly by boosting the precursor ingredients for melatonin.
Utilize DORAs for naturalistic sleep improvement
A new class of sleep medications called DORAs works by blocking the brain's wakefulness chemical, orexin, allowing for more naturalistic sleep compared to older sedative drugs.
Force sleep efficiency through bedtime restriction
A core technique for treating insomnia is bedtime rescheduling, where you temporarily restrict your time in bed to brute force your brain into being more efficient at sleeping.
Incorporate slow rocking to enhance deep sleep
A very slow rocking motion of 0.25 Hz while sleeping has been shown to increase the speed of falling asleep and boost the amount of deep sleep.
Avoid napping or caffeine after a bad night of sleep
If you have a bad night of sleep, do not sleep in, nap, or increase your caffeine intake the next day to avoid disrupting your sleep schedule further.
Boost morning cortisol with bright light exposure
Getting bright light exposure in the morning can increase the amplitude of your morning cortisol spike by as much as 50%, which is beneficial for alertness and mood.
Take a mental walk to fall asleep faster
Instead of counting sheep, which can make it take longer to fall asleep, take yourself on a detailed mental walk of a very familiar route to get your mind off itself.
Avoid midday coffee to prevent sleep disruption
Because caffeine has a quarter-life of 10 to 12 hours, having a coffee at midday is like drinking a quarter cup of coffee right before bed.
Utilize CBD's U-shaped dose effect for sleep and wakefulness
CBD appears to have a U-shaped function where low doses (less than 25mg) can be wake-promoting, while higher doses (50mg and above) seem to be sleep-promoting.
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