Dr. Matt Walker: The Science of Dreams, Nightmares & Lucid Dreaming | Huberman Lab Guest Series
Andrew Huberman
May 8, 2024
Mindsip insights from this episode:
Dream specifically about challenges to achieve emotional resolution
To resolve emotional challenges, it's not enough to just dream; studies show you must specifically dream about the difficult experience to achieve clinical resolution.
Distinguish sleep talking from dreaming during non-REM sleep
Sleep talking and sleepwalking occur when you are launched from deep non-REM sleep, not during the REM sleep stage where dreaming happens.
Decode dreams using advanced fMRI technology
Using advanced fMRI technology, a Japanese research group was able to decode the visual content of a person's dream before they woke up.
Prioritize REM sleep for essential health benefits
In deprivation studies, rats died faster from a lack of REM (dream) sleep than from a lack of non-REM sleep, suggesting it's more essential for life.
Use phosphatidylserine to lower cortisol for better sleep
The supplement Phosphatidylserine has been reliably shown to tamp down the cortisol response, which may help people whose stress hormone spikes when trying to sleep.
Avoid sleeping on your back to reduce snoring risk
Sleeping on your back is the worst position as it increases the risk of snoring and airway collapse; you can use the SnoreLab app to check if you snore.
Reconsider lucid dreaming for restorative sleep
Some studies suggest that after nights with lucid dreaming, people feel less refreshed, possibly because it's a more mentally active and fatiguing state of sleep.
Enhance nightmare therapy with sound for effective reduction
A therapy that pairs a new, positive dream ending with a pleasant sound during waking rehearsal and sleep playback boosted nightmare reduction effectiveness from 66% to 92%.
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