Napping and the Science of Sleep

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If you’re trying to improve your sleep, thinking about doing so right before you get into bed might not be the best approach. 

Dr. Sara Mednick, is a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of California, Irvine, and the author of the new book The Power of the Downstate. This episode is part of our month-long “Mental Health Reboot” series to mark Mental Health Awareness Month. 

According to her research, Dr. Mednick says that we need to take a more holistic approach to getting better sleep, and that sleep is just one of the ways that our bodies rest and restore.  

In this conversation, we talk about:

• The nuances of napping
• Dr. Mednick’s definition of the “downstate”
• Whether there are practices that can compensate for poor sleep
• Why heart rate variability is an important measurement of health
• Why sex is so helpful for sleep
• And when to take melatonin to best effect

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/sara-mednick-445