# 391 - Why we sleep and what happens when we dont - Prof Russell Foster

Today I speak with world renowned neuroscientist, author of Life Time and sleep expert, Prof Russell Foster BSc, PhD, CBE, FRS FMedSc. He is the Director of the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology and the Head of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute. He is also a Nicholas Kurti Senior Fellow at Brasenose College at the University of Oxford.In this episode we talk about the rhythms of biology which govern our lives and our sleep and we hear how our body temperature, blood pressure and hormones fluctuate throughout a 24 hour cycle.Discover the importance of a chemical called adenosine and how drinking coffee negatively affects its levels and by extension our sleep.We hear about the phases of sleep, sleep paralysis and whether you should use sleeping tablets.We also learn of the negative consequences physiologically and psychologically of even a couple of nights bad sleep in a row.Plus we hear about Prof Foster's research which is hoping to help blind people and others restore regular sleep patterns. I love any discussion on sleep, and Prof Foster is a joy to listen to, just a heads up on this video, Prof Foster's webcam was was only shooting in black and white, so no need to adjust your settings in case you were wondering, that aside this is a terrifc conversation about all important sleep. Life Time Book : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Time-Science-Revolutionize-Health/dp/0241529301https://www.ndcn.ox.ac.uk/team/russell-fosterhttps://www.ox.ac.uk/research/research-in-conversation/healthy-body-healthy-mind/russell-foster Order Happy Habits for Mind and Body Audiobook: https://rb.gy/h5jjjg Order Kindle copy of Happy Habits for Mind and Body : https://rb.gy/jiojcc Order US paperback of Happy Habits for Mind and Body : https://rb.gy/sirste Order UK paperback of Happy Habits for Mind and Body : https://rb.gy/jtfea5 Listen to all previous podcast episodes of the Happy Habit Podcast via these podcast platforms : Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/happy-habit-podcast Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Happy-Habit-Podcast/dp/B08K5887J8 Amazon music : https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/670836c2-ea4c-4a23-a67d-a54dd804ef61/happy-habit-podcast Spotify https://https://open.spotify.com/show/2VKIhQK6mYTzLCO8haUoRd Google Podcasts : https://t.ly/hTU8q ----- Follow the Happy Habit Podcast at: Website: https://happyhabitpodcast.wordpress.com/Facebook: Twitter: https://twitter.com/mathieunorry Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happyhabitpodcast/ Newsletter: