Podcast Notes Playlist: Latest Episodes PN Deep Dive: Huberman Lab Sleep Collection: Protocols & Science
Podcast Notes Premium Collection: Huberman and Sleep
Intro to Sleep
* Sleep cycles & Architecture: non-REM and REM play for brain domination throughout the night in 90-minute cycles – this is the standard architecture of sleep
* Ratio of non-REM and REM throughout the night: the first half of the night is dominated by non-REM deep sleep; the second half of our sleep is dominated by REM sleep
* Not everyone’s sleep cycles are 90 minutes: sleep architecture is fairly consistent within a person, but can be different across people
* Non-REM Sleep: Non-REM deep sleep is divided into four stages, increasing in the depth of sleep: stages 1 and 2 are light stages of non-REM deep sleep; stages 3 and 4 are deep stages of non-REM deep sleep
* In stages 1 and 2: the heart rate begins to drop, and brain wave activity slows down
* In stages 3 and 4: the heart rate is low, cells in the cortex fire together then go silent
* During non-REM deep sleep, we get autonomic restoration and regulation of heart rate and blood pressure
* Hypnogogic Jerks: during stage 1 you experience mini dreams s you’re starting to drift off and can almost wake yourself up in this stage – sometimes you experience a jerk in your body as a result of loss of proprioceptive feedback
* …
Quantity, Quality, Regularity, and Timing (QQRT): The macros of sleep
* Quantity: the average adult needs between 7-9 hours of sleep per night – but the reality is more complex
* Quantity alone doesn’t tell the full story
* …
Carbs, Caffeine and THC
* Carbs in AM vs. PM: research does seem to support that your body is better able to metabolize carbohydrates in the morning versus evening if you’re concerned about your blood sugar and metabolic health
* Eating Before Bed: In gener…
Sleep Supplements
* Magnesium Threonate or Glycinate, 145mg, 30-60 minutes before sleep
* Magnesium chloride can be effective for bioavailability by way of muscle relaxation
* Apigenin: 50mg, 30-60 minutes before sleep
* Theanine: 100-400mg, 30-60 minutes before sleep (Do NOT take Theanine if you are prone to night terrors or sleepwalking)
* Inositol
* Glycine: 1.5-2gPhosphatidylserine will dampen cortisol response
* Check out the full Momentous Huberman sleep stack & use promo code PODCASTNOTES for 15% off at checkout!
Sleep Tips
* 1. Do Nothing! If you are struggling with sleep and had a bad night of sleep, do not sleep in later, do not go to bed earlier, do not increase caffeine intake, do not compensate with a nap
* 2. Time rescheduling/sleep restriction therapy: if you are spending too much time in bed, your brain is not efficient; it’s like being in the gym for hours a day but spending most of the time scrolling on your phone – you’re not really getting a good workout like if you know you only have 45 minutes to workout
* 3. Don’t underestimate the importance of a winddown routine: whatever you enjoy for relaxation, build it into your regimen to help you decelerate
* 4. Do NOT count sheep, instead take yourself on a mental walk: counting sheep actually makes you stay awake longer; instead, get your mind off itself by going through a rudimentary walk with hyper-detail – imagine putting your shoes on, opening the door, crossing the street, imagine the signs you see, look at the flowers, etc.
* 5. Remove …
* Monophasic sleep: Single bout of sleep in 24 hour period
* Biphasic sleep: Two bouts of sleep in 24 hour period
* Polyphasic sleep: …
Napping
* Naps are a Double-Edged Sword: If you struggle with sleep at night, do not nap during the day in order to build up sleepiness and hopefully sleep at night
* Cons of Napping: Naps remove sleep pressure (adenosine) so if you struggle with sleep, you are setting yourself up for worse sleep because you’ve removed some of the sleepiness you need
* Pros of Napping: If napping does not disrupt your sleep and leaves you feeling better, go ahead and nap but be cautious of napping too late which can disrupt sleep
* Are Naps Right F…
* Super Charged Nap: Swig espresso right before napping + nap 20 minutes + cold water to hands and face upon waking + immediate daylight 5-10 minutes outside
3 Ways Sleep is Essential for Learning:
* 1: We need sleep before learning to start the initial imprint and laying the tracks; sleep before learning is critical
* 2: We also need sleep after learning to cement the information in our brain
* 3: We need sleep to integrate the new information with previously learned information we have stored
* Exactly How Much an All-Nighter Impacts Memory: Pulling an all-nighter leads to deficits of up to 40% in making new memories
* …
* Symptoms of REM Sleep Deprivation: Paranoia, hallucination, aspects of psychosis (with enough time)
* Bad Sleep, And Then: When sleep deprived, you’re excessively reactive and hypersensitive, particularly to reward-based activities – dopamine circuits are overactive when you are underslept
* Sleep and Addiction: A lack of sleep is associated with addiction potential AND relapse if trying to abstain
* REM Sleep Killers: Alcohol, THC
* One Possible Mechanism for PTSD: The brain is trying to process the traumatic experience but fails, so the brain tries again the next night, and the next – until …
Brain Features of REM:
* (1) Electrical brain wave activity in the cortex is similar to that when you are awake;
* (2) There are unique pulses from the brain stem ultimately to the occipital cortex (linked to rapid eye movements);
* (3) Motor regions, visual regions, memory-related structures, and emotional-related structures of the brain all light up
* (4) The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (responsible for inhibition and planning) activity is suppressed during REM
* Functions of REM sleep: (1) Creativity; (2) Emotional & mental wellness – REM sleep is overnight therapy
* …
* (1) Consistently rehearse the notion that you will remember your dreams and you will take control of your dreams – if you do this enough, the probability you will induce lucid dreams is high
* (2) Rehearse something (like flicking a light switch on and off) over and over; Then, when this appears in your dream you can take control
* …
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