#650: Dr. Matthew Walker, All Things Sleep — How to Improve Sleep, How Sleep Ties Into Alzheimer’s Disease and Weight Gain, and How Medications (Ambien, Trazodone, etc.), Caffeine, THC/CBD, Psychedelics, Exercise, Smart Drugs, Fasting, and More Affect Sleep
The Tim Ferriss Show
The Warm Bath Effect in Inducing Deep Sleep
Dropping core body temperature induces deep sleep. Pushing blood to the surface of the skin helps emit heat from the body's core, causing a plummet in core body temperature. Hot baths or showers before bed manipulate this process by dilating blood vessels and bringing heat to the surface. When getting out of the bath, core body temperature plummets, aiding in falling asleep and staying asleep. This effect, known as the warm bath effect, reliably increases the amount of deep sleep. Alternatives to baths include warming the hands and feet with items like a hot water bottle.
Brought to you by Eight Sleep’s Pod Cover sleeping solution for dynamic cooling and heating, Athletic Greens all-in-one supplement, and LMNT electrolyte supplement.
Matthew Walker, PhD (@sleepdiplomat), is professor of neuroscience at the University of California Berkeley and founder and director of the school’s Center for Human Sleep Science. Dr. Walker is the author of the New York Times and international bestseller Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, which was recently listed by Bill Gates as one of his top five books of the year. His TED Talk, “Sleep is Your Superpower,” has garnered more than 17 million views.
He has received numerous funding awards from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health and is a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences. In 2020, Dr. Walker was awarded the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Achievements. Dr. Walker’s research examines the impact of sleep on human health and disease. He has been featured on numerous television and radio outlets including 60 Minutes, Nat Geo TV, NOVA Science, NPR, and the BBC. Dr. Walker is also scientific advisor to Oura, a sleep-tracking ring.
Dr. Walker hosts the 5-star-rated podcast The Matt Walker Podcast, which is all about sleep, the brain, and the body.
Resources from this episode: https://tim.blog/2023/01/18/matthew-walker-sleep/
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This episode is also brought to you by Eight Sleep! Eight Sleep’s Pod Cover is the easiest and fastest way to sleep at the perfect temperature. It pairs dynamic cooling and heating with biometric tracking to offer the most advanced (and user-friendly) solution on the market. Simply add the Pod Cover to your current mattress and start sleeping as cool as 55°F or as hot as 110°F. It also splits your bed in half, so your partner can choose a totally different temperature.
Go to EightSleep.com/Tim and save $250 on the Eight Sleep Pod Cover. Eight Sleep currently ships within the USA, Canada, the UK, select countries in the EU, and Australia.
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This episode is also brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1 by Athletic Greens, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system.
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[05:55] Sleep and Alzheimer’s disease.
[19:55] What causes the decline of deep sleep as we age?
[24:36] Are there any known species that don’t require sleep?
[29:15] Brain stimulation for more deep sleep, less insomnia.
[41:01] Tips for better sleep without laboratory budget or access.
[51:45] Ideal types of exercise for promoting deep sleep.
[53:51] Matt’s updated thoughts on caffeine and sleep.
[1:11:12] Cannabis (CBD, THC, CBN) and sleep.
[1:30:18] A crowdsourcing request of listeners.
[1:36:17] If the bed’s a-rocking…
[1:41:45] The Da Vinci Code magic sleep device.
[1:46:04] DARPA innovation.
[1:46:32] Ensuring proper function in the glymphatic system.
[1:50:42] Psychedelics and sleep.
[2:01:20] How sleep affects food intake and weight fluctuation.
[2:10:46] Orexin, I reckon.
[2:22:11] Fainting goats and narcolepsy.
[2:25:36] Modafinil.
[2:30:32] How sleep medications affect sleep quality.
[2:36:16] Trazodone.
[2:46:26] Perilous polypharmacy.
[2:49:04] Pregabalin and gabapentin.
[2:54:33] The psychological value of emergency sleep medicine for insomniacs.
[2:58:16] CBTI and the balancing role of pharmacology.
[2:59:56] Parting thoughts and what to expect from a future round two.
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DISCLAIMER: I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on the Internet. None of the content in this podcast constitutes medical advice. Please consult your doctor before considering anything we discuss in this episode.
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