The Quirky Tip for Falling Asleep Faster

Counting sheep does not help in falling asleep faster, according to a study by Dr. Alison Harvey at UC Berkeley. Instead, she suggests taking a mental walk in vivid detail of a familiar route, like walking your dog, to distract the mind and facilitate faster sleep onset.

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Episode notes

This is episode 2 of a 6-part special series on sleep with Dr. Matthew Walker, Ph.D., a professor of neuroscience and psychology and founder of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley.

We discuss basic and advanced tools for improving sleep and explain how sleep quality is affected by temperature, light and dark, caffeine, alcohol, cannabis, nutrition, meal timing, and different medications.

Dr. Walker also provides strategies for coping with a poor night of sleep, wind-down routines, technology in the bedroom, insomnia, visualizations, and building sleep “confidence.”

We also discuss the current status of sleep research for developing advanced techniques to optimize sleep.

This episode provides numerous zero-cost behavioral protocols for improving sleep quality and restorative power, which can benefit daytime mood, energy, performance, and overall health.

The next episode in this special series explores napping, caffeine, and additional protocols to improve sleep.

For show notes, including referenced articles and additional resources, please visit hubermanlab.com.