The quantity and timing of sleep states are important. More is not necessarily better. REM sleep is necessary for learning and emotional processing. In the first half of the night, deep slow wave sleep is predominant while REM sleep increases in the second half. Going to bed too late results in less deep sleep, while waking up too early leads to insufficient sleep for memory consolidation and emotional resolution.
Dr. Gina Poe has spent nearly four decades studying the science of sleep, and how we can all get a better night’s rest by making some simple changes in our lives. In this episode Poe dives deep into what she’s learned about sleep during her career, including the stages of sleep, why you’re waking up in the middle of the night, why some people remember their dreams, the best bedtime routines, and the real-life consequences when you miss a night’s sleep.
Dr. Poe is a professor of Integrative Biology and Physiology at UCLA, where she is also the Director of the school’s Sleep and Memory Laboratory, which investigates the mechanisms by which sleep traits serve learning and memory consolidation.
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