Sleep Expert Answers Questions From Twitter 💤 | Tech Support | WIRED

Sleep researcher Dr. Jeffrey Iliff answers the internet's burning questions about sleep. What causes sleep paralysis? Can we control our lucid dreams? Why do naps make us more tired? Can you ever catch up on sleep? Dr. Iliff answers all these questions and much more.
Sleep researcher Dr. Jeffrey Iliff (University of Washington School of Medicine) answers the internet's burning questions about sleep. What causes sleep paralysis? Can we control our lucid dreams? Why do naps make us more tired? Can you ever catch up on sleep? Dr. Iliff answers all these questions and much more.
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Sleep Expert Answers Questions From Twitter 💤 | Tech Support | WIRED

[@ahmedkhaled6691]

As a person who sleeps everyday, I approve this message.

[@daniellewalker6889]

😂😂😂

[@Dan-vr7zs]

lucky

[@sethp26]

Brag about it🙄

[@abbytan7894]

Lol

[@HarrisonFournet]

I’m more of an every night sleeper

[@Blue-mf9gp]

“It’s like brainwashing but without being in a cult” best thing I’ve heard today so far 💀

[@ferretappreciator]

Yeah this guy is actually pretty funny

[@mrpostive6891]

😕

[@jolene.chaule]

lol this should me on a street banner or something "make brainwash uncool again"

[@mathieubach6851]

@@mrpostive6891 That's not very positive of you

[@ImogenShade]

I best get my brain cleansing done, I’ve got a big day tomorrow & proper brain hygiene is important! Would napping be considered double cleansing? I need a 10 step Korean routine!😴

[@chippy3901]

He literally looks like a professional sleeper, like, he KNOWS how to sleep You take one look at him and your immediate thought is “oh yea, he can sleep”

[@tartaglia.]

That.. Sounds very, very wrong, my friend!

[@illegalsubstance953]

@@tartaglia. you are the one interpreting it wrongly my friend this person actually made a valid point lol just don’t be dirty minded

[@CupcakeRain]

@@tartaglia. No it doesn’t get outside smh

[@ZakiZak]

When i sleep i get called lazy, and when he sleeps he is a professional??

[@poolbwoy6585]

@@ZakiZak u dont sleep like us lil bro. get ya honk choo honk memememe goin

[@kayzeaza]

I think it’s hilarious how the brain becomes so active after you fall asleep. It’s like it’s down time, just hanging out and partying

[@frostypanda2295]

Ikr i try to sleep and when im sleepy and lay down, my brain wants to just be pop up add of random thoughts 😂 like let me sleeeep, i once had to google if penguins have knees because my brain just wanted to know 😂😂😂

[@theblinkingbrownie4654]

​@@frostypanda2295Consider trying mindfulness meditation, my friend says it works well for him. For me, I just exercise until im drop dead tired and then fall straight into sleep.

[@faizfuad8361]

​@@theblinkingbrownie4654same.

[@darknesswave100]

I hope you guys bring him back. I never thought somebody talking about sleep could be so interesting. It helps that he's so knowledge about the subject and explains stuff in an easy to digest way

[@kikikadence2976]

He’s very good at talking about these subjects! He’s my uncle lmao

[@ABBADY]

Look up Mathew Walker too! Just as interesting and informative.

[@RecoveringChristian]

Ughhhhh hes sooooooo HANDSOME😡😡😡❤❤❤

[@sam-wtf]

one time at a speech&debate competition, my team and i watched a guys oratory on sleep, and the whole team fell asleep through the rest of the people's speeches lol. good speech tho.

[@askeladd6115]

@@RecoveringChristian yo

[@kenleyeisenmenger8988]

Bring this man back. He is so well spoken and passionate about his education. Love it

[@Kate-lr6yv]

haha i can't be brainwashed

[@lordmatthew444]

My first thought is passionate about sleeping

[@StorymasterQ]

Agreed, just like that Mortician guy. I feel there's a pattern...

[@lucillebennet4233]

After 8 long years of battling with insecurities, low self-esteem, with constant fear of the knowledge I could infect someone with HSV 1&2 was a nightmare to me. I'm so glad/grateful that I am over Herpes and its stigma! All thanks to Dr. Aloha #Herpes #Hsv1 #Hsv2 #Sti kzbin.info/door/_YFEEZEr1BxGkNg1d4vqww ❤️💛🍀

[@ThatgirlnamedJodie]

I can sleep a whole 8 hours and feel like I was awake all night - it’s called paradoxical insomnia. You know that feeling when you’re trying to go to sleep so you lay with your eyes closed? Imagine 8 hours of that feeling even though you’re asleep the whole time.

[@R-H-B]

So you’re asleep, but you’re conscious while you’re asleep?

[@ThatgirlnamedJodie]

@@R-H-B Yeah. It doesn’t happen all the time though thankfully.

[@noesunyoutuber7680]

That sounds utterly nightmarish, which is ironic given the subject.

[@raulrahaman9863]

Yh happens to me whenever I try to get used to a waking up early schedule and try to sleep early the night before

[@UserHandle454]

I had these all the time holy sheeeet i didn't knew it was actually a thing :0

[@Nick210]

I’d say 90% of my dreams are lucid. I am almost always aware that I’m dreaming and if it’s dumb or something bad is about to happen I simply open my eyes. I didn’t even know there was a term for that. I thought I was just a weirdo.

[@cheesesteakphilly]

Lucky. I’ve been trying techniques for 2 months straight and no success. I’ve only lucid dreamt 3 times. Once when I was a kid and twice in my 20s.

[@KeDe1606]

I also always had the „ability“ to just open my eyes whenever I sensed that something weird/bad was about to happen. I never realized that that‘s technically a part/an aspect of lucid dreams

[@HHalcyon]

@@KeDe1606not to mention you could always let yourself get killed and nothing bad will happen. According to my experience it's actually liberating. I'm still surprised so few people know about it.

[@KeDe1606]

@@HHalcyon I’ve tried doing that once, but the sheer thought of letting that thing get close enough to kill me was enough to make me open my eyes

[@seanhoward7069]

Maybe try to control the dream next time rarher than just wakinh up and running away. If your lucid 90% of the time i dont see yhe point in waking yourself up and messing up your REM cycles. If you can control the dreams then control and explore them. Thats what id do.

[@felipel.r.637]

Just tested the 90 min advice Dr. Iliff said, instead of the other random values (30, 45) I used. Instead of feeling miserable as usual, I woke up refreshed and had no trouble going to sleep later that night. Thank you very much Dr. Iliff and WIRED.

[@BastianHyldahlFilms]

Did you just set it to 90 and closed your eyes or did you add a couple minutes of fall asleep time?

[@Defhrone]

yeap, it's a powernap. sleep runs in ~90 minutes cycles, so you can also double it up, and apperantly the first 2 sleep cycles gain you the most rest (~80%) of the entire night. Although it's adviced to not do a full cycle (or atleast not more than 1) so you don't reset your circadian clock by accident

[@Defhrone]

@@BastianHyldahlFilms Personally I know the moment I'm about to fall asleep (I've had terrible insomnia in the past) and I would lay on my back, reading something or listening to something, and the moment I was about to fall asleep I would turn into my left side. That's the second I hit the button on the timer. Some people know how long it takes them to fall asleep, but if you don't, you can try this method

[@marcusborderlands6177]

@@Defhronewow, you are lucky. I can never tell when I'm about to fall asleep. It's either when my head hits the pillow, or 6 hours later at 4am

[@malloryg4251]

@@marcusborderlands6177 Ugh, me too!! It's so anxiety inducing

[@ThaBeatConductor]

Sleep paralysis is crazy scary. I get the feeling of suffocating every single time it happens and it's very difficult to "snap" out of it. One of very few experiences in my life that I can say is truly terrifying.

[@pariasemi2681]

I had no idea it was a real thing but i remember always trying to focus on a tiny thing like the feel in my right hand fingers. And then slowly calming down and going back to sleep. Everything will feel alright in the morning :)

[@FreeGurl13]

Same! I get the suffocating feeling, can’t move or open my eyes 😖

[@ThaBeatConductor]

@@FreeGurl13 Best way I've found to deal with it is to try lifting my head. Takes a little bit but it works eventually. Do you also feel like you're getting crushed? When it happens to me I feel like I'm being crushed as well as suffocated.

[@commandbaker3334]

For me, it's usually a buzzing in my ear and me not being able to move. It doesn't happen that often though, which is a good thing. I'm glad it isn't as bad as other people have it though

[@Michicrack112]

My mom was my sleep paralysis demon once

[@MiniMii550]

Such a fascinating video to watch at 3AM when I should be sleeping...

[@Gumbo27]

Watching at 3 am

[@Colorado-Coyote]

Me watching this at 3:00 in the morning "Huh maybe I should sleep"

[@mollywest3087]

This guy is so well-spoken and passionate about his subject

[@xMorogothx]

People who get payed huge amounts of money are capable of acting?! Wow! We gotta tell this to everyone!!!

[@kevinross6235]

@@xMorogothx There is always that one person

[@lx4079]

@@xMorogothx you got it dude he is acting, he actually hates his job and you're the only one that is genius enough to notice it, well done, they should have the next expert on this show be you

[@emperor8716]

yes all experts they invite are

[@xMorogothx]

@@lx4079 agreed

[@Sticky_Finger]

"Stay off your phone an hour before bed". Me in my bed using my phone.

[@eqwolf]

Literally watching the video at 11pm

[@Sebastian-xc9rp]

Same

[@infini_apex]

fr like an hour doing what ?

[@princessliuz916]

Yup im guilty of dropping phone in face hahaa

[@XSemperIdem5]

Watching this at 5am. Oops

[@blackscales7830]

I find it really fascinating that sleep paralysis and sleep walking seem to be two sides of the same coin! Either your brain is sleeping but youre still walking around and doing things, or your body has shut down but your senses and brain activity seem awake. Really interesting.

[@haroldfrets5468]

Sleep walking only happens when you know the place you are at.( where you can actually walk without seeing because you know where things are ).. Paralysis is when you are kind a stuck, between awake and asleep...

[@TheMarkie281]

I’ve experienced sleep paralysis twice and the first time was absolutely terrifying! Hallucinated something putting me back into my bed. Second time, I knew what was going on and was able to close my eyes and just go back to sleep.

[@dan7291able]

There's nothing quite like it eh, enormous pressure on your chest + whatever visual your brain is throwing at you, its an unpleasant feeling EVERY single time, horrifying really lol

[@natashabenjamin4222]

I have sleep paralysis and yeah it is terrifying. I didn’t know what it was until I saw a sleep specialist and pulmonologist ( don’t ask why just had to because I have sleep apnea).

[@danes.4551]

My dad has sleep apnea. Before he got a C-PAP machine, he was eating a lot and drinking a lot of caffeine, which really took a toll on his health and mood. Once he started the C-PAP machine, he lost a ton of weight! He was overeating to compensate for the lack of energy, so now that he was getting good sleep, he could eat less and still feel full. Just goes to show how sleep apnea really does affect the body.

[@EpicBunty]

yep, sleep, food and energy levels are highly connected to each other!!

[@4xzx4]

The body needs a lot of energy during the night (sleep) which burns a lot of those calories.

[@dennispersson776]

@@4xzx4 well yeah but it still requires more if you are being awake

[@4xzx4]

@@dennispersson776 Ofc.

[@jdottdeestv8149]

Glad his doing better!

[@maiascho]

i feel like every episode is something that i didn’t know i was interested in until i watch it but i felt like this one was made for me. so interesting and insightful!

[@frailvoid5844]

Everything is interesting once you look into it enough imo :)

[@karlalovato1715]

Yesssss exactly that lol!

[@georgiarw]

The irony of me watching this video at 2am to procrastinate going to sleep

[@BlackOpsoXXo]

I want to know what he recommends for night shift

[@jamo8378]

I am a Surgical Technologist and I can tell you the first few times you see the actual brain during a Craniotomy just sitting there pulsating in all of it's beauty.....it's hard not to think that THAT is life. That mass of tissue is everything you have ever thought, felt, seen, heard......it's the closest thing to proving that we are in a simulation. We are all honestly, just living in that pulsating mass of tissue. I love it.

[@realfridge]

Wait… brains PULSATE??? That’s so odd!

[@amak1131]

@@realfridge Mhmm, more than likely due to blood flow just like a pulse.

[@cabinjackalope]

LMAO buddy something tells me you are not a “Surgical Technologist” 😭 if I was your patient and knew you wrote the above sentence I’d be WORRIED Lol

[@Omni_Shambles]

Are you a serial killer?

[@alkhemystic47]

So I have been feeling "my heartbeat" in my head

[@onyxbackstrom3379]

My tip on sleep paralysis is that I learned how to "move". Don't physically try to move, kind of like mentally will it or imagine it. It worked for me but I used that to twitch myself awake. You can't actually move but it's helped me for years.

[@anthony0_122]

Yeah I do the same, I'll show my breathing and focus on like my toes or something small to move just a little bit

[@justinateronpi7631]

I do the same thing

[@soulscyther666]

Yeah, i do this a lot too. And weirdly, there are many times i "wake" myself by moving my limbs only to find out that i am still dreaming then do it again. Sometimes they're multiple layers of "waking" until i finally wake up. Kinda like Inception.

[@onyxbackstrom3379]

@@soulscyther666 I get that! If I'm tired enough for a deep nap I find myself having to do more "self waking" until I can really wake up. Most times I have really vivid "dreams" while this this is happening. These really stick to my memory for so far ever. And that's been over 15 years xD.

[@hoodyscloset8031]

I think i do the same, i like force myself to wake up, i also do it with nightmares..sort of trained my body to do it whenever i see something i find scary wooo!

[@nossiro]

now the most important question: why do we suddenly jump while sleeping or right after we fall asleep?

[@KrisShawna]

It's your brain checking to see if you're still alive

[@shrgien8602]

@@KrisShawna 😂

[@DJMizzy]

Seriously i need to know this

[@scribblecloud]

@@DJMizzy i mean kay already answered it

[@Kiko-ic9vt]

@@KrisShawna what happens if we dont move 😂

[@HouseMDaddict]

I'm so glad he mentioned 90 minute naps. I've only had to take naps like that after really bad sleep nights but they're always about 1.5-2 hours long (my Fitbit tracks my sleep times) and I always wake refreshed.

[@themageofhazard]

Fun fact! I have extreme nightmares so i’ve taught myself to realize when a dreams about to go south and wake up, it’s taken a lot of practice but it’s pretty awesome!

[@srowley6974]

Same here! I usually decide whether I want to continue my dreams depending on how it's going. If someone is chasing me in my dream I just end it because it's exhausting🤣

[@ceciliadesiree1114]

When I was a teenager, I could control my dreams, but I cant do it anymore 😢

[@AnaCristina0412]

@@ceciliadesiree1114 me too

[@KeaLynn]

How I need help 😭😭😭

[@Psilocybin77]

You sound like you could achieve Lucid dream states. It's a wonderful thing to be able to do.

[@HobFoote]

It's so good to see sleep paralysis brought up in such a big and public facing manner. Anytime I mention it to friends or family, how bad it is, how terrifying and panic inducing, how the "hallucinations" aren't just dreams, that every part of your mind believes completely that you are awake in real life, to the point that there's hardly a difference, I just get a lot of raised eyebrows and facial expressions that suggest I'm some extreme sort of crazy, followed by a laugh coz it's weird sounding. I wouldn't wish the sleep paralysis on anyone. I'd like to try more to lucid dream, but it's horrifying to think that I might inadvertently increase my minds ability to slip into SP. Hopefully more people become aware through more public discourse. I'd never heard of SP until it got so bad I looked up what was happening, thinking it was the onset of some sort of severe diagnosis.

[@TheLynneSP]

My SP demon was once an alien disguised as Brad Pitt and when I tried to explain it people ether laughed or thought that was enjoyable. They NO IDEA how terrifying alien Brad Pitt was.

[@cncowriter3151]

@@TheLynneSP I'm sorry that is hilarious :'D

[@onkelpappkov2666]

@@TheLynneSP Did he tell you not to talk about Fight Club or ask what's in the box?

[@jaytroll188]

Maybe you guys have tried it but what was a life changer for me was sleeping on my side. Suffered multiple paralysis a night for years. Still happens occasionally but not debilitating anymore

[@thatsdope9571]

@jaytroll it's very true but when I sleep on my side for some reason it triggers my rheumatism. There's no helping me 😭

[@kyleking21]

How many people are watching this at 3am? 😂

[@amandamariegoldstein6309]

3:44 exactly haha

[@nyyah1377]

he has such gentle eyes

[@unownunown1530]

This was honestly more insightful than I hoped for

[@jbbeats7786]

Man I have so many sleep issues (sleep paralysis for 10+ years, nightmares for 13+ years, just found out a couple weeks ago I have sleep apnea, and used to have insomnia), so this was a great watch.

[@uyigga7116]

apnea is dangerous, it hurts ur cardiovascular system. take care of that, there are CPAP and other things that could help.

[@XenFPV]

@@ronaldrenegade8519 Sorry bro, you a doctor?

[@uyigga7116]

@@ronaldrenegade8519 it might be, my father had apnea and made keto, he lost like 30 kilograms in that procedure and still uses CPAP, but he doesnt snort like the way he did before that. I wouldnt recommend going keto forever, but it might help to reduce the most important symptoms. Good luck buddies.

[@urjune1015]

Hope you get better.

[@uyigga7116]

@@XenFPV u dont need to be a doctor to know how bad are ref carbs lol

[@pandamusic3592]

Shame that no one asked him about why you're having a nightmare in your sleep. I would like to know about it because I'm having several nightmares a week and I wonder why it's affecting me.

[@vallifunk2695]

I get that often when I'm stressed as a symptom of PTSD. I've had months where every night was a nightmare, so I didn't even want to sleep anymore. Try to destress anyway you can :)

[@bridgettcortes7902]

He mentioned dreams were made of fears and anxieties we have in a different question he answered . So “nightmares” are still dreams. You’re just stressed

[@mqegg]

he explained that dreams are reflections of your feelings throughout the day so maybe something is causing distress which is amplified in your dreams?

[@patrickstar1164]

Stress, depression

[@NotThatSocially]

Could be sign of underlying mental anguish. When I broke up with my girlfriend I thought i was 'fine' but my dreams said otherwise. Constant nightmares and sleep paralysis

[@missswiss6498]

10:37 *Mans really just said “go get some b!tches”* 💀💀

[@The80sCryptid]

As someone who has ADHD, it's even more harder to sleep. My mind never rests no matter how hard I try to sleep normally (I miss going to bed at 8 or 9. The moment I started college, my sleep was lost.) I really don't know what to do. It was nice seeing this though, it helped me understand sleep and how it helps the brain.

[@MK8MasterJunjie]

I also have ADHD.

[@seethetruth7427]

same literally here to learn how to hack my adhd brain to sleep haha

[@No44778]

Same here. Atm I am going to sleep at around 8am. Nothing I do changes this. I can have gotten only 3 hours of sleep the previous night and my brain will still not let me sleep until 8am. So yeah. My lectures are not fun atm

[@MK8MasterJunjie]

@@No44778 What are you studying?

[@jalenhinds9296]

I'll be tired the whole day but then the second a lay in bed i get all this energy 😂

[@elle7185]

Been experiencing sleep paralysis since I was a teenager. Learn to deal with it by not panicking and just be "aware" while I'm going through it. But I'm hoping I don't experience it so often. It's actually scary once I give in to the feeling that someone/something is staring at me. But since researching about it becomes easier, I know now how to react. When I'm going through it, I'm aware and usually think "Okay, this is sleep paralysis. I'm not scared." I have noted that the image of someone staring at me is brought by the feeling of being scared. That the frightening image is a result of feeling scared. It's not that I'm scared because someone frightening is looking at me.

[@hariadna2918]

I can remember being 5 and having sleep paralysis. Once I read that you should try to move small parts of your body - fingers, hands, toes, feet, maybe try to shake your head. It's easier to do that than to sit straight up as we usually want to do. It has always worked for me

[@disguisedboots]

thank you for this... I'm just starting to figure this out xx

[@elle7185]

@@hariadna2918I agree to this! we often have the tendency to move our whole body and not being able to do that make us go panic. Which of course will lead to more feeling of helplessness. I always start with my pinky finger. Then like a domino effect, I'll be able to move.

[@thehallofvalhalla]

The thing that always works for me when I get sleep paralysis is to immediately think 'ok this is sleep paralysis' and don't try to wake up or move, just accept it and close my eyes and try to go back to sleep and I can get back to sleep within seconds

[@ashraferaky5936]

For me it wasn't an image it was the feeling of somebody's hand trying to suffocate me and i couldn't take my breath until the paralysis has stoped. So each night i would wake up form sleeping trying to catch my breath, sometimes twice a night when i try to sleep again. It was exhausting mentally and physically as i have had sleep paralysis since i was a kid untill i was 18, thankfully it has been a beautiful 6 years without a single night of sleep paralysis, no more worries before going to bed. I don't know what happened or what changed but i am glad and i hope i never experience it again in my life.

[@apara2005]

Please do a part two of this!!!! This topic is so interesting and he explain it so well and he wasn't boring!!! P.S. I can lucid dream and it's not all rainbows and butterflies. Yes it's fun controlling your dreams, but I have more episodes of sleep paralysis that I would like 😭

[@wendymacy5084]

I feel you

[@nikotakai8796]

But lucid dreams and sleep paralysys aren't the same, are they?

[@bright-vision8766]

@@nikotakai8796 No but people who lucid dream also tend to get sleep paralysis more often

[@Lambent_Omega]

I don't care about getting sleep paralysis more, I wanna lucid dream ! ! I've never been able to 😢

[@sini74]

i've always had lucid dreams but i can't control everything that happens. often i can choose where to go, and hope that something is gonna happen but it doesn't always turn out that way. i know it's a dream, but when i think about it or say it out loud, i usually wake up, get mocked, or get sleep paralysis :)))

[@13thCharacter]

I had sleep paralysis a few times as a pre-teen/teen, and I remember it being completely terrifying. At that time no one had ever talked about such a thing around me. I think mine must have been due to going through adolescence, because it eventually stopped happening at all. But 25 or so years later, I still remember it with a completely viceral sense of fear.

[@laurendillingham2579]

I did a sleep study a few years ago. I went into REM once for about 30 seconds. This was a 24 hour test. 12 awake, 12 asleep. I also have experience sleep paralysis a few times. The 1st was terrifying, after the 3rd-4th time it's annoying.

[@sambaek1353]

Does it happen to you often? Going into rem so fast

[@jasonjaeger3898]

It gets funny after a while, like a roller coaster kinda rush!

[@adambgl4576]

Bro ain't no way I'm taking a 30 min tap it takes me like an hour to even fall asleep

[@vix_a_lady_figure]

You mean an hour just to get comfy, and THEN fall asleep 🤣💀

[@Jamjamsart]

Yeah exactly, its wasy for people who can fall asleep fast but normally it take me so long to fall asleep

[@curlAlldizzle05]

Need a part two to this. Not on Twitter, but have still so many questions. Just general stuff. This was good to know.

[@ingridb.7068]

I would have loved to hear his tips on how to get rid of sleep paralysis. It's literally the scariest thing ever. One thing that helped me get rid of it (mostly) is going to bed before I get crazy tired, like can barely keep my eyes open kind of tired. That way I limit the chances of my body jumbling the switches between awareness, body activity and dreams. This, I find, limits the sleep paralysis chances when I'm going into sleep. For the sleep paralysis when the body is coming out of sleep, I'm not sure, I generally just tried convincing myself that what I was seeing/feeling was not real to limit fear and kind of get movement back a bit faster

[@snsl28500]

Omg thank you so much for the tip!! I think I usually get sleep paralysis when I go to sleep super tired as well. Although I also get it when I’m coming out of sleep often too. I’ve been dealing with this for 4 years now and I’m so sick of it. The type of sleep paralysis I experience has also changed a lot now. Did this also happen to you?

[@sareenfatima6114]

For me, it was due to lack of sleep due to my exams. It mostly occurs when I'm dead tired and don't get at least 5 hours of continuous sleep. But sleeping on your sides instead of lying on your back might help some, didn't for me tho.

[@karni4295]

Thanks for the tip 🥹

[@thearacadz]

WOAAH For me is the complete opposite. I get sleep paralysis when i'm crazyy tired. When my eyes can't barely open anymore and i fall asleep right away, seconds later i'll be in a sleeping paralysis, can't move or say anything & need to force myself to wakeup😭

[@katscratchfever3506]

Avoid falling asleep on your back too!

[@sdottwal]

I’ve been having sleep paralysis at least 3-5 times a month since I was maybe 7 or 8 years old (I’m 23 now). No one knows why I have it so frequently, but I’ve learned how to “deal” with it. Fortunately, my sleep paralysis has never included frightening hallucinations. I usually just can’t breathe and can’t really move, but I’ve figured out that I can move my head side to side while it’s happening and that eventually wakes me up. Freaky stuff 🥶

[@AngelBien]

Same with me, I also try wiggle my fingers or just force myself with all my might to move my head. I end up gasping for air. I've only had hallucinations a few times and they were frightening.

[@seokjinsforehead7482]

One thing we should never do during sleep paralysis is to open our eyes. This causes hallucinations ig

[@AngelBien]

@@seokjinsforehead7482 I've had my eyes open most times during sleep paralysis, only had a weird hallucination twice but when my eyes are closed I get a bunch of nightmares.

[@Flowerlilly387]

I just to have sleep paralysis so often that when i felt sleep paralysis creeping on my body i fight with every urge and energy to make it go away and i know straight away when its about to start. It been a year since I last had one.

[@issalorraine1272]

Same. Before, my sleep paralysis includes scary images and sounds, now it's gone, but I experience difficulty with breathing to the point that I sometimes gasp for air after being able to move.

[@FRMythEurope]

"It's like brainwashing without being in a cult." WAY underrated joke

[@inaaragamarra8597]

As a person who can’t sleep because of her career I also approve this message

[@Kate-zt1tw]

So cool hearing RSBD in a video! It’s not talked about at all. I think people might think it’s just a type of sleep walking the way it was mentioned. Not so much as walking but acting out your dreams for sure. I punched myself over and over to the point of bruising went into such a high panic attack in my dream that I ended up in the hospital with bad chest pain/ tightness while my heart rate was through the roof doing nothing. Dreams are insanely vivid! I can tell you while picturing a dream I had about 15 years ago.

[@fragileasglass3192]

Petition for Wired to make these amazing videos using instagram and/or Facebook questions too and not just Twitter. Not all of us have a twitter but would like to ask some questions :(

[@daniels.3990]

It's way to easy for them to pick up questions on Twitter

[@fragileasglass3192]

@@daniels.3990 I don't think so, Instagram literally has an option to ask questions, or simply by DM they can do it too,

[@Freya778]

And questions sent in by email as well.

[@katethielen3883]

4:44 "You see it pulsating with the heart rate" during really bad migraines I feel my heartbeat in my head 🤔 I should have guessed the brain feels it normally

[@AnnieE2013]

Sleep paralysis is terrifying - even if you know what's going on. I had an episode a few years ago that triggered an actual panic attack and I seriously thought I was having a heart attack and was going to die without being able to do anything about it. Very, very glad that I only have a few episodes a year!

[@cryax3447]

Ye same, first time it happened to me I thought I was having an heart attack and was dying lol. I have never gotten hallucinations but it is just as scary without imo, because you can still feel the presence holding you down.

[@fleurmal7648]

I was there one time when my husband had it. He was napping, suddenly his body stiffened up and he made a weird choking noise as if he suddenly couldn't breath. Freaky to see on the outside, must be worse to experience it.

[@mattcy6591]

If you get sleep paralysis, I found out what was triggering mine. Every time I've had sleep paralysis I was sleeping on my back with an arm/arms across my chest/torso. When I made sure to sleep with my hands at my sides or under my pillow or above my head, it stopped all my sleep paralysis all together. A few months later one night I was super tired and fell asleep with an arm across my chest and sure enough triggered another paralysis.

[@SaharaKnoblauch]

Same here! Whenever I sleep on my back, I get sleep paralysis. Now I always make sure to go to sleep on my side/stomach.

[@ashleywaner1284]

Yes, would love to see him again explaining about sleep and brain activity. His little joke about brainwashing and cults was great! haha. Also, this happens to me all the time when I'm dreaming, I will have moments where I'm about to be lucid, but someone in my dream will convince me that what is happening is real and I'm not dreaming. So, I get very confused about what's real and what's not while I'm dreaming and even more confused when I wake up. Seems like I get reality confused with my dreams. Not sure if that is a thing or I'm just a messed up person. lol.

[@kristin1533]

Sometimes insomnia is caused by things other than what Dr. Iliff referenced. I had a PTSD incident 22 years ago and haven't been able to sleep naturally at all since then. My central nervous system was affected. I have to use sleep meds to sleep every night. I know this is rare, but I do wish sleep experts would stop assuming that insomniacs just need to practice good sleep hygiene, get exercise, meditate, turn off the computer, etc. etc. etc. I'm sure this helps some, but it doesn't help us all.

[@Q................]

If I didn't take sleep aids I would only sleep every 2-3days or as many days it took to eventually get exhausted. I haven't been able to sleep well since a child.

[@katrinadowey7659]

Same here. It's been 15 years and without sleeping aids I would have some serious issues (also Bipolar and without sleep I'm guarantied to turn manic). It's not for a lack of sleep hygiene or "calming down". My body goes into full alarm system mode when it gets dark. No amount of "not looking at my phone" will cure that. Unfortunately. I'd love for it to be so simple.

[@MessageViolation]

Have you looked into shake therapy for your PTSD? It's practicing how in nature you shake out the trauma like when animals tremble in fear. It's used with military men and others in severe PTSD situations.

[@cklein907]

I was looking for comments like this. I often feel so invalidated and dismissed when people give advice on how to sleep better, especially when that advice is essentially "try harder". I feel like it's a dead giveaway of someone who does not have trouble sleeping. The anxiousness that is present during bedtime for people who have trouble sleeping (for whatever reason, be it a mental health diagnosis or life stress or some other reason) can be so intense and those coping skills we've developed to manage that anxiousness (that are often listed in bad sleep hygiene) are really hard to let go of. I think it would be so validating for someone to just recognize that experience first before offering solutions.

[@BadAtPickingUsernames]

Here’s a question for next time: Considering how much we still don’t understand about sleeping and dreaming, couldn’t purposely and frequently lucid dreaming actually have negative effects? It’s basically trying to be conscious and in control of something the brain does on its own and we’re not sure of how or why it does it.

[@callmecharlie4250]

eh, I'm almost always aware on some level when I'm dreaming and I seem to be okay.

[@hannabanana2411]

Yea I'm curious about this too. Like could it be a risk factor for hallucinations/psychosis because lucid dreams feel so real that at some point the person isn't sure whether they're dreaming or not?

[@jaynestrange]

@@hannabanana2411 I lucid dream a fair bit, & I don't think that's particularly likely. In my experience, lucid dreams actually feel *less* real than non-lucid dreams. One of the ways I often end up lucid dreaming is when I'm having a normal dream & something happens that makes me think "Wait a second, that's not how the real world works, I must be dreaming".

[@outerlegend]

Watching this video right before I go to sleep. I now want to sleep more than I already had

[@Adrian-zd4cs]

Sleep has always fascinated me. It's one of the reasons I went into nursing. As a child I was a sleep walker, talker - even had a bedrail on my bed because I would throw myself or fall off the bed. Then became a natural nocturnal person my young teen but became a lucid dreamer too. Had my first sleep paralysis experience in my mid 20s. Thankfully have only had it a few times because I learned to "control" it. The brain is AMAZING 🧠🤗🤣💕

[@chairwood]

🧠🤗

[@Beardedgumby]

I had sleep paralysis once. Scariest moment of my life I remember just laying there not being able to move at all or make a sound. I could see my room and down the hallway but couldn't yell for my girlfriend for about 5 minutes. Finally snapped out of it and fully woke up. I'll never forget that day

[@Bunnibunnibum]

I’m watching this as i sleep. Y’all playing checkers, I’m playing chess

[@AmyLeroux2610]

I wish he had talked more about disordered sleep behaviours. I vocalize through every stage of sleep and it's affecting my quality of life. It's actually getting worse and I'm now waking myself up making hand gestures according to what I'm doing or saying in a dream. No one can sleep near me. I'm scheduled to be assessed at a sleep clinic soon, and I hope this will provide some answers.

[@yodaddy7681]

I hope you get better 🙏🙏

[@AmyLeroux2610]

@@yodaddy7681 Thank you!!

[@TheLynneSP]

I wake myself up laughing and I recently woke myself trying to hit something so hopefully that doesn’t become a thing. Good luck at your appointment!

[@SuperAJCK]

try sleeping with this playing.. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nabdnGCnhsipbtU worked for me i was bad too it was horrible

[@AmyLeroux2610]

@@TheLynneSP Thank you! And I hope so too 💕

[@blublu1966]

I remember having sleep paralysis multiple times in one night at the beginning of the pandemic. I put some music to sleep but it backfired on me, on top of that there was the immense stress of being stuck and uncertainty for the future. After two years I still get paralysis but they are less frequent. Every three or four months I have one that is truly horrifying that I scream myself awake, but other than those I quickly realize whats happening and try to wake myself up. I am so used to it that I can't actually believe there are people who have never experienced it.

[@aidanjay3370]

Do you sleep on your back? If u do, you should try sleeping on your side. It worked for me

[@blublu1966]

@@aidanjay3370 I usually sleep on my side, too. Honestly, the only reason I can come up with is that I am more stressed than I think I am. :D

[@tiad.9142]

I’m a sleep provider and frequently sleep apnea can cause sleep paralysis in adults as well. So please go speak with sleep provider to make sure you don’t need a sleep study

[@banannaman4548]

Same, one night when I was 16 it happened to me, but it happened so often after that it didn’t even scare me anymore. I’m 20 now, it happens less often but but I’d say at least 1-2 a week, its more so just annoying at this point.

[@zalipapa8123]

Wiggle your toes when youre on sleep paralisys its the only part of the body you can move and it will awaken you. Saved me a lot of times

[@zigzoggy]

I love his personality and explanations! He seems like such a kind person. One of my favorite Wired videos, thank you Dr. Iliff!

[@thebc5754]

I've only gotten sleep paralysis when outside of my normal zone. Like if I fall asleep on a couch instead of my bed, I might experience sleep paralysis. It's also more common when I nap instead of when I'm actually sleeping at night. It's not common, but I hate it when it happens. It's like you're trying to scream out for someone to help because you are awake, but your body isn't, and it feels like suffocation. Usually it stops when I start to hyperventilate or freak out so much that it jolts me awake.

[@UntilThen89]

As a video editor, these cuts are infuriatingly unnecessary. As a listener, great content.

[@ethanschaefer8327]

I didn't notice till you said it and now that's all I see, super jarring

[@kommissioned]

For real

[@beaarthurmiller]

Came here to see if someone else mentioned it. Oof. It’s a shame because it’s really, really good content, but it makes me kind of motion sick. I watch a lot of these and have never seen another one this weirdly edited.

[@LimegreenSnowstorm]

Oh no now I can’t unsee it

[@catc8927]

I mostly just listen to these, but dang, there’s a cut every sentence or even mid-sentence.

[@squidcaps4308]

One thing that is not mentioned, as usual: keep your meal times consistent. This helps your body to stay in a rhythm. When you need to change rhythm start by eating one hour earlier, then go to bed one hour earlier. You will find it easier to fall a sleep as your bodily functions also are a bit early.

[@user-sy1vz8if1y]

I'm so glad I stayed up to watch this video. It was really informative!

[@iGrunt]

Being in rehab for alcohol a few times in my life REM sleep bahviour Disorder (RBD) makes so much sense to me now. The twitching, vocalization, and all the other weird stuff I used to do during the height of my addiction and recovery and how it connects to booze is eye opening.

[@jalapeno1119]

I've been lucid dreaming since I can remember. I didn't even know it had a name, I just thought everyone dreamed like that.

[@jared1196]

I could listen to him talk all day. He is so well-spoken and thoughtful in his delivery of information. Great video!

[@LilyGrace95]

I used to have AWFUL nightmares (like, caused sweating and stopped me sleeping the rest of the night I'd be so scared) so I taught myself lucid dreaming so I could either a)change the nightmare into something better or b)wake myself up before it got too bad. Pro tips for anyone who wants to try to learn: a dream diary is best; don't have to go into detail, but write down basic stuff you remember - you'll start noticing patterns, and you'll recognise them in your dreams. Another tip is the Inception route; draw a unique symbol on the back of your hand, and make a habit of looking at it - when you don't see it, you're dreaming. Be VERY careful with lucid dreaming: if you wake up mid-sleep cycle, you could get sleep paralysis, which is one of the most unpleasant things ever and the only way to deal with it is to wait until it passes.

[@Psilocybin77]

to add to the dream journal, the vast majority of dream memory is lost in the first 10 seconds of waking, so it's recommended to keep a light-pen to write down the details as fast as you can. This helps to distinguish between dream vs waking logic.

[@mcjaggertyson6444]

Writing short sentences or words on your hand and getting into the habit of inspecting it closely is a good trigger too since we can't actually read in dreams. I live in a cold place so grabbing cold metal outside (like a railing or dumpster door) was another good trigger for me

[@LilyGrace95]

@@mcjaggertyson6444 the hand one is good too yeah, it just never really worked for me 😅

[@SteamyPMcGee]

​@mcjaggertyson6444 i can read in dreams but cant fathom numbers. So i can try to write down my phone mumber but in a dream it always comes out wrong. Checking the watch is another clue for me.

[@rab46290]

I can lucid dream. I figured out how when i was addicted to spice about 8 years ago. I was asleep 16 hours a day, i eventually figured out when i was dreaming and i was able to take over. It was pretty cool. Since i have been sober (6 years) it isnt as intense, or as often, that i notice.

[@asteroidmonger]

WTF is spice. Are you on Dune or being serious?

[@rab46290]

@@asteroidmonger what is dune? Spice is a sythetic marijuana made about 10 years ago. It was a legal alternative. But when it became illegal they started using chemicals in it that were very addictive. I tried meth when i was 16 and it was easier to quit that than quitting spice. Other states call it different things. I think ive heard it called "tuchi" "toochi" "tunchi" "K2". Not sure how they spelled it, but we called it spice in northern indiana.

[@NethDugan]

Worth watching just for the brain cleaning thing. And I did that jetlag time shift bit by bit thing when I had to go onto night shifts at my lab. Really helped. Nobody else seemed to do it and suffered. Also that pruning thing.... does that mean those of us with poor memories have brains that don't think as many things are important compared to those with great memories? What does this mean for how much my brain values the names of my colleagues?

[@Poonchow]

Another thing I've found to help with jet lag: your eating schedule is closely tied with your circadian rhythm! Humans are not naturally nocturnal, but we can be (temporarily) due to adapting to a new diet. Think of a hunter/gatherer who can't find their main food source during the day and as a result has to hunt at night. SO! This is the trick to combating jet lag: skip meals when traveling until your new destination's time is about an hour or so before you want to sleep, then eat your dinner. Your body will recognize the meal as a new schedule and adjust accordingly. Not sure if this is super scientific but it seems logical to me and has personally worked.

[@hanar965]

I do the opposite, I won’t eat dinner, and the hunger will help me wake up more timely for brekkie

[@--Paws--]

What I notice about lucid dreams, there are just different dreams. Some dreams, in my opinion, can be "controlled" or the person can navigate where they are headed or interact in the dream. There are some dreams that play like an unskippable ad. Other dreams play like an interactive videogame and some parts are the cinematic events you cannot skip and must watch to get a gist of the story.

[@baronvonbeandip]

I've been able to control just about every dream after practice. After a certain point it gets tiring, though. The last time I tried to do DiffEq/LinAlg while sleeping, I got so hungry, I had to wake up way early to have some snacks before going back to sleep regularly.

[@ikki76AMV]

This needs a pt2. Very interesting stuff 👍

[@koroshiyashinigami]

I thought I was just going to watch a little bit of this video. But the way ma mans explained everything... I had to watch the whole of this 20 minute video! Very interesting. Thank You WIRED and Dr Jeff Liff.

[@caro_alexandra]

I feel like I could talk with this guy all day! This is such an interesting subject, and not only does he really know his stuff, his explanations are super understandable

[@vanessastegall]

I’ve always wondered that myself! After a nap, I wake up still tired but it messes up sleep schedule.

[@jillstonesifer6731]

This was literally fascinating. Loved every minute

[@supernova9139]

I watched the complete video and absolutely loved how this guy explained everything so well and i was completely intrested in learning more and getting all this information, he also explained it in a very clear and informative way, love these videos ❤️

[@batchode2274]

Where do you find the complete videos?

[@supernova9139]

@@batchode2274 oh you might have misunderstood, by the complete video i meant this whole video until the end and also there's a playlist of all the videos of this type, so i watched a lot of them ❤️

[@batchode2274]

@@supernova9139 oh alr, thanks for telling me

[@dekuuchiha9990]

@@batchode2274 thats what i was wondering

[@mudgetheexpendable]

Can deffo confirm that habits are a great way to get through falling-asleep issues. Still jerk awake after 3 hours two or three times a week but it's at midnight not five am.

[@xMorogothx]

Well, could be worse... you could be jerking off while asleep.

[@Sierracat7807]

“it’s staying off the screens for an hour before you go to bed” me watching this as i’m laying down abt to go to bed 🧍🏽‍♀️

[@francesrosas435]

Thanks for explaining Sleep Paralysis. I can now show my family that I don’t have demons in my bedroom.

[@crillianmarvin6256]

Love how the expert recommends some good old-fashioned CBT before bed.

[@JustinBocci]

I have had sleep paralysis once, when I was younger. It was the most horrifying thing. There were multiple things happening all over the corners of my room, each one a nightmare. I felt like I was being attacked and stalked, but I was stuck and couldn’t move. I knew that I was awake, and I think I may have even started crying because I couldn’t move, but it was scary. Hasn’t happened to me since then, but I remember it happening once and it was scary

[@connievan4749]

Mg gc yyyi Otnp n

[@brokemono]

@@connievan4749 A lot of people I talked to had this scary experience. When I got sleep paralysis I got it intentionally by trying to get lucid. I've been doing this for 3 years now...

[@majidhosseini3852]

I've had like 100+ sleep paralysis... at one point you get used to it. Its a very scary experience and you think you cant move for a hot second and acrually you cant... but if you focus enough for 30 seconds or so ( i focus on my arms) you can overcome it fast. But every experience that I had came with a buzzing sound . Constantly. Overall not a good experience and feel jealous about the people that hasnt experience it so far.

[@jenniferhiemstra5228]

I’ve only experienced this a small handful of times, and they were pretty mild in terms of how nightmare-like they were. I’m pretty sure I was I was in that “in between sleep and awake” stage and lucid dreaming for one of them, as that’s the one I remember best, and it certainly was a bit freaky, but not terror inducing. I’d still like to not experience that again…

[@adrock1011]

Yes… i have it 3-5 times/year. Its truly awful. I am sometimes able to bite my cheek enough to snap out of it. I can also sometimes make a sort of barking/whimpering noise - i tel my wife if she hears this to shake me awake asap. Light blankets and moving air (fan or ac) can be helpful. Heavy blankets/non-breathing materials seems to make things worse

[@amberhynes2754]

I’ve had sleep paralysis ever since I was a kid, and as a result I’ve gotten really good at shaking myself out of it. The common denominator was sleeping on my back so I never do it anymore

[@Bendigo1]

The only time i have ever had it was when i was sick and/or sleeping on my back. It is absolutely terrifying.

[@disguisedboots]

same, sleeping on my back does it to me too

[@Untoldanimations]

Same. Sleeping in your back is so much scarier too when it happens because you see the whole room and the sleep paralysis demons can just stand at the end of your bed while you stare at them

[@Octoberstorm333]

Crazy, every time I sleep on my back or on a couch I get paralysis since age 4 so I trained myself to sleep sideways

[@Octoberstorm333]

@@Bendigo1 it happens to me when I’m sick too, I wonder if it has to do with breathing discomfort causing your sleep cycle to get mixed up

[@sciathoir]

Wow, I’ve always known that getting good sleep is important but I never realized just how much it affects your brain

[@therealdutchidiot]

"Oh so that's what happened" was what I thought when I heard the explanation of sleep paralysis. I never had anything like hallucinations, but I did "wake up" being unable to move, which slowly changed to limbs feeling really heavy, and once I broke through that everything was fine. After the first tme it happened I just relaxed, "it''l fix itself" was the thought, and it turns out that was correct. I've only had this happen like five times over the past 20 years, so nothing too crazy, but it's always memorable.

[@cosmiclovania9086]

Me: *sleeps 12 hrs a day.* also Me: you know Im also somewhat of a sleep expert myself

[@straightasanarrow3648]

Sleep expert: insomnia can be treated with good sleep hygiene like going to sleep at the same time every night, limit your screen time... Me: yeah, we don't do that here

[@lorenamenendez6709]

I did it and it works. Unless I am super stressed I go to sleep at the same time everdy day and wake up at the same time or almost the same time every day and I fall asleep faster and I sleep better.

[@quinnsnextstep]

This explained why it is important not to go to bed angry without saying it outright. Great video!

[@haywarddaryl]

Just came back to say thanks for this video. After watching, I went to a sleep disorder clinic and found out I have severe sleep apnia.

[@jpfidalgo7]

I'm sharing this, and I really think that its never too late to learn about this... I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea 2 weeks ago. My doctor, psicologist and phychiatrist suspected me having this since August last year. But this has probably been with me for about 6 years. Looking foraward to start CPAP. I never thought sleep disorders could have such a strong impact on well being.

[@katherineheasley6196]

My sister got diagnosed this year and is on CPAP. She says it's a life-changer. Her husband agrees, since her snoring used to wake him up, too.

[@qwertyboo]

did they check your jaw, teeth, bite, and all that dental stuff? people with narrow jaws get sleep apnea. they can sometimes cure it with jaw surgery.

[@giulia6344]

Sleep paralysis is one of the most terrifying things I’ve experienced, genuinely need to get out of bed and turn on all the lights for a bit after it happens.

[@psgamer-0199]

After watching this video I love sleep more, I appreciate what sleep is and how important it is. And at the same time is making kind of resent those who tried to keep me up at night for whatever reason.

[@calamityjane1981]

Very interesting and informative! The section on sleepwalking reminds me of a time a couple of months ago when I awoke to discover I was changing my bed sheets in my sleep. The brain is truly a weird and wonderful thing

[@Sarahtayxo]

For someone who can lucid dream, I highly recommend thinking about what you want to dream about before you sleep or even start to think about the story you want to create. Almost always this works for me.

[@kimsoer5750]

Really loved this video! As a person who has been trouble sleeping all her life this was so interesting and refreshing!

[@debtoralive4693]

For as long as I can remember I've had the type of insomnia where I begin to wake up around 2 or 3 am but can usually go right back to sleep. Then after only half an hour or so I wake again, then again, and again and again until I can only stay asleep for a minute or two at a time, so I get tired of fighting it and just get up. I think maybe because of this, I function at a higher level than others when lacking sleep. Because unless it's a really bad night, I'm not usually overly tired during the day and can definitely tell when I've not been getting enough, because suddenly one night I'll sleep soundly for ten to twelve hours. I also have a strange kind of sleep paralysis. I am never awake when it happens, but know I'm dreaming, which for some reason ALWAYS causes me to panic over unseen fears and a feeling of pure evil, and I am then forced to make my unresponsive body move and wake up. I can usually get momentum to my limbs and get them moving by rocking myself as hard as possible. Usually as I gradually gain back control of my movements, I gradually awaken. For some reason this happens I'd estimate about 20 to 30 percent of the time whenever I try napping during the day. But it almost never happens during the night. Is it because of the light? Which by the way, doesn't ever seem to bother my ability to fall asleep. Neither do most noises. In fact, I fall asleep faster if there's some background noise, like a TV at low volume or a fan. I find absolute quiet too unsettling and so it's harder to fall asleep.

[@meganmorris784]

I really enjoyed this video, I’ve struggled with sleep for the majority of my life and this has answered A LOT of the questions I’ve had or weird stuff that’s happened while sleeping, would love to hear more! Make more videosssss

[@spaghetti4659]

Thankfully the only sleep paralysis experience I had was just laying there, feeling awake yet not being able to move, but without any intense feelings of pressure or panic. It used to happen sometimes when I was a child, not very scary, just kind of annoying. I would always know that I'm not fully awake yet and just wait for it to pass or try to fall back asleep. I feel so lucky that I didn't experience any of the other stuff, like hallucinations, I can't imagine how terrifying that must be.

[@briannadau]

This series is one of the most fascinating, I love watching these and learning so many new things!

[@KalypsoVega]

This is such a perfect video. Thank you so much for these answers

[@autumnal2894]

“sleep hygiene” on its own is not effective for people with type 1 insomnia. my new sleep doctor says CBT-I (cognitive behavioral therapy specifically for insomnia) is a better way to treat it, and sleep hygiene alone isn’t enough-which i really appreciated, because it’s super frustrating to be told the problem must be my sleep hygiene even though i try my best :(

[@BlankCanvas88]

That 20 or 90 minute nap tip was very helpful! Thanks!