The Paradox of Sleep with Matthew Walker & Neil deGrasse Tyson

What happens when we go to sleep? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly break down the mystery of why we sleep, time dilation in dreams, circadian rhythms, and sleeping in space with neuroscientist Matt Walker.
Why did our need for sleep survive evolution? We explore the evolution of sleep and why we even need to sleep at all. Do all animals sleep? Learn about Nathaniel Klietman’s cave study, our 24-ish hour sleep cycle, and what the definition sleep even is. Does the early bird really get the worm?
What goes on in the body while we sleep? Discover the syphonic pulsing of brain waves that occurs in non-REM sleep and how REM sleep looks similar to waking. We discuss Alzheimer's relationship to sleep and new technology to manipulate sleep brain waves. Could you use technology to supercharge sleep so you could sleep for shorter periods? Can you really “catch up” on sleep? We explore the relationship between dreams and time and whether time really does move slower in the dream world.
How similar is sleep to a psychotic break? We discuss the hallucinations and premonitions in sleep and do a statistical analysis of Gary’s premonitions. Is there snoring in space? Find out about what makes sleeping in space tricky and whether Neil would be a good subject for a sleep study.
Thanks to our Patrons Micheal Unwin, Vijay Krishnan, Leroy Gutierrez, alycia allen, Hilary Rush, Kira Lesser, and Daryl Sawyer for supporting us this week.
NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free.
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Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
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Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction: Matt Walk Sleep Expert
3:38 - Why Do We Need Sleep?
05:26 - Evolving to Sleep & The Animal Kingdom
08:30 - Circadian Rhythms & Mammoth Cave
12:28 - Chronotypes: Early Birds & Night Owls
15:18 - What Happens When We Sleep?
18:42 - Mental Health & Dementia
21:19 - Can You Artificially Supercharge Your Sleep?
23:21 - Can You “Catch Up” On Sleep?
25:49 - Time Dilation in Dream Sleep
29:31 - Premonitions from Dreams
32:45 - Sleep & Psychosis
34:35 - Sleeping in Space
40:24 - Neil’s Sleep

[@StarTalk]

Are YOU getting good sleep?

[@DeTofuKing]

I have insomnia in reverse. I go to bed between 2000 and 2100, and awake at 0400 every morning. The answer is no.

[@scott-proav]

Matthew Walker's book is fantastic

[@TheGreyLineMatters]

No, anything wakes me, I can hear a cat fart down the alley from my house while sirens wail.

[@akaMopsik]

thankfully its not too bad

[@calicocalthecopperkid7230]

No. Every night I wake up @2am. Every time. 25 plus years. Every night.

[@Test-ij6os]

How many people watching this after 1 or 2 am ? 😂

[@dinzzz2010]

2:08 AM 😂

[@djseggypaul8009]

1:14 am

[@meekd53]

2:19am central 😂

[@GordonJohnson-vc8sm]

2😂

[@GordonJohnson-vc8sm]

2:51 am

[@parintelebaiazid80]

I can honestly say that professor Matt Walker is one of the best guests you ever had on Startalk! His level of knowledge and his way of communicating it is outstanding! I was mesmerized by him and also were Neil and Chuck, because they didn't need to interrupt as often or make funny remarks to keep the conversation going! Ironically, him talking about sleep made me pay more attention than ever! I'm a fan of Matt Walker!

[@BilboCameron]

Great energy, fantastic subjects, great "team" hosting him. All that makes for an amazing session. We all win.

[@karlidomingo]

SAME. I want more!

[@Myria83]

He's obviously very passionate about his work.

[@idh9395]

Yes, that constant interrupting and cracking jokes just for the sake of it winds me up a bit. Unnecessary when trying to learn something worthwhile.

[@taral927]

Remove highly processed foods, no alcohol, no physical, emotional, chemical stressors, no drugs, no mortgage ----- and you don't have to sleep more than 4 hours a night.

[@ayandaskupela4248]

I like how Neil gets sleepy or less interested when he's not the one explaining a concept

[@deanvangreunen6457]

He's glenfatic system is cleansing he's brain 😂

[@dianacanales2526]

Fascinating discussion! Please have Dr. Matthew Walker on again! Not only is he an expert in his field, but he's extremely engaging and fun to listen to. Plus there are so many more questions I hope you all ask him next time -- Please check all the comments. I saw several questions from other commenters that I wondered, as well: "What happens to the brain of a chronic insomniac?" and "...sleep paralysis and sleep-walking." -- Thanks so much, Neil, Chuck & Gary!❤❤❤

[@samihawasli7408]

Could always hit up his podcast.

[@jacobpardia]

Completely agree!

[@briganja]

This is just an anecdotal example, but my uncle was recently telling me about a coworker (they’re cops/detectives) who went insane from weeks or months of insomnia/sleep deprivation. He ended up going to a public pool and shooting himself in the face (I’m unsure if he was trying to commit suicide or what). My uncle told me this person had no history of mental health issues (their police department regularly requires mental health evaluations) and that it was determined to be momentary insanity related to sleep deprivation (this uncle worked in the office of internal affairs so I assume he was part of or privy to the investigation into the episode). Thankfully no one else was harmed and while he suffered grevious injuries, this person recovered his sanity with a return to a sleep schedule. Off the top of my head I’m unsure but I think this aligns with sleep deprivation studies conducted by russia and the us before stringent medical ethics were applied to human studies.

[@dianacanales2526]

Good to hear he recovered and no one else was harmed. Thank-you for sharing!@@briganja

[@rickardboberg]

You should listen to him on, Lex Fridman, Andrew Huberman and a Diary of a CEO podcasts. Longer form, all similar content but dives deeper from different angles.

[@myke__V]

Because of Matthew Walker and the many podcasts he's been on. I was able to fix my sleep. It took nearly a year to fully gain better sleeping habits. The importance of sleep is extremely underrated in today's society and feeds into the mental health crisis substantially in a negative way.

[@chuck1804]

100%. A good night's sleep is the best thing you can do for your tomorrow. A bad night's sleep is about the worst.

[@doctorf7501]

It’s wonderful that you fixed your sleep. There are sleep psychologists and sleep physicians that share Matt’s knowledge base but are also learned as clinicians and can help with medical sleep issues. Anyone needing help should reach out rather than self-diagnose and treat in most instances :)

[@ramos_dt]

He is probably one of the best guests of the show. The questions are answered clearly and direct to the point. What you asked is what you get.

[@Som3thingClever]

Ever.

[@tasos0140]

Brobably due to a good night sleep that helped him keep a clear mind

[@erudolph]

Neil was obviously in dire need of sleep during this episode! 😂

[@marianagyorgyfalvi3659]

😂I also noted it, the fault is that the guest spoke so calmly and rhythmically, I almost fell asleep too!

[@CherrysJubileeJoyfully]

I had a sleep attack as well but I do have narcolepsy. And I am wondering if NDT does as well.

[@Ozark-nq9uu]

I always thought Neil just looks super high.

[@Artemis_F0wl]

well he's just too up-close to the camera as well, it's weirding me out watching this on a 65 inch TV 😂 there's really no need for him to lean in like that

[@briganja]

Ya that kind of lends credence to the need to monitor quality of sleep that dr walker talked about 😂

[@DannyJoh]

Please do a follow-up on this episode. Feels like you could make a whole series on this topic. Would love to hear more about power naps, how sound, temperature and light effect sleep, more about sleep and stress/anxiety/depression, do fitness watches really measure sleep quality well and how to change sleep patterns back to a healthy rhythm.

[@credx2689]

Catch these topics and more on Matt’s own podcast that they mention in this video. The Matt Walker podcast. His episode are brief for those that prefer short format. Larger sleep topics, like insomnia, are covered in multiple episodes

[@kelvinlee7506]

18:28 Matt is giving his energetic speech and Neil looks like he's falling asleep 😂

[@johnroznovsky212]

Many times!

[@adamajs3836]

He was testing the theory 😂😂

[@MikkelKBH1990]

I noticed the exact same thing, then went to the comment section to see if anyone else had... Damn my man looking tired AF!

[@buzzkillington1719]

😂😂😂😂😂😂 So true though Be never ever seen Neil on this state before

[@TheHellnfire]

OMFG! went to your timestamp, LOL'd so hard I actually couldn't re watch it! TYVM for the Epic comment 🙂

[@shadw4701]

Dreaming is the most underrated part of life. It's packed with euphoria and adventure, often feels exactly like real life and can even be useful for everyday life practicality like solving problems, getting rid of fears, improving creativity ect.

[@mo_musashi_284]

time travel is possible especially if you were able to trigger your past memories when you wanted to

[@stevesstuff1450]

It can also take a very dark turn and throw all sorts of 'stuff' at you that you've never physically encountered in places you've never been, and morph them into some quite horrific things and places in the blink of an eye.....not sure what practical everyday life problem solving that is, but it happens....... I get the impression that dreams are more like memories/thoughts/experiences from life, or films or TV all being jumbled up and you find yourself in the middle of whatever is being manipulated by your sleeping brain at the time, which is how you can be in multiple locations just by walking down a short street; it constantly changes as the stored 'data' is rushing past, and in the dream you 'see' it and 'feel' it. Maybe it's just your brain/mind trying to neatly file things away for future recall, but when I'm asleep it seems my mind keeps dropping the damn things as it's filing them..!! 😂 Whatever, it's a fascinating subject, and this was an absolutely excellent episode of StarTalk, and Matthew Walker was an excellent guest! 👍

[@user-xi7lr6oe6q]

Maybe the only way we can tell the difference between wake and sleep is the continuity of the waking experience.

[@kadijahs]

Dr. Walker has hypnotist qualities.....This is the first Star Talk ever that Neil, Chuck, and Gary look like students in class on Zoom....😂 Wonderful explanation

[@EricK-bw2mj]

Unsurprisingly, I am sure that this is how they look on a daily basis because their curiousity has no bounds

[@alinionutz8]

So sad that you didn't ask about sleep paralysis and sleep walking. It would have been so nice to hear from Matthew about this two topics. Anyway, very insightful and good interview overall.

[@pogosmama1]

As a lifelong sleepwalker, I wish they had talked about it also. Sleepwalking became less frequent when I reached my late 20’s, but I still do it. It freaks out my partner, and I’m always freaked out the next morning if anything weird happened. It is very disconcerting, but at least it isn’t very frequent now, but it can be scary. I never remember what happens when I sleepwalk. Not a nanosecond. That is the most disturbing part, because I have zero awareness and zero control, as a result. I wish we knew how to make it stop.

[@finnical9718]

Sleep paralysis is a common symptom of sleep apnea, but apnea isn't required to have it. If you are overweight and snore loudly, apnea is possible, and your paralysis may be correctable.

[@agustinabelengarrote9607]

I would have loved to hear about somniloquy!

[@xperiencenlifencraft]

@@finnical9718I’ve only had sleep paralysis once, and I was young and in the best shape of my life. I’ve never snored or had trouble breathing except if I’m sick.

[@finnical9718]

@@xperiencenlifencraft Sleep paralysis can be caused by apnea, but apnea isn't required to have it.

[@mikestubblefield4978]

As someone with narcolepsy, I’m fascinated by the science of sleep. This was very interesting and fun to watch as well. Thank you.

[@InsaneMetalSoldier]

This is one of those episodes that when you see the title you're like "Meh, I'll pass and wait for the next physics / astronomy episode" but if you click it you get so hooked and you discover that you would have missed pure gold!

[@conniebabcock4045]

So true ❤😊

[@metalicrat7612]

I always find it fascinating that something like an external sound can appear to so seamlessly integrate into your dream.

[@damyr]

Actually, sometimes it seems that the whole dream is set up to lead to that external sound, which during the dream still didn't happen, but will happen at the end of it. I had a few such experiences in my dreams. I was flabbergasted. Tho, it's probably that at the subconscious level I was already expecting that external sound to happen, and my brain calculated it into the dream, in advance.

[@patola2292]

@@damyr Or maybe your ears perceived the sound, but on the electric impulse way in, before it reaches you and you became "aware" of it, the brain was able to fit in a whole dream, which, in turn, ends with you (finally) perceiving" that very sound. Does this make any sense? xD

[@HarambeJawn]

​@patola2292 I have had this happen and thought maybe it was that time does not exist in your dream so you create a past to what is happening in real time. The dream didn't lead up to the sound ut instead made a past that includes the sound.

[@InnerLuminosity]

​@@damyrplot twist. Life is a dream

[@stevesstuff1450]

It's why I never use the radio as an alarm to wake me up anymore..... There've been some some very weird, confusing dreams years ago when I used to that!! 😂

[@petebyrdie4799]

I was utterly unprepared for how fascinating this would be.

[@solidstream13]

As a retired firefighter. I feel one of the most underestimated downsides of the job is lack of sleep. Interrupted sleep multiple times a night cannot be healthy. I remember having two babies at home and working at a busy firehouse. I did not have a full night sleep for 6 months.

[@noamfinnegan8663]

Much love from Ireland 🇮🇪💙🇺🇸

[@morbidmanmusic]

That's why you can retire early with a great pension. You can catch up later.

[@MrCWoodhouse]

Time compression in sleep: as a youth, on several occasions, if I fell out of bed, in the 2 seconds it took me to fall from the mattress to the floor, I would have an intricate dream about sitting on a fence post watching something in a horse ring and getting knocked off by a horse, falling, and hitting the dirt. Has anyone else had an experience like that?

[@dsharpness]

yep...waiting to catch a fly ball, suddenly the out field grass was pulled out from under me like a rug-woke up on the floor!

[@jfreshh330]

You can tell the guest truly loves sleep just by the way he talks about it. Great episode

[@mzmscoyote]

Fascinating. One time I decided to find out my circadian rhythm. It was the end of the semester and I had papers. I stayed up working until I got sleepy. I fell asleep and slept 8 hours and then did it again. I discovered that I have 5 Me Days in 7 Earth Days. Always feeling off and tired in a 24 hour world suddenly made sense.

[@filiperibeiro86fr]

Love to dive in the sleep topic, could listen Dr. Matthew talk for hours, because it shows that he knows hes stuff and shows the great passion he has for the subject and for brain matters

[@noahglymph6104]

Matthew Walker's talk is so soothing its putting Neil to sleep.

[@barbaralachance5836]

His book has completely changed my life, i used to neglect sleep and now it's one of my top 3 priorities in life and i feel so much better.

[@randomguy365]

Neglect sleep? Sleep is life! Then water and food.

[@RaheelPervaiz123]

Being a terestrial animal reaally does put crazy stress on the body.

[@briganja]

Wild to hear sleep called a waste of time: sleep is one of my favorite things because dreaming is just absolutely amazing. Dreaming and lucid dreaming are where some of my favorite, most magical memories are made❤❤❤ I didn’t realize lucid dreaming wasn’t common until I was older (at least half of my remembered dreams are lucid dreams); I thought everyone’s parental figure had taught them to lucid dream so they could stop the reoccurring nightmares that plagued my early childhood. My mom taught me how to recognize you’re dreaming and control your dream because she was so tired of waking up to me screaming, and she told me her mom had taught her the same, her grandmother had taught her mother, etc etc. The problem with having such vivid dreams is that when they are mundane I can’t differentiate them from waking memories. Thanks for this episode!

[@d.e.7467]

My dad could fall asleep any time, anywhere. My mother would either talk or nudge him when he drove. He never wrecked. Once, after dinner he poked his cheek with a toothpick, obviously missing his mouth, because he'd fallen asleep. My wife had never seen such a thing and thought it was the funniest. Dad was always good-natured about the incredible ease of his ability to fall asleep. After I learned about sleep apnea through a company I worked for, I encouraged him to get a sleep study. He never did.

[@CarbinKid]

He didn't need it.

[@adamcuttler9665]

My father did that to

[@murrayhayes1780]

Centre is the correct English spelling. Only you Yankees spell it "er".

[@elongatedmusk3132]

...the end?? 🤔

[@d.e.7467]

@elongatedmusk3132 He passed away. Sorry, thought it was obvious.

[@laylahame]

I find comedians fascinating, especially Lord Nice here. It never fails to amaze me how these ppl can take somethin complicated n express them in simple terms so that everyone can understand

[@ArtSurvivesArtist]

I've never seen Neil, Gary and Chuck all sit so silently for the guest. Amazing!

[@kimnabi3988]

Almost polite for the observer…almost

[@mzmscoyote]

In anthropology we hypothesize that there is an evolutionary advantage to the diversity in circadian rhythms. Within a hunter-gather band, which lives outside all the time, having different sleep cycles allows the band to sleep with someone on alert and on guard throughout the dangerous night and, thus, improves survivability of the band.

[@Myria83]

Makes sense...

[@davidevans3227]

that's interesting

[@rosameryrojas-delcerro1059]

Like prairie dogs and meerkats...

[@marki7661]

I think we could be looking at it backwards, pondering, why do living things sleep?…perhaps we were all meant to sleep through our whole lives but evolved with this inconvenient task of waking up once and a while to consume the necessary calories

[@brucepreston3927]

Very interesting way to look at it!

[@shadw4701]

I think this is an actual hypothesis

[@GameTime-yj6qv]

Love it😂

[@epik8353]

Yeah our dreams at times are better than our lives

[@blakebunch4485]

This comment is worth the time to consider. At least for me.

[@remple1769]

I'm listening to this instead of sleeping

[@kennethflorek8532]

Too much to think over when I went to bed afterwards. I couldn't sleep.

[@AustinaCasey]

I love how Chuck gets so into these discussion!! His humor is refreshing also!

[@zanebarrett23]

I don't understand why people have a negative view of sleep. It's one of my favorite things to do. It seems my natural wake up time (no matter how early I go to bed) is about 10:30am. Waking up for work every morning is an absolute misery for me no matter how much sleep I have gotten. At work I'm fairly miserable until about 9-10ish.

[@razzbazle1582]

I'm exactly the same

[@gretcynlopez]

for people who wanted to do so much things, sleeping is a waste of time.

[@Nicola_Harvey]

Same here too. I love bed, sleep, staying in and not gonna lie.... eating crap 😅

[@syedarmaghanhassan4652]

Guys this was one of the most interestung episodes i have ever seen. It was far from enough. There should be like 50 more full,length episodes on this topic Please invite again We didnt even tojch the tip of dreams 😅😅😅

[@Kattakam]

I was able to compress sleep a few times by sleep association to a external tone of sound training during lucid dream

[@davidclark2271]

So because of the slower brain activity, we run slow in our dreams. I remember learning this. What's fascinating is in my dreams now, If I'm running when I notice it's slow, I simply acknowledge that it's dream running, and that's why it feels slow. I tell myself just go with it. The dream always ends after that, like me acknowledging it being a dream somehow stops the dream. I wish I could stop that happening and have lucid dreams, but it seems that I can't, or don't remember.

[@edwardisingoma4082]

The level of intelligence and knowledge on this panel is remarkable! Thank you, and please have this gentleman back.

[@sekaramochi]

Seriously you woke us up to tell us how important sleep is x

[@microchip5673]

Lol

[@Taboo-II]

Dr. Matt I'm in my 60ds but I would thoroughly enjoy going back to university to sit in on your lectures.

[@JR-playlists]

There were very few occasions when I've had a full nights sleep without dreams. Waking up fully rested and was a surprise, did I sleep? But it hasn't happened in a LONG time. It always amazes me how vivid and detailed my dreams can be. Looking forward to the next session. More like this Neal.

[@bolajiolure8391]

One of the most personal star talk episodes for me. I’ve learnt so much today. Thank you all

[@Gabe_05]

I honestly like both chuck and Gary as co hosts

[@dancooper8551]

This was an absolutely fascinating episode! I’ve always had weird sleep patterns - a definite night owl and require only around 6 1/2 hours of sleep a night.

[@yamyoemerson2095]

I depends how old you are. You need less sleep as you age... At 35, i'm good with 7-7 1/2, where as used to be eight mostly...

[@chutcentral]

Apparently you haven't read any of Dr. Walker's research. Just because you think you feel fine on 6.5 hours of sleep a night doesn't mean you're ACTUALLY fine with getting that amount. Anything less than 8-9hours is wreaking havoc on iust about every aspect of your biology, including putting you at a SERIOUSLY elevated risk for strokes, cancer, heart attacks etc. The people who claim they only need 4 or 6 hours a night are going to find out the hard way just how wrong they are...

[@CebisoMhlanga]

Thought I'd fall asleep during this. Didn't even blink. Mat you're the definition of an expert.

[@emmygee2156]

This is one of my favourite star talks. Dr. Matt Walker is incredible at explaining things at a simple yet educational level. Bring him back.

[@XMegaJuni]

My dad is like Neil, anytime and anywhere he can shut off. It's crazy powerful.

[@matteoespert5009]

I have the power to and I can use it no whether what is surround me and how loud it is in a second..I always say it's miracle and a course at the same time

[@lanszoominternet]

My natural circadian rhythm is on the early side. I spent 35 years of my life working a chaotic schedule of day, evening and night shifts. I always found the night shifts to be excruciatingly difficult. In the past 15 years I have been able to revert to my natural cycle. Looking back I really wonder how I survived those 35 years.

[@nomadicagent6311]

After only 45 minutes of running, I get the feeling of desire to listen to Matthew Walker longer. Hopefully, he will be back for more on the sleep topic! Such a good topic to learn!

[@Sniffy1975]

I found this to be very fascination and I hope you can get Matt back on for a follow up talk, heck, make it into a whole startalk series, there are so many more questions on sleep that could be covered and you can tell how knowledgeable and passionate Matt is of the topic.

[@gaberoyalll]

The two best parts of the day is when my head hits the pillow and when I fall asleep 😴

[@truthseek3017]

😂

[@Silverado1st]

Two nights before Christmas of '77 I had a dream of riding my brothers new 10 speed bike without my hands to steer. At 10 years old I have never rode a 10 speed or anything that size before, never mind without holding the handle bars. Well the next day, day before Christmas, I got home from school earlier than my brother, dad was at work still and mom was out shopping, so I decided to take my brothers new Christmas present out for a cruise around the block. Within a half hour I was comfortable enough and riding around the 1/4 mile block with no hands! Even before he got to ride it lol. Great show and Neil is awesome!

[@TravisJansma]

I'm so envious of people who can sleep. I suffer from chronic insomnia. I've gone 10 days without sleep. Plus never feel rested even when I do sleep.

[@willmo1725]

That was a good one. I have two observations. One the dream doctor, has a voice that could put a lion to sleep. Very deep baritone, i nearly crashed twice. Second im not the only one. Dr. Tyson almost face planted on his key board. Loved the show today thanks.

[@marknorman706]

Movement powers lymphatic system which carries the Lactic Acid (byproduct of 'work' that makes muscles sore) from muscles to brain, where it metabolized Only during REM Sleep... If you sleep a short time, not achieving REM, you'll wake up as sore as you were when you went to sleep. I was Army Infantry and Fire & Police. I'm very experienced at not getting enough sleep...

[@burtobm]

Never knew that it was "the" Gary O'Reilly. I'm a Palace fan and watched him in his youth, including the infamous semi final against Liverpool in 90. Good to see him doing well.

[@Frustratedfool]

I was awoken early when my house alarm malfunctioned. I had to spend a few minutes opening it to disconnect the battery. I tried to get back to sleep and after 10-15 minutes had this moment of sleepy clarity where EVERY memory I chose to recall was instant and vivid. I could remember things clearly from events 30+ years ago. It was blissful.

[@vincenthaddad]

Awesome Episode! Looks like Neil could use some sleep himself lol.

[@alafayette112]

I thought he was about to fall asleep at one point! 😅

[@asfallleaves]

Dr. Walker was absolutely fascinating to listen to!!!

[@tashenamason]

I have Narcolepsy, and the worst part of it isn't the sudden sleep attacks... Thought those suck, for sure. I've fallen asleep mid-sentence. I've fallen asleep at the wheel and crashed into other cars (before my diagnosis, didn't know what was happening)... At one point i was drinking 1200mg of caffeine a day PLUS taking stimulants, and i still had sudden sleep attacks, needed naps during the day and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow at night. But the worst part...? It's the memory loss, the hallucinations (mostly hypnopompic, but sometimes hypnogogic), the not being able to tell if something i remember actually happened or was a dream (DRC - dream/reality confusion).. The fact that i can sleep for 12 hours and it does nothing for restoration. My brain skips the restorative non-REM stages, so sleep does very little for my brain and body. The average person goes through 90-120 minutes of non-REM sleep stages before hitting REM. I don't. I go straight into REM. So, no rest at night. I wake up and feel as if i just blinked and it was morning, still exhausted. Then i have to take stimulants to keep myself awake thru the day so i can work and take care of my kids. Then again, no rest at night, more stimulants the next day. It's not good. It's debilitating.

[@nedflanders3769]

Sleep is so fascinating and important, but there’s so much we still don’t understand about it. I’m glad smart people like Mr. Walker are studying and researching it! 😊

[@martinphipps2]

One advantage of sleep is that we don't feel hungry until an hour after we wake up so less time and effort goes into looking for food.

[@roaminromer]

'This has been a delight' couldn't have worded it better. I love this every person science just as much as the stuff I don't understand, **cough** astrophysics. Thank you startalk. You're entertaining, informative, and appreciated.

[@jymmyvisnel6924]

I lucid dream almost every time I sleep and have became extremely good at controlling it. I have written poems and stories while sleeping and woke up and remembered them and typed them up. When sleeping I'm still self aware of my body and where I'm sleeping and who is around me. I have started to try and communicate with people while asleep. "Talking in my sleep" but being self aware of me doing in an attempt to have a conversation with someone who is awake. I have been able to make noise but have not been able to make any words.

[@DIAMINEO]

this podcast is a gem.. i wish there are much more contents like this on youtube.. which means this channel should do more vids😊

[@ffaubert1]

Fantastic video folks. I am kinda disappointed that no one asked about what happens to the brain when someone has chronic insomnia but maybe in another StarTalk. Matt was an incredible, knowledgeable and fun guest I also see Lord Knight is really upping his science game. Way to go Chris! You had some really solid and thought provoking questions.

[@alafayette112]

Yes I wanted to know about the effects of insomnia and why it even happens. Would have been interesting.

[@heldercosta6556]

Why we dream :)

[@gregft1979]

Crazy this pace of KZbin uploads... Almost one per day. I wonder if it became almost a full time job for Neil?

[@KC-nd7nt]

4 or 5 done one day . Check his clothes and backdrop / location . Not too different than most creators

[@ELCHAMBERINO]

Matt walker 10 seconds into his flow of explaining sleep just radiates intelligence. What a guest.

[@ryvyr]

Agreed with earlier sentiment, or at least that it *feels* like Sleep is time not being productive, despite knowing how much Sleep accomplishes for mental/physical health~

[@masterbuilder7577]

Haven't been tuning into these as much lately but I think I'll start doing so again, this one and one of the others a few days ago I really enjoyed (though Ironically I can't for the life of me remember the topic of the other one lmao) you guys always make educational content that is really enjoyable and consumable by someone like me with a interest in the topics but not necessarily in a science field and interested in the more clinical format for information (though I do understand that there is value to this style of presenting information too, both have a place in my opinion)

[@ShadowBMe]

I would love to see what Doctor Matthew Walker could learn and explain about my sleep patterns because I have learned that I am an oddity. I have always been considered to be an insomniac. I have extreme difficulties getting to sleep. I am easily disrupted from my sleep. In fact, I often don't need a disruption from my sleep because I seldom lose consciousness during my sleep. I tend to know that I am dreaming, can recall my dreams, can alter my dreams, and can keep track of and listen to those in my environment around me while I sleep and dream. Although, I do sometimes have to respond to those communicating with me during my sleep several times because I respond to them in my dream state, but then have to do so again as my response occurs within my brain and I realize that my body has not produced that response for them to hear.

[@mmi16]

My last 25 years before retirement I worked a 3rd trick schedule - would go to bed upon getting home and would only be able to get 4 or 5 hours of sleep - and never had any dreams that I could recall upon waking up. After retirement have a more normal night to morning sleep schedule and frequently wake up knowing that I have had one or more dreams.

[@earthjustice01]

Great podcast! I've wanted to write a philosophical paper on sleep for some time now, and I was re-inspired by reading Matt Walker's book. From a philosophical point of view sleep is a very interesting subject because Philosophy tends to over-emphasize the importance of consciousness. The fact that we go to sleep every 24 hours demonstrates not only our body's connection to the earth's rotation but also our connection to life's primordial beginnings. The fact that we sleep for about eight hours every day means that one third of our lives is spent in unconsciousness. This implies that there are some necessary bodily processes that cannot work if we are conscious, or to put it another way, consciousness gets in the way of certain bodily functions. What are these functions? Probably resetting of our circadian rhythm, master regulation of our hormones, muscular skeletal growth, tissue repair, immune system regulation, and the making of permanent memory. This takes consciousness down a notch - it ain't the be all and end all if it needs to be shut off for one third of the time we are alive on this earth.

[@qwazse4]

My first gig as a statistician included plotting the latency and amplitude of sleep cycles in two populations. The variability was large, but the underlying trends were striking.

[@weedpuff]

And what were the results?

[@morpheus6749]

You mean a thing that Matlab can do in seconds?

[@Lori-PAX]

Please bring Dr Walker back to speak on sleep disruptions, walking,night terrors. Also use of sleeping pills over time. Great guest, thank you.

[@credx2689]

Check out the Matt Walker podcast. He has a great short format podcast and has covered many of these sleep topics and others. He is a delight to listen to- so passionate about the science of sleep.

[@Lori-PAX]

@@credx2689 Thank you. Will do.

[@gbowers]

If you’re new to Matt and this is the first you’ve seen or heard of him, definitely watch the full episode of him on Joe Rogan a few years back as well. It’s much longer and more in depth than this and will likely blow your mind. I cannot get enough of Matt and his wonderful mission to educate people on the absolute vitalness of sleep and the amazing science of sleep itself. Utterly fascinating. This was a great conversation as well, though. Matt is a phenomenal communicator and so very knowledgeable on sleep. He seems to have a ready answer for literally anything you could ask about sleep.

[@ramonarobot]

His hairstyle has definitely changed 😅

[@gbowers]

@@ramonarobot Yes. I couldn’t help but notice that as well. I thought maybe I had mentioned his hair in my comment but upon re-reading it, I didn’t. I guess you noticed it as well. Let it not distract from his vital communication of sleep knowledge! He’s also rocking the Max Airpods. Nice!

[@ShiftyGeeza]

I routinely sleep with earphones on every night as I find it impossible to fall asleep in silence. It is astounding how the brain seamlessly incorporates the sounds from my headphones into my dreams. Listen to a rainforest and I'll often find myself in a dream in the middle of one. I sometimes listen to sci-fi drama as I drift off and as long as the story is long enough eventually when I'm dreaming either the narration or sound effects are brought to life in my dreams. Its like my brain just listens to the audio and adds its own special effects to a movie I'm taking part in.

[@MarceloLaraM]

I love understanding myself a bit more. Thank you guys, you are amazing

[@davidnovosardian6848]

Too excited for this episode!

[@servetyucelisli6992]

The way Matt talks sounds like a poem. It’s incredible. I am a linguist. Almost never a speaker impresses me this much. What a delight

[@johnglielmi6428]

Since I was eight years old, I'm 63 yrs old now. I've only gotten three hours of sleep and I need no alarm clock. My father only ever needed three hours of sleep as well. I'm the opposite of Dr. Tyson, it seems to take me forever to get to sleep and when I do I rarely ever dream that I am aware of. maybe 5 times a year I will have a dream. for me it's just dark then I wake up.

[@Acclaim93]

Would like to know more about how sleep effects depression or how depression effects sleep.

[@musicbruv]

I think Mat would be an interesting person to talk to one to one. I would have lots of questions regarding sleep.

[@gregorykeating4195]

I read Matt’s book - it influenced me so much that I bought a copy and sent to each of my adult children - hoping it would do the same for them.

[@azurata]

Love this episode. Matt is a fantastic guest who made this conversation really engaging. One my favorite StarTalk episodes

[@Rickster1100]

Extremely interesting. I have central (brain) sleep apnea not to be confused with obstructive sleep apnea. When I sleep I make no effort to breath. I wake hundreds of times per night from oxygen deprivation that lasts 60 to 80 seconds each before I take a breath. Never having a long enough duration of sleep to even dream. Nor do I remember these hundreds of episodes of waking just long enough to get a single breath. I could not function. My CPAP machine literally saved my life. So I especially appreciate sleep study science.

[@TheoTheTimeTravelingMagician]

Wow! You are the most entertaining, educational, and all around wonderful person out there, Neil. Any scientist who plays a talking pig in a cartoon show is amazing! I hope you have a great week ❤

[@theoteddy9665]

untill he talks about genders😢or covid vaccine😢😢

[@nabormendonca5742]

❄️❄️❄️

[@kevincronk7981]

I've gone 11 days without sleep before (which I later learned is tied for the no longer kept guiness world record of going without sleep) and fail to fall asleep way too often, I can confirm sleep deprivation screws up your perception of time. And also everything else.

[@macysondheim]

Lol and you expect anyone to believe you? 2, 3 days maybe. 4 tops. You didn’t go 11 days without sleeping kid…

[@DRob70]

Great guest. His deeper explanation of dreaming being equated to be psychotic is fascinating.

[@sapelesteve]

Very interesting and informative video Neil, Chuck, Gary & Matt! In fact, I think that I might just need to get some extra sleep tonight after listening to all of you! 😉😉👍👍

[@sergiozdrums]

Fascinating episode I love how Matt explains and makes the concepts easy to digest

[@morpheus6749]

He put Tyson to sleep.

[@terrizittritsch745]

Great Episode, I think, because so many of us have a tough relationship with sleep and it’s a subject that we want to understand better. It also helped that Matt is so engaging and articulate.

[@waynegosson1793]

Is was a great episode. We need another episode. More research. More questions. Have this gentlemen back. Sleep has some crazy ideas along side it. The moon well in Sardinia for instance, slleeping in that bath water when the moon is on its very long cycle to perfectly shine a direct spot light into the water. Just one example. There's hundreds of these examples. Facing your body to the north pole. Facing your body south pole. Sleeping on ley lies. The list goes on and on. Need to ask more of the questions and do more research.

[@EattheApple666]

This was a very enlightening episode.

[@truthseek3017]

Demon

[@MjLeem]

ive gotten on about a 36 hour cycle where im up for about 1.5 - 2 days then sleep for about 16 -18 -20 hours. but on that cycle i found it hard to near impossible to fall asleep without being awake for at least 24 hours. that being said on a 24 hour cycle i found i would wake up about 1 min before or after the time my alarm would go off whether it was set or not

[@jasonwilson7094]

Sleep has always felt like a complete waste of time to me. Eating has always been more of a chore out of necessity. After about 18 hours. Is my time to study all manner of subjects until the sun comes up and I have to go back to work. I come home from work sleep for 16 hours and start all over again.

[@denny414]

​@@jasonwilson7094oversleeping is bad too

[@StaticBlaster]

I fail to see the paradox in sleep. The necessity of sleep is quite logical to me: it serves to repair cells, transition short-term memories into long-term storage (akin to a process that allocates the memory of your hardware, so to speak), and optimize the functionality of your organs, among other things.

[@darthsirrius]

Alarm clocks are kind of the bane of human existence. I had a job where I didn't have a set specific time where I needed to be at work, so for a few years, I went to bed when I was tired, & I woke up when I was ready to get up. I don't think I've slept better my entire life. I'm no longer able to do that, and I absolutely have an alarm go off, multiple times, in the morning now & I hate it lol.

[@Itsallfun3000]

Great episode thanks guys. I would suggest that an ability to relax and sleep is the sign of a healthy nervous system free of trauma as well. Many folks can't switch off and there can be reasons such as trauma and abuse sitting behind that from earlier years.

[@iwill6002]

Such an interesting and engaging guest. Wonderful episode from the whole team. Thank you!

[@morpheus6749]

So engaging that he put Tyson to sleep.

[@danielandrews7561]

In the past 5 years, I remember exactly only two dreams. Am I missing out on important segments of my life? Am I missing out on valuable experiences? These are the kinds of questions that keep me up at night! TY! ;-)

[@robertelee467]

This was very informative. I have a question for Mr. Matt Walker: I have had a severe traumatic brain injury for some 24 years now. Most of the people that I talk with whom also have TBI’s in some form, or aother, have problems with sleep. What is the progression of study on why people such as us have problems with sleep? On average, I will get about 2 to 3 hours of sleep at night if I’m lucky. And sometimes, no sleep at all for nights on end. I was just curious if we are gaining any ground in figuring out why this particular element people with TBI’s suffer with. I will thank you for your comment or any other comments that have any suggestions or new information for me. And, as a quick afterthought, sleep aids, do not work.