#126 – Matthew Walker, Ph.D.: Sleep and immune function, chronotypes, hygiene tips, and addressing questions about his book

Podcast Notes Key Takeaways The pandemic brought about changes in the amount of sleep, timing of sleep, and dreaming“It’s not time that heals all wounds, it’s the time during REM sleep and dreaming that provides emotional convalescence.” – Matthew WalkerOur brain will respond to events throughout the day and give us increases in non-REM or REM sleep depending on what we needIf you’re not getting enough sleep in the week prior to getting a flu shot, you produce less than 50% of normal antibody response and dull efficacy of a vaccineThere are pros and cons to napping but if you struggle with sleep at night, avoid taking naps throughout the daySleep is not a light switch, have a wind-down routine to rest the brain and body

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In this episode, sleep expert Matthew Walker returns by popular demand to dive deeper into many sleep-related topics, starting with what we’ve learned about sleep through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic and how sleep impacts the immune system. He then covers topics such as how dreaming affects emotional health, the different sleep chronotypes, the best sleep hygiene tips, and the pros and cons of napping. Matthew finishes by addressing several of the errors that readers have pointed out in his book, Why We Sleep.

We discuss:

Three ways the coronavirus pandemic impacts sleep [3:30]; The importance of dreaming for emotional health, and how the coronavirus pandemic increases dreaming [11:45]; The impact of alcohol consumption on sleep quality and stress levels [20:00]; Sleep’s impact on the immune system and implications for a future COVID-19 vaccine [27:45]; What determines how much deep sleep and REM sleep you need? [36:30]; Pros and cons of napping, and insights from the sleep habits of hunter-gatherer tribes [42:15]; Sleep hygiene, wind-down routine, and tips for better sleep [56:45]; Understanding sleep chronotypes and how knowing yours can help you [1:06:00]; Night terrors in kids—what they are and why they happen [1:16:30]; Addressing errors found in Matt’s book, Why We Sleep [1:20:45]; and More.

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