Insights from Sleep Scientist Dr. Matt Walker and Andrew Huberman
Sleep is foundational to health. Sleep is problematic for many. Andrew Huberman on his podcast, Huberman Lab hosted a 6–part series all about sleep with the sleep diplomat, Dr. Matt Walker. This series includes over 12 hours of scientifically descriptive information on cutting edge sleep science and ways to improve sleep. So many gems in this series! I’ll share a few here!
“If you knew everything I know about sleep, it’s an entirely selfish act to prioritize my sleep, I don’t want to die any sooner than I have to, and I don’t want to live with disease any longer, and the greatest health insurance policy that I know of that is universally available, largely free, and mostly painless is this thing called a night of sleep. I will gift it to myself every night.” Dr. Matt Walker
CONVENTIONAL SLEEP HYGIENE
“Regularity is king.”
Light for when you want to be awake and dark for when you want to sleep. Dim/soft lighting for an hour before bedtime.
“Warm up to cool down.” Stay cool 65-67F.
If you can’t sleep for 25+ minutes, get out of bed.
Instead of counting sheep, try taking yourself on a mental walk of somewhere very familiar to you paying attention to all the details.
Avoid alcohol.
Caffeine early in the day, beware of the afternoon.
THC/CBD does nothing good, disrupts the quality and architecture of sleep stages.
Avoid arguments, stressful events hours prior to bedtime.
Bad night sleep? Do not nap, no extra caffeine, no sleeping in, no going to be early because it disrupts your circadian rhythm.
“RULES FOR GOOD SLEEP” QQRT:
1) Quantity: 7-9 hours average adult
2) Quality: continuity, efficiency, electrical quality of deep sleep
3) Regularity: wake up and go to sleep same time +/- 30 minutes everyday
4) Timing: work with your chronotype, natural inclination for your body to sleep, extreme morning type (8pm-4am), morning type (9:30pm-5:30am) neutral type (11pm-7am), evening type (12:30m-9:30am), extreme evening type 2:30am-10:30am).
HUBERMAN Recommended Sleep Supplements
Dr. Walker recommends CBT-Insomnia Therapy for those with insomnia. CBT-Insomnia uses stimulus control, sleep restriction, sleep-interfering arousal/activation, foods and substances, and biological clock interventions.
Is snoring a problem for you or someone who sleeps with you? Try the SnoreLab App to track and analyze snoring. Offers a 7-day free trial!
Dr. Matt Walker and Andrew Huberman did not discuss how Brainspotting can impact sleep, but I have seen great results for certain clients. Oftentimes if sleep hygiene is not the problem with a good night’s sleep, it is due to stress and nervous system dysregulation which Brainspotting can treat! Reach out for a free consultation!
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https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/guest-series-dr-matthew-walker-protocols-to-improve-your-sleep
https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_walker_sleep_is_your_superpower?language=en
