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Podcast Notes Premium Collection: Huberman and Sleep

Intro to Sleep

* Sleep cycles & Architecture: non-REM and REM play for brain domination throughout the night in 90-minute cycles – this is the standard architecture of sleep

* Ratio of non-REM and REM throughout the night: the first half of the night is dominated by non-REM deep sleep; the second half of our sleep is dominated by REM sleep

* Not everyone’s sleep cycles are 90 minutes: sleep architecture is fairly consistent within a person, but can be different across people

* Non-REM Sleep: Non-REM deep sleep is divided into four stages, increasing in the depth of sleep: stages 1 and 2 are light stages of non-REM deep sleep; stages 3 and 4 are deep stages of non-REM deep sleep

* In stages 1 and 2: the heart rate begins to drop, and brain wave activity slows down

* In stages 3 and 4: the heart rate is low, cells in the cortex fire together then go silent

* During non-REM deep sleep, we get autonomic restoration and regulation of heart rate and blood pressure

* Hypnogogic Jerks: during stage 1 you experience mini dreams s you’re starting to drift off and can almost wake yourself up in this stage – sometimes you experience a jerk in your body as a result of loss of proprioceptive feedback

* Don’t miss these notes about how Salvador Dali used the hypnogogic state to be creative (Slumber with a Key)

* …

Quantity, Quality, Regularity, and Timing (QQRT): The macros of sleep

* Quantity: the average adult needs between 7-9 hours of sleep per night – but the reality is more complex

* Quantity alone doesn’t tell the full story

* …

Carbs, Caffeine and THC

* Carbs in AM vs. PM: research does seem to support that your body is better able to metabolize carbohydrates in the morning versus evening if you’re concerned about your blood sugar and metabolic health

* Eating Before Bed: In gener…

Sleep Supplements

* Magnesium Threonate or Glycinate, 145mg, 30-60 minutes before sleep

* Magnesium chloride can be effective for bioavailability by way of muscle relaxation

* Apigenin: 50mg, 30-60 minutes before sleep

* Theanine: 100-400mg, 30-60 minutes before sleep (Do NOT take Theanine if you are prone to night terrors or sleepwalking)

* Inositol

* Glycine: 1.5-2gPhosphatidylserine will dampen cortisol response

* Check out the full Momentous Huberman sleep stack & use promo code PODCASTNOTES for 15% off at checkout!

Sleep Tips

* 1. Do Nothing! If you are struggling with sleep and had a bad night of sleep, do not sleep in later, do not go to bed earlier, do not increase caffeine intake, do not compensate with a nap

* 2. Time rescheduling/sleep restriction therapy: if you are spending too much time in bed, your brain is not efficient; it’s like being in the gym for hours a day but spending most of the time scrolling on your phone – you’re not really getting a good workout like if you know you only have 45 minutes to workout

* 3. Don’t underestimate the importance of a winddown routine: whatever you enjoy for relaxation, build it into your regimen to help you decelerate

* 4. Do NOT count sheep, instead take yourself on a mental walk: counting sheep actually makes you stay awake longer; instead, get your mind off itself by going through a rudimentary walk with hyper-detail – imagine putting your shoes on, opening the door, crossing the street, imagine the signs you see, look at the flowers, etc.

* 5. Remove …

* Monophasic sleep: Single bout of sleep in 24 hour period

* Biphasic sleep: Two bouts of sleep in 24 hour period

* Polyphasic sleep: …

Napping

* Naps are a Double-Edged Sword: If you struggle with sleep at night, do not nap during the day in order to build up sleepiness and hopefully sleep at night

* Cons of Napping: Naps remove sleep pressure (adenosine) so if you struggle with sleep, you are setting yourself up for worse sleep because you’ve removed some of the sleepiness you need

* Pros of Napping: If napping does not disrupt your sleep and leaves you feeling better, go ahead and nap but be cautious of napping too late which can disrupt sleep

* Are Naps Right F…

* Super Charged Nap: Swig espresso right before napping + nap 20 minutes + cold water to hands and face upon waking + immediate daylight 5-10 minutes outside

3 Ways Sleep is Essential for Learning:

* 1: We need sleep before learning to start the initial imprint and laying the tracks; sleep before learning is critical

* 2: We also need sleep after learning to cement the information in our brain

* 3: We need sleep to integrate the new information with previously learned information we have stored

* Exactly How Much an All-Nighter Impacts Memory: Pulling an all-nighter leads to deficits of up to 40% in making new memories

* …

* Symptoms of REM Sleep Deprivation: Paranoia, hallucination, aspects of psychosis (with enough time)

* Bad Sleep, And Then: When sleep deprived, you’re excessively reactive and hypersensitive, particularly to reward-based activities – dopamine circuits are overactive when you are underslept

* Sleep and Addiction: A lack of sleep is associated with addiction potential AND relapse if trying to abstain

* REM Sleep Killers: Alcohol, THC

* One Possible Mechanism for PTSD: The brain is trying to process the traumatic experience but fails, so the brain tries again the next night, and the next – until …

Brain Features of REM:

* (1) Electrical brain wave activity in the cortex is similar to that when you are awake;

* (2) There are unique pulses from the brain stem ultimately to the occipital cortex (linked to rapid eye movements);

* (3) Motor regions, visual regions, memory-related structures, and emotional-related structures of the brain all light up

* (4) The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (responsible for inhibition and planning) activity is suppressed during REM

* Functions of REM sleep: (1) Creativity; (2) Emotional & mental wellness – REM sleep is overnight therapy

* …

* (1) Consistently rehearse the notion that you will remember your dreams and you will take control of your dreams – if you do this enough, the probability you will induce lucid dreams is high

* (2) Rehearse something (like flicking a light switch on and off) over and over; Then, when this appears in your dream you can take control

* …

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PN Deep Dive: Huberman Lab Sleep Collection: Protocols & Science