Dr. Matthew Walker: Protocols to Improve Your Sleep | Huberman Lab Guest Series

This is episode 2 of a 6-part special series on sleep with Dr. Matthew Walker, Ph.D., a professor of neuroscience and psychology and founder of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley.

We discuss basic and advanced tools for improving sleep and explain how sleep quality is affected by temperature, light and dark, caffeine, alcohol, cannabis, nutrition, meal timing, and different medications.

Dr. Walker also provides strategies for coping with a poor night of sleep, wind-down routines, technology in the bedroom, insomnia, visualizations, and building sleep “confidence.”

We also discuss the current status of sleep research for developing advanced techniques to optimize sleep.

This episode provides numerous zero-cost behavioral protocols for improving sleep quality and restorative power, which can benefit daytime mood, energy, performance, and overall health.

The next episode in this special series explores napping, caffeine, and additional protocols to improve sleep.

Timestamps
00:00:00 Improving Sleep
00:01:16 Sponsors: Helix Sleep, WHOOP & Waking Up
00:05:30 Basics of Sleep Hygiene, Regularity, Dark & Light
00:12:05 Light, Day & Night; Cortisol, Insomnia
00:18:45 Temperature; “Walk It Out”; Alcohol & Caffeine
00:26:05 Sleep Association, Bed vs. Sofa
00:29:43 Tool: Falling Asleep; Meditation, Breathing
00:35:23 Sponsor: AG1
00:36:37 Alcohol & Sleep Disruption
00:40:01 Food & Sleep, Carbs, Melatonin
00:49:25 Caffeine; Afternoon Coffee, Nighttime Waking
00:55:52 Caffeine Metabolism & Sleep, Individual Variation
01:01:19 Sponsor: InsideTracker
01:02:04 Cannabis: THC vs. CBD, REM Sleep, Withdrawal
01:12:03 Sleep Hygiene Basics
01:16:08 Tool: Poor Sleep Compensation, “Do Nothing”
01:20:23 Tool: Sleep Deprivation & Exercise
01:24:11 Insomnia Intervention & Bedtime Rescheduling, Sleep Confidence
01:32:58 Wind-Down Routine; Mental Walk; Clocks & Phones
01:41:29 Advanced Sleep Optimization, Electric Manipulation
01:50:07 Temperature Manipulation, Elderly, Insomnia
01:58:57 Tool: Warm Bath Effect & Sleep, Sauna
02:04:36 Acoustic Stimulation, White Noise, Pink Noise
02:13:30 Rocking & Sleep, Body Position
02:24:17 Enhance REM Sleep & Temperature; Sleep Medications
02:28:35 Pharmacology, DORAs & REM Sleep; Narcolepsy & Insomnia
02:34:12 Acetylcholine, Serotonin, Peptides; Balance
02:40:45 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter