Peter Attia‘s is one of the most informative and very well-produced podcasts on health science. Peter is a surgical oncologist by training and currently focuses on longevity. With that, his interests span nutritional biochemistry, exercise, sleep, lipidology, pharmacology, and endocrinology. His guests are some of the best experts in their domains. Peter brings the best in them during conversations. His podcasts are produced with good research and delivered with chapter indices that help re-listen sections when you want a better understanding. His website publishes good notes on each episode.
In this mini-series of three podcasts, Peter discusses with Matthew Walker about Sleep. Walker is a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. He is also the founder and director of the Center for Human Sleep Science.
Part -1 Dangers of poor sleep: The different stages, and cycles, of sleep, four pillars of sleep, and how they contribute to memory consolidation and numerous important pathways to mental health. The dangers of chronic sleep deprivation, such as the development of dementia, and the more acute dangers of sleep deprivation like fatal car crashes, often caused by drowsy driving. The impact that bad sleep habits can have specifically on those sleep stages.
Part 2 Sleep and Heart disease, cancer, sexual function: Evidence linking poor sleep to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and sexual function. Impact of cortisol, efficacy and risks of common sleeping pills, teenage issues and the urgent need to reconsider (delay) school start times, effects of electronics at night, and how to improve sleep habits.
Part 3 Effects of poor sleep: Effects of insufficient sleep on everything from metabolism, appetite, athletic performance, decision-making, productivity, leadership, mental health, genetics, memory, and more. The impact of caffeine and alcohol on sleep quality, the efficacy of sleep aids such as THC and CBD.
This series is a treasure trove of highly valuable information and practical tips on improving sleep.
Photo by Gigin Krishnan on Unsplash.