The Science of Sleep, with Matt Walker

Boldly Go One Step Closer To Where It All Began. Strange New Worlds S4 Streaming July 23 on Paramount+. https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/star-trek-strange-new-worlds/ What’s the real difference between dreaming and waking consciousness? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly sit down with sleep expert Matt Walker to answer fan questions about the most mysterious thing humans do every single night: sleeping & dreaming. What’s the science behind your sleep paralysis demon? Why did evolution keep sleep? We explore why sleep stuck around and what the latest in sleep research looks like. Could genetic short sleepers hold the key to "zip-filing" sleep into fewer hours? Could we ever reprogram our genetics to not need sleep at all? We discuss if this is possible and whether losing the ability to dream would be detrimental. What does dreaming actually do? Matt explains how REM sleep produces informational alchemy and why dreaming may be the biological basis of human creativity and overnight emotional therapy. Neil shares how he slept eleven hours the night after 9/11, and Matt connects that to the brain's drive for more sleep when processing large amounts of information. If the dreaming brain can generate an entire universe without sensory input, what does that say about waking consciousness? Is waking life itself just a controlled hallucination tethered to time? We break down the difference between waking and dreaming as well as the brain's cleansing mechanism: the gylmphatic system. How does its failure to clear toxic proteins connect directly to Alzheimer's disease? The episode covers sleep stages and cycles, why sleep inertia makes waking from deep sleep so hard, and what parasomnias (like sleepwalking and sleep paralysis) reveal about the porous boundary between waking and sleeping consciousness. Plus, a question about how astronauts’ sleep is impacted by being in space. Thanks to our Patrons Rhagor, Beans, Eric Grant, DOCTOR FN ASTRONAUT, Richard Thompson, Niclas Larsson, Cathy Hayes, SunshineKat Snyder, Brandon, Matt Caldwell, Tim Davies, M.Victoria Delpiano, Heyo13579, Erin McCullough, Shalon Sorensen, Kaydence Johnson, RJ, Dave, Sindre Skybert, Mr. V, Neon lion Blacklight cozylazy, Mary Mitchell, Trip Ni Selo, S. H., Cloud3X, P.M., Dallas, Dan, Getyoducksinarow, David S, Michael Koenig, Jason A, Reg Anderson, Sean Marien, Adeel Rahman, joe hoffmann, Ronald Merrifield, Jesse Miner, David Pazer, Toshi Jordan, Pat Voss, Nicholas Wiseman, Antoine Portes, Colin, David Crouse, Sander van Liempd, Wendy R., J P, Kenneth Cook, Joey, Fixxxer331, Nathan Hinote, Hara Kannajosyula, Heath Horne, Pixtle, Brett M Garabedian, Ryan Alba, Paul Tindall, Tony Stewart, and Stephanie Moore for supporting us this week. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Matt Walker 04:00 - Why Do We Sleep At All? 10:18 - Could We Ever Stop Needing Sleep? 14:35 - What Does Dreaming Do? 20:53 - What Does Dream Reality Say About Waking Consciousness? 26:33 - Does Cerebral Spinal Fluid Generate the Dream State? 30:10 - The Stages of Sleep 36:10 - How Do Parasomnias Work? Sleep Walking, Sleep Paralysis Demons… 43:53 - Preserving Your Circadian Rhythm 53:58 - Do We Store The Dreams We Forget? 01:00:20 - Sleeping on the Way to the Moon Check out our second channel, @StarTalkPlus Get the latest StarTalk book, 'To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery' on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3PL0NFn Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/startalkradio FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk: Twitter: http://twitter.com/startalkradio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startalk About StarTalk: Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson