650 Dr. Matthew Walker, All Things Sleep — How to Improve Sleep, How Sleep Ties Into Alzheimer’s Disease and Weight Gain, and How Medications (Ambien, Trazodone, etc.), Caffeine, THC/CBD, Psychedelics

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The connection between sleep and Alzheimer's disease is an exciting area of research that has emerged in recent years. Alzheimer's is typified by memory impairment and decline, and research has shown that there are at least two protein pathological culprits that contribute to the disease: beta amyloid and tau protein. It has been found that individuals who sleep six hours or less per night are at a significantly higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, due to the build-up of these proteins in the brain. Additionally, sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea are also linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer's. The study found that after one night of sleep deprivation, even a full recovery night of sleep was not sufficient to downgrade the metabolic toxins that have been building up in the brain. This suggests that sleep is necessary for clearing out these toxins. The brain cleanses itself of beta amyloid and tau protein during deep non-REM sleep, and this helps to prevent Alzheimer's disease. Sleep is a modifiable factor that may help to explain the associations between aging and Alzheimer's disease. The use of direct current brain stimulation during sleep can amplify the size of deep sleep brainwaves and improve memory benefits from sleep. Dr. Matt Walker is interested in shifting from a model of late-stage treatment for Alzheimer's to a model of midlife prevention. He believes that by intervening in midlife, we can "bend the arrow of Alzheimer's disease risk down on itself."

There is evidence that sleep issues are more common in women than men after menopause, and that luteinizing hormone may be more protective against sleep or neurodegenerative issues in women. However, the jury is still out on whether or not sleep is more important for overall health than neurodegenerative protection.

This podcast discusses the importance of deep sleep for brain maintenance and recovery, and ways to increase deep sleep. The individual discusses how they have struggled with sleep throughout their life and how this has had negative consequences on their mental health and cognitive abilities. They mention several things that have helped them improve their sleep, including trazodone, pregabalin, and a combination of THC and CBD. Dr. Matt Walker advises that people who want to maintain deep sleep should avoid caffeine and exposure to light at night. He also suggests blackout curtains and eye masks to block out light while sleeping. The main way to manage stress and anxiety is by getting a good night's sleep. However, deep sleep is often disrupted by anxiety, which can lead to further sleep problems. One way to help encourage deep sleep is by regulating temperature. The article discusses how people can fall asleep faster by using a hot bath or shower before bed.

Warming the hands and feet can help instigate sleep, and exercise is a great way to increase deep sleep. Caffeine has a number of effects on the brain, including preventing sleep. Caffeine also has a half-life of 5-6 hours, meaning that it takes 10-12 hours for the effects to wear off completely. Some evidence is emerging that drinking coffee has health benefits.

The article discusses the benefits of dark roast coffee and how it relates to health benefits. It also discusses cold brew coffee and how it produces stronger antioxidant concentrations. Finally, it discusses cannabis and how it can help with sleep onset insomnia.

In this conversation, Tim Ferriss and Dr. Matt Walker discuss the effects of alcohol and cannabis on sleep. Ferriss shares his personal observations on how alcohol negatively impacts his sleep quality, while cannabis has had positive effects. They discuss the importance of dosing with both substances. Dr. Walker explains that while there is some evidence that THC can reduce the amount of REM sleep, there is no data on whether or not this effect is long-term. He speculates that the brain may fight back against the deprivation of REM sleep, but this has not been proven. CBD is thought to help with sleep by reducing anxiety and improving sleep quality. In a study of pigeons, it was found that CBD caused the pigeons to become less wakeful and to demonstrate signs of drowsiness. However, in lower doses, CBD has a wake-promoting effect. Dr. Walker is researching the effects of CBD on sleep and believes that it may have some sleep-inducing effects. However, there is a lot of variability in how it affects people. Cannabis can have an amnesic effect on people, which could be an issue if you want to have recall in a clinical setting. However, there is not much research on this topic yet.

Walker and Ferriss discuss the idea of using crowdsourced data to track the effects of THC on sleep. They also mention the idea of using a hammock to improve sleep quality, and suggest that psychedelics could be used to help people communicate in cases where regular communication is not possible or desirable.

This person is discussing the intense effects of taking 5 grams of psychedelics, and how it seems to reduce the need for sleep. They credit Barry Jacobs for their interest in the topic, and mention that more research needs to be done on the subject.

Sleep deprivation can lead to overeating, due to changes in appetite-regulating hormones. When animals are deprived of sleep, they release a wake-promoting chemical called orexin in order to forage for food in a wider perimeter. This may explain why humans, who are often deprived of sleep, also experience increased hunger. The study found that the participants' brains changed when they were shown unhealthy foods, and that they were more likely to want these unhealthy foods. In this conversation, Tim Ferriss and Dr. Matt Walker discuss the possible evolutionary explanation for increased food intake when sleep-deprived. Ferriss hypothesized that this could be a compensatory mechanism to try and fix the body's inability to repair itself during sleep. However, Walker suggests that the evidence currently suggests the opposite; that it is the lack of sleep that signals to the brain that it must be under conditions of starvation. The myth that people need to eat more when they are sleep deprived is largely dismissed. Sleep is a highly metabolic process, and people actually burn fewer calories when they are sleep deprived. However, people tend to overeat when they are sleep deprived, which can lead to obesity.

The body's anabolic machinery can lead to overeating and other problems, so the author suggests that fasting may be a better way to achieve repair under conditions of food scarcity. Fasting can impair sleep by reducing melatonin levels, but it is unclear if this effect is consistent across all studies.

Trazodone is a sleep medication that works by targeting the three neurochemical systems that promote wakefulness. It is effective in reducing the time it takes to fall asleep and increasing deep non-REM sleep. However, it is not clear how trazodone affects each of these neurochemical systems, and more research is needed to understand its long-term effects.

In this episode, Tim Ferriss interviews sleep expert Dr. Matt Walker about the importance of sleep and how to get better sleep. They discuss the role of pharmacology in balancing the body and restoring health, and Dr. Walker recommends his podcast, The Matt Walker Podcast, as the best place to learn more about what he is doing with sleep.

The article discusses the science behind sleep and how masturbation can help improve sleep quality.

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