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The Matt Walker Podcast
Dr. Matt Walker
133 episodes
5 days ago
In this episode, Matt delves into the curious and cautionary tale of Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide (DSIP), once hailed as a potential miracle cure for insomnia. In the 1970s, researchers were on a quest for a single "somnogenic molecule" that could act as the brain's natural sleep switch. A Swiss team believed they had found it, isolating a peptide that appeared to rapidly induce deep, slow-wave sleep when injected into animals. This initial excitement led to bold claims and sparked decades of...
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Medicine
Health & Fitness,
Science,
Social Sciences
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In this episode, Matt delves into the curious and cautionary tale of Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide (DSIP), once hailed as a potential miracle cure for insomnia. In the 1970s, researchers were on a quest for a single "somnogenic molecule" that could act as the brain's natural sleep switch. A Swiss team believed they had found it, isolating a peptide that appeared to rapidly induce deep, slow-wave sleep when injected into animals. This initial excitement led to bold claims and sparked decades of...
Show more...
Medicine
Health & Fitness,
Science,
Social Sciences
Episodes (20/133)
The Matt Walker Podcast
Ask Me Anything Part 20: Sleep Under the Influence
In their latest Ask Me Anything episode, Matt and Dr. Eti Ben Simon delve into the complex relationship between common substances and sleep. They first tackle cannabis, explaining that while THC may initially help with sleep onset, its chronic use is detrimental, leading to tolerance, withdrawal insomnia, and a powerful suppression of restorative REM sleep. The discussion then moves to two other major sleep disruptors: caffeine and alcohol. You'll learn how caffeine's long half-life can reduc...
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3 days ago
1 hour 4 minutes

The Matt Walker Podcast
#101 - The Sleep Prescription To Better Immunity with Dr. Aric Prather
Matt welcomes UCSF sleep expert Dr. Aric Prather to the podcast this week to discuss the science of psychoneuroimmunology: the link between our behavior and immune health. After a primer on the immune system’s innate and adaptive arms, Dr. Prather details how insufficient sleep dramatically increases your risk of catching a cold, significantly blunts vaccine effectiveness by reducing antibody response, and promotes a state of chronic, low-grade inflammation - a known pathway to numerous age-r...
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1 week ago
54 minutes

The Matt Walker Podcast
The Dreamer Boat: Sophia's Journey, A Sleep Story, read by Matt Walker
Prepare for a tranquil journey into sleep as Matt returns with a voyage aboard "The Dreamer." Let go of the day's events and allow your mind to quiet as we travel to a busy coastal town. Tonight, you’ll meet Sophia, a painter whose vibrant and expressive works reflect the world around her, yet finds her own nights restless and her mind unable to settle. Her creativity is blocked and her thoughts race, keeping peaceful sleep just out of reach. Just as she sits by her window, watching the waves...
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3 weeks ago
29 minutes

The Matt Walker Podcast
#100 - Sleep As The Fountain Of (Facial) Youth
Matt delves into the science of "beauty sleep" this week, revealing it as somewhat of a scientific reality. He highlights research by Dr. Tina Sundelin, which demonstrates that sleep-deprived individuals are consistently perceived as less healthy, more fatigued, and less attractive. These visible changes are rooted in biological consequences like dilated under-eye blood vessels and elevated cortisol, a hormone that degrades vital skin collagen. Matt then differentiates between expression wrin...
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1 month ago
36 minutes

The Matt Walker Podcast
Ask Me Anything Part 19: The Sleep Science of Her
Dr. Eti Ben Simon returns for yet another AMA episode, this time specifically focussing on sleep and women. Together, they delve into the nuanced differences in sleep patterns between men and women, exploring aspects like sleep duration, quality, and architecture, including variations in deep sleep and REM sleep. They discuss how females generally sleep slightly longer, experience fewer awakenings, and have more deep sleep early in the night, alongside a quicker onset of REM sleep. The conver...
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1 month ago
1 hour 12 minutes

The Matt Walker Podcast
#99 - Insomnia in 7 Days with Dr. Aric Prather
Sleep expert Dr. Aric Prather joins Matt today for a fascinating discussion about insomnia's frustrating reality: trying to force sleep backfires; sleep arrives naturally. Dr. Prather highlights a surprising starting point: forget focusing on bedtime, prioritize a consistent wake-up time, even weekends. Noting that this anchors your internal clock and builds essential sleep pressure (the 'balloon'), he also cautions that sleeping in after a bad night disrupts this cycle. After touching ...
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1 month ago
1 hour 1 minute

The Matt Walker Podcast
The Dreamer Boat - A Sleep Story Read by Matt Walker
Drift into tranquility tonight as Matt pilots your voyage to a deeply restful slumber in this calming sleep narrative. Prepare to release the day's hold and find solace on a serene sea, where the rhythm of the waves and the canopy of stars invite peaceful repose. Picture yourself embraced by the gentle motion of the water, the day's warmth slowly giving way to the cool embrace of a twilight sky, speckled with distant, shimmering lights. You will encounter "The Dreamer," a special vessel with ...
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1 month ago
29 minutes

The Matt Walker Podcast
#98 - Weighted Blankets
Matt delves into the science of weighted blankets for sleep improvement in this week’s episode. These heavy covers (10-40 lbs) utilize Deep Pressure Stimulation (DPS), a concept originating from Dr. Temple Grandin's 1960s work. DPS is theorized to shift the nervous system from "fight-or-flight" to a calmer parasympathetic state by potentially increasing serotonin and activating brain regions involved in emotional regulation, like the insular cortex, thereby fostering a state conducive to slee...
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1 month ago
34 minutes

The Matt Walker Podcast
Ask Me Anything Part 18: From Phone Radiation & Paralysis to Full Moons & Earworms
Matt and Dr. Eti Ben Simone are back again today to answer even more of your brilliant sleep questions! They begin by discussing smartphones, noting that the direct EMF impact on brainwaves is debatable, but that psychological activation and blue light are known disruptors. Moving onto naps, Matt explains longer ones can cause "sleep inertia," while short naps (20 mins) can be beneficial, unless insomnia is present. They then examine the full moon's debated effect on sleep, and how it is poss...
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2 months ago
47 minutes

The Matt Walker Podcast
#97 - Night Terrors
Matt takes the opportunity this week to explore the perplexing sleep phenomenon of night terrors (sleep terrors). Matt clarifies that these are distinct from nightmares, defining them as parasomnias arising from abrupt arousals out of deep Non-REM sleep, not REM sleep where dreaming occurs. He details the often dramatic symptoms – intense fear, screaming, sweating, rapid breathing, confusion, sometimes thrashing or sleepwalking – emphasizing the typical lack of memory of the event afterward. ...
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2 months ago
25 minutes

The Matt Walker Podcast
Celestial Slumbers - A Sleep Story Read by Matt Walker
Embark on a celestial journey tonight as Matt guides you through the vast expanse of the night sky in this soothing sleep story. Prepare to travel amongst the stars, exploring the constellations that have captivated humanity for millennia. Imagine yourself lying comfortably beneath the heavens on a warm evening, the stars twinkling like distant fireflies. Feel the gentle night air as you connect with the awe and wonder felt by ancient civilizations who gazed upon these same cosmic patterns, w...
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2 months ago
17 minutes

The Matt Walker Podcast
#96 - Nine Unknown Functions of Dream Sleep
This week, Matt dismantles the myth that REM sleep only benefits the mind by revealing its profound importance for physical health. While deep sleep handles some repair, Matt details how REM is crucial for peak testosterone and growth hormone release, vital for muscle, bone, libido, tissue repair, and metabolism. He explains that REM's characteristic muscle paralysis (atonia) isn't just for safety; it fosters physical recovery by enabling deep muscle relaxation, boosting blood flow, lowering ...
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2 months ago
26 minutes

The Matt Walker Podcast
Ask Me Anything Part 17: Tracker Accuracy, 3 AM Wake ups, Sleep Onset & More
In this latest AMA episode, Matt and Dr. Eti Ben Simon tackle even more listener questions regarding any and all aspects of sleep. Today, they discuss sleep tracker accuracy, noting that while nightly data isn't perfect (~75-85% accurate), weekly trends are reliable. Feeling exhausted despite good tracker metrics? Potential causes include fragmented sleep, circadian issues, undiagnosed disorders (like apnea), or tracker-induced anxiety (orthosomnia). Matt and Eti stress consulting a specialis...
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3 months ago
1 hour 4 minutes

The Matt Walker Podcast
#95 - Circadian Rhythms, Travel, and Athlete Optimization with Dr. Cheri Mah
Dr. Cheri Mah returns to the podcast today to explore a few different topics including how circadian rhythms shape athletic performance. She notes that these 24-hour cycles regulate sleep, hormones, and core temperature, with peak physical capacity often occurring between 4-8 pm—when many world records are set. Dr. Mah also discusses chronotypes, showing how tailoring training to one’s natural rhythm can enhance results. She reveals research on circadian disruption in sports, notably ho...
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3 months ago
1 hour

The Matt Walker Podcast
Clara and the Twilight Garden - A Sleep Story Read by Matt Walker
Find tranquility in a secret setting as Matt guides you through tonight's sleep story set in "The Twilight Garden." Meet Clara, the lamp keeper, who lovingly tends to the hundreds of lanterns that illuminate this hidden haven. On this particular evening, a grieving visitor arrives, seeking solace and a way to remember a lost loved one. As Clara shares the garden's quiet magic and the healing power of light, you'll be enveloped in the garden's peaceful atmosphere, filled with the scent of lave...
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3 months ago
22 minutes

The Matt Walker Podcast
#94 - Dream Sleep for the Body
In today’s episode, Matt challenges the notion that REM sleep is solely for the brain, revealing its broad impact on physical health. He delves into REM's role in regulating testosterone and growth hormone, crucial for muscle function. Our host also highlights how REM aids muscle recovery via paralysis, boosting blood flow and supporting protein synthesis. Beyond muscles, Matt explores REM's effects on temperature regulation and heart health by boosting heart rate variability and promoting st...
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4 months ago
29 minutes

The Matt Walker Podcast
Ask Me Anything Part 16: Dream Time, Circadian Changes, & Night Sweats
Matt and Dr. Eti Ben Simon team up to answer more audience questions today, and begin by delving into the subjective experience of time during dreams, exploring how our perception stretches and compresses during REM sleep and whether we can hack our dreams. They also explain the cognitive, emotional, hormonal, and immunological consequences of pulling an all-nighter, highlighting the dramatic impact on memory consolidation, stress hormones, appetite regulation, and immune function. The cardio...
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4 months ago
52 minutes

The Matt Walker Podcast
#93 - Sleeping Pills and their Alternatives with Dr. Ranji Varghese
Matt Walker welcomes Dr. Ranji Varghese back to the podcast today to complete the whole sleeping pill story by discussing newer sleeping pills, beyond benzos and Z-drugs. Together, they explore Melatonin receptor agonists (like Ramelteon) that signal sleep preparation, unlike sedating GABAergics. They also detail how DORAs inhibit the wakefulness-promoting orexin, how off-label options (ex. trazodone, low-dose doxepin) affect histamine, the risks and benefits of each. Dr. Varghese goes ...
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4 months ago
1 hour

The Matt Walker Podcast
The Archives of Lost Letters - A Sleep Story Read by Matt Walker
Escape into a world of untold stories with Matt as he guides you through tonight's sleep story set in "The Archive of Lost Letters." Meet Stephanie, the archivist, who tends to letters never sent, filled with unspoken confessions and unshared truths. Tonight, a visitor arrives, searching for a lost piece of himself. As Stephanie helps him uncover a forgotten letter, you'll be enveloped in the library's quiet atmosphere, filled with the scent of old parchment and the weight of unspoken words. ...
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4 months ago
16 minutes

The Matt Walker Podcast
#92 - The Healing Powers of Sleep
This week Matt explores dreams, questioning if their specific content matters beyond the normal benefits of REM sleep. This episode examines dreaming's significance for creativity, memory integration, and its role as emotional first aid. The discussion then introduces a "hot off the press" study showing how dreams might help us shed unwanted memories, with insights into how REM sleep acts as a nocturnal soothing balm for emotional distress. The episode shares how REM sleep can take the ...
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5 months ago
22 minutes

The Matt Walker Podcast
In this episode, Matt delves into the curious and cautionary tale of Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide (DSIP), once hailed as a potential miracle cure for insomnia. In the 1970s, researchers were on a quest for a single "somnogenic molecule" that could act as the brain's natural sleep switch. A Swiss team believed they had found it, isolating a peptide that appeared to rapidly induce deep, slow-wave sleep when injected into animals. This initial excitement led to bold claims and sparked decades of...