Sleep Timing's Deadly Secret: Regularity Beats Quantity

Resources

Books

• "Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams" by Matthew Walker - This book is referenced as a catalyst for mainstream discussion and understanding of sleep's importance.

Videos & Documentaries

• Documentary about the octopus - Mentioned as an example of an animal that dies after reproduction, paralleling the sacrifices seen in parenthood and the animal kingdom.

Research & Studies

• Study on magnesium and blood-brain barrier - Discusses the ineffectiveness of most magnesium forms in crossing the blood-brain barrier for sleep benefits.
• Study on sleep banking and cardiovascular disease risk - Found that sleeping longer on weekends reduced cardiovascular disease risk for those who short-sleep during the week.
• Study by Kenneth Wright at the University of Colorado on immune system, blood sugar regulation, and cognitive ability - Showed that these systems do not rebound after long sleep on the weekend like the heart does.
• Study by Thomas Balkin at Walter Reed Medical Army Institute on sleep banking - Investigated the ability to "bank" sleep before a period of sleep deprivation, showing it reduced impairment by 40%.
• Study on medical doctors' sleep education - Found that medical doctors receive very little sleep education across various curricula.
• Study on melatonin's effect on melatonin and dream sleep - Showed that iPad use before bed disrupted melatonin, sleep, and dream sleep, with effects lasting a week.
• Meta-analyses on melatonin - Gathered existing studies and found melatonin only improves sleep onset by 3-4 minutes and sleep efficiency by 2-2%.
• Study on high doses of melatonin in juvenile male rats - Found that high doses stunted testicular development and caused testicular atrophy.
• Study on testosterone supplementation in males - Noted that exogenous testosterone can lead to the testes stopping their own production, with potential for permanent function loss.
• Study by Michael Gradisar on blue light and sleep - His research suggests that the activating nature of attention-capture devices, rather than blue light itself, disrupts sleep.
• Study on the impact of anticipatory anxiety on deep sleep - Showed that anticipating an anxious event significantly drops deep sleep.
• Study by Rosalind Cartwright on depression and dream recall - Found that individuals who recovered from depression dreamed of their difficult experiences, while those who remained depressed did not.
• Study on the effects of short sleep duration on suicidal tendencies - Found that short sleep (less than six hours) predicts a significantly higher chance of suicidal thoughts and completion.
• Study on the effects of nightmares on suicidal tendencies - Nightmares were found to have an 800% higher likelihood of being associated with suicidal tendencies.
• Study by Alice Harvey at the University of Berkeley on counting sheep vs. mental walks - Found that vivid mental walks were more effective for falling back asleep than counting sheep.
• Study on image rehearsal therapy (IRT) - Found this memory reconsolidation technique to be powerful for treating nightmares.
• Study on the glymphatic system and sleep medication - Demonstrated that "dora" drugs (suvorexant, lemborexant, daridorexant) improved brain cleansing of beta-amyloid and tau protein compared to placebo.
• Study on Ambien's effect on the glymphatic system - Showed Ambien decreases the cleansing fluid by 30-40% at night.
• Study on sleep deprivation's effect on gene expression - Found that 711 genes have distorted activity due to lack of sleep, impacting cardiovascular disease, stress, inflammation, and the immune system.
• Study on dieting with and without sufficient sleep - Found that those who were sleep-deprived lost 70% of weight from lean muscle mass, not fat.

People Mentioned

• Matthew Walker - World-renowned sleep expert and neuroscience professor, author of "Why We Sleep."
• George Lucas - Mentioned in the context of revenue generation from franchises compared to sleep medications.
• Michael Grandner - Referenced for his work on athletes' sleep and his framework for using phones in the bedroom.
• Jennifer Doudna - Mentioned as the discoverer of CRISPR gene editing.

Organizations & Institutions

• UK Biobank - An incredible dataset used in research papers on sleep and health.
• University of Colorado - Institution where Kenneth Wright conducts research.
• Walter Reed Medical Army Institute - Where Thomas Balkin conducted research on sleep banking.
• University of Berkeley, California - Where the study on mental walks for sleep was conducted and where CRISPR was discovered.
• Veterans Administration - Where prazosin was used to treat veterans with PTSD.
• Puget Sound Psychiatrist - A psychiatrist who inadvertently discovered prazosin's effect on nightmares.

Websites & Online Resources

• Prometheus - A company that analyzes raw genetic data to identify genetic short sleepers.
• Calm - A meditation company that created "sleep stories" which became highly successful.
• doccircle.com - The website to join Steven Bartlett's inner circle community.

Other Resources

• Magnesium L-Threonate - A form of magnesium that shows some evidence for sleep benefits.
• Ashwagandha - A supplement that can help reduce the fight or flight response and cortisol release.
• Phosphatidyl Serine - A supplement that can help reduce the fight or flight response and cortisol release.
• Ambien - A sleep medication from the "web 2.0" era that sedates the cortex.
• Lunesta - A sleep medication from the "web 2.0" era.
• Sonata - A sleep medication from the "web 2.0" era.
• Suvorexant - A "dora" drug (web 3.0 sleep medication) that dials down wakefulness.
• Lemborexant - A "dora" drug (web 3.0 sleep medication) that dials down wakefulness.
• Daridorexant - A "dora" drug (web 3.0 sleep medication) that dials down wakefulness.
• CRISPR - A genetic editing manipulation tool.
• Dec2 gene - One of the identified genes linked to being a "genetic short sleeper."
• ADRB1 gene - Another identified gene linked to being a "genetic short sleeper."
• Orexin - A wake-promoting chemical in the brain.
• Prazosin - A blood pressure medication that was found to reduce repetitive nightmares in PTSD patients.
• Image Rehearsal Therapy (IRT) - A therapy that uses memory reconsolidation to treat nightmares.
• Clive Wearing - A man with profound amnesia, the subject of the movie "Memento," used as an example of appreciating loved ones.