2023-05-11
59 分钟We don't get enough sleep.
Like, little things feel like big things to us, and we're learning that those can have potentially a cost to our well being.
And when people are sleep deprived, they're less likely to get exercise, less likely to make kind of the right food choices.
And, you know, when they've looked in the brain doing, like, imaging studies, it seems like when people are sleep deprived, their brain is kind of, like, driven towards this, like, hedonic reward pathway, meaning that they have this tendency to crave and seek out things that are pleasurable, including high fat, high carbohydrate foods, which is also really consistent when people are stressed.
So, you know, kind of this, like, sleep deprived feeling stressed out, which seems to be circular, produces a lot of behaviors that ultimately might undermine our health.
But there will always be ups and downs, right?
Like, that's the nature of sleep and that's the nature of aging.
And it gets harder as we age, but it doesn't mean that it can't be better than it is right now.
So, question for you, what if you could literally transform your sleep in just seven days?
What if the key to unlocking your best rest lies within a simple yet powerful prescription tailored by one of the world's leading sleep experts?
And what if sleep didn't have to be something you struggle with and instead could become a powerful friend and ally?
Well, that is exactly where we're heading in today's conversation as we open our eyes to the wonders of sleep.
Yes, I said wonders of sleep.
Believe it or not, it can be wonderful and help you finally experience that restorative snooze time that we've all been craving a little more these days.
My guest today is Doctor Eric Prather, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California, San Francisco.
He co directs the UCSF Aging Metabolism and Emotion center, is the interim director for the UCSF center for Health and Community, and serves as a clinician at the UCSF Insomnia Clinic.
His research, it focuses on the causes and consequences of insufficient sleep, with a particular interest in how poor sleep impairs mental and physical health, including immunity and heart health.
And his work has been featured everywhere from the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal today show, NPR and beyond.
In his new book, the Sleep seven days to unlocking your best rest, Eric shares the powerful solutions that he uses to help patients at his clinic achieve healing and restorative sleep.
And in this conversation, will not only debunk some common sleep myths, but also reveal science backed secrets to optimizing your sleep.