Dr. Matt Walker: Using Sleep to Improve Learning, Creativity & Memory | Huberman Lab Guest Series

This is episode 4 of a 6-part special series on sleep with Dr. Matthew Walker, Ph.D., a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and author of the best-selling book "Why We Sleep." In this episode, we discuss the relationship between sleep, learning and creativity.

We explain why and how sleep before and after a learning bout can improve memory and performance for both cognitive tasks and physical skills. We also discuss how to use time learning and sleep, how to use naps, non-sleep deep rest states, and caffeine to optimize learning, and the mechanisms for sleep and memory consolidation.

We also explain the critical role that sleep plays in creativity and one's ability to discover novel solutions to challenges and problems.

This episode is filled with actionable information on using sleep to enhance skill learning and improve memory and creativity.

The next episode in this guest series explains how sleep benefits emotional regulation and mental health.

Timestamps
00:00:00 Sleep & Learning
00:00:59 Sponsors: Helix Sleep, Whoop & Waking Up
00:05:48 Learning, Memory & Sleep
00:09:32 Memory & Sleep, “All-Nighters”, Hippocampus
00:13:46 Naps & Learning Capacity
00:16:59 Early School Start Times, Performance & Accidents
00:26:38 Medical Residency & Sleep Deprivation
00:29:35 Sponsor: AG1
00:30:49 Tool: Sleep Before Learning; Cramming Effect
00:35:09 Tools: Caffeine; Timing Peak Learning; “Second Wind”
00:44:25 Memory Consolidation in Sleep
00:55:07 Sleepwalking & Talking; REM-Sleep Behavioral Disorder
01:00:16 REM Sleep Paralysis, Alcohol, Stress
01:07:41 Sponsor: InsideTracker
01:08:46 Skills, Motor Learning & Sleep
01:17:03 Tool: Timing Sleep & Learning, Skill Enhancement
01:20:00 Naps; Specificity & Memory Consolidation, Sleep Spindles
01:27:21 Sleep, Motor Learning & Athletes; Automaticity
01:34:10 Can Learning Improve Sleep?
01:39:13 Tool: Exercise to Improve Sleep; Performance, Injury & Motivation
01:44:38 Pillars of Health; Dieting & Sleep Deprivation
01:49:35 Performance & Poor Sleep, Belief Effects, “Orthosomnia”
01:57:03 “Overnight Alchemy”, Sleep & Novel Memory Linking
02:05:58 Sleep & Creativity
02:11:09 Tools: Waking & Technology; Naps; “Sleep on a Problem”
02:20:51 Creative Insight & Sleep
02:26:18 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter