Matt explores the brain's secret plumbing, a waste-clearance network once ignored for over a century. He explains how the glymphatic system flushes metabolic toxins like amyloid-beta during sleep. This "night shift" allows fluid to cleanse neurons, offering a key defense against cognitive decline. He also examines the latest debates, including norepinephri ... Show More
Aug 3
#146 - How Sleep Changes Across the Human Lifespan
Matt tracks sleep across the human lifespan, from newborn "active sleep" to the shifts of healthy aging. He explores how biological milestones - like puberty, pregnancy, and menopause - impact rest, reframing disruptions as responses to life pressures rather than personal failing ... Show More
20m 38s
Jul 27
#145 - How to get More Deep Sleep
Matt explains the science of deep sleep, emphasizing that this front-loaded stage is vital for physical and mental repair. To boost it, he recommends "builders" like consistent wake times, daily exercise, and pre-bed warming to trigger core cooling. These habits help align the bo ... Show More
32m 31s
Jul 20
#144 - Face Blindness Explained
Matt explores how the brain constructs reality by examining neurological anomalies. He contrasts "super-recognizers" with those living with prosopagnosia, or face blindness. By analyzing the Capgras delusion, where loved ones are recognized but perceived as imposters, Matt illust ... Show More
28m 27s
Jun 2025
Essentials: The Science & Practice of Perfecting Your Sleep
In this Huberman Lab Essentials episode my guest is Dr. Matt Walker, PhD, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley and host of The Matt Walker Podcast, which focuses on the science and impact of sleep. We explore the importance of sleep a ... Show More
41m 2s
Apr 2024
GUEST SERIES | Dr. Matt Walker: The Biology of Sleep & Your Unique Sleep Needs
In this episode 1 of a 6-part special series on sleep with Dr. Matthew Walker, Ph.D., professor of neuroscience and psychology and founder of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of the book “Why We Sleep” discusses the esse ... Show More
2h 59m
Aug 2021
The Science & Practice of Perfecting Your Sleep | Dr. Matt Walker
In this episode, my guest is Dr. Matt Walker, Ph.D., Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology and the Founder & Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also the author of the international best-selling book Why We Sleep and ... Show More
3h 3m
Feb 2025
What Your Sleep Is Trying To Tell You: How To Fix Your Sleep Problems, Reset Your Brain & The Difference Between Fatigue and Tiredness with Guy Leschziner #528
Did you know that up to 40% of adults in Western countries struggle to get enough sleep?
While some societies have historically never even had a word for insomnia, our modern world has created an epidemic of sleep problems, which affect not only our creativity, empathy, appetite ... Show More
1h 46m
Apr 2019
#48 – Matthew Walker, Ph.D., on sleep – Part II of III: Heart disease, cancer, sexual function, and the causes of sleep disruption (and tips to correct it)
<p>In part 2 of this 3 part series, Matthew Walker, professor of neuroscience at UC Berkeley and expert on sleep, describes the preponderance of evidence linking poor sleep to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and sexual function. He also details the impact of cortisol on our nervo ... Show More
2h 4m
