Dr. Matt Walker: The Science of Dreams, Nightmares & Lucid Dreaming | Huberman Lab Guest Series

This is episode 6 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 a leading public educator on sleep for mental and physical health, learning and human performance. In this episode, we discuss dreaming, including the biological mechanism of dreams, what dreams mean and their role in daytime life.

We explore how dreams can enhance our creativity and emotional well-being and help us resolve various challenges and dilemmas. We discuss how to remember and interpret your dreams and the abstractions/symbols frequently present in dreams.

We also discuss nightmares and therapies to treat reoccurring nightmares. We explain what lucid dreaming is and if there are benefits or drawbacks to this type of dreaming.

Dr. Walker also answers frequently asked audience questions and discusses snoring, body position, sleep supplements, sleep challenges due to aging, menopause, stopping racing thoughts, and how to fall back asleep if you wake in the middle of the night.

Thank you to our sponsors

Social & Website

Dr. Matt Walker

Timestamps
00:00:00 Dreaming
00:01:13 Sponsors: BetterHelp, LMNT & Helix Sleep
00:05:06 Dreams & REM Sleep
00:12:20 Evolution of REM Sleep, Humans
00:17:13 REM Sleep & PGO Waves; Dreams & Brain Activity
00:24:26 Dreams, Images & Brain Activity; Sleepwalking & Sleep Talking
00:30:51 Sponsor: AG1
00:32:04 Dream Benefits, Creativity & Emotional Regulation; Challenge Resolution
00:41:27 Daily Experience vs. Dreaming, Emotions
00:45:08 Dream Interpretation & Freud, Dream Relevance
00:52:59 Abstractions, Symbols, Experience & Dreams; “Fuzzy Logic”
01:00:28 Sponsor: Whoop
01:01:36 Nightmares; Recurring Nightmares & Therapy
01:11:08 Targeted Memory Reactivation, Sounds & Nightmares
01:15:38 Odor, Paired Associations, Learning & Sleep
01:18:53 Fear Extinction, Memory & Sleep; Tool: Remembering Dreams
01:25:38 Lucid Dreaming, REM Sleep, Paralysis
01:32:33 Lucid Dreaming: Benefits? Unrestorative Sleep?
01:44:07 Improve Lucid Dreaming
01:49:30 Tool: Negative Rumination & Falling Asleep
01:53:41 Tools: Body Position, Snoring & Sleep Apnea; Mid-Night Waking & Alarm Clock
01:58:43 Sleep Banking?; Tool: Falling Back Asleep, Rest
02:05:53 Tool: Older Adults & Early Waking; Sleep Medications
02:11:25 Tool: Menopause & Sleep Disruption, Hot Flashes
02:15:06 Remembering Dreams & Impacts Sleep Quality?
02:18:32 Tool: Sleep Supplements
02:26:48 Tool: Most Important Tip for Sleep
02:30:56 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

#HubermanLab #Science #Sleep

[JenniferMyers]

You two are the dream team of neuroscience. Thank you both for your unending effort, time, and dedication to providing public education!!!

[kenclark]

I have been lucid dreaming for almost 30 Years now and let me tell you after doing it many many times I have come to the conclusion that I have conditioned my brain that I cannot stop them now. And now I have been having out of body experience that are pretty amazing. Also my dreams feel more real then some of my waking moments as far of touch, taste and smells. I can go back into the same dream even after waking up. What a great podcast

[harlemisthatyou]

This has to be one of the best guest series so far. Dr. Matt Walker is a legend 👏🏼

[StephaneCarapelle]

I'm on my way to a PhD about lucid dreaming in medicine faculty and I've dreamt about this episode for so long ! Thanks a lot for all your podcasts.

[mohammedmisbhauddin]

make an episode on dissociation, depersonalization and derealization

[ResilientDays]

Thanks Dr. Huberman and Dr. Walker for this amazing 6-part series on sleep! 👍
My quick summary: Good sleep is essential for optimal health and performance 😴💪
To achieve good sleep, strive for QQRT: Quantity + Quality + Regularity + Timing. ⏰
How to get QQRT? 🤔
1. Determine your chronotype (morning, evening, intermediate) 🌞🌙
2. Schedule a 7-9 hour time window for sleep that matches your chronotype ⏲
3. Keep the start of that window (your bedtime) the same every day, including weekends 📆
4. Set an alarm 30-60 minutes before your bedtime. Turn down the lights, stop engaging in activities that elevate alertness or stress. Instead, do things that relax you. Such as reading, meditating, yoga, journaling, physiological sighs, etc. Whatever works for you 💡🛌
5. Take a hot shower or bath 🚿
6. Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet ❄🌑🤫
7. Once in bed, don’t try to force sleep. Let it come to you 😴
8. If you can’t sleep after 20-25 minutes and feel anxious, or if you awaken at night and can't get back to sleep, get up and repeat step 4 until you feel relaxed and sleepy again. Then repeat step 7 🔄
9. If possible with your daily obligations, awaken naturally, without an alarm 🌅
10. Get outside as soon as possible and get natural sunlight in your eyes ☀
11. Exercise 🏃‍♂
12. Drink coffee, but stop ingesting caffeine around noon ☕
13. When really needed, take a nap of max 20 minutes. The earlier in the day the better, to avoid disrupting your sleep pressure at night 💤
14. Ideally, in the evening, get outside again, for the sunset 🌇
15. Repeat 😊🔄

Want a more complete action list + summary of all six episodes together? I'm creating it as we speak after almost 20 people from all over the world expressed interest! Want to get it too? Simply CLICK ON MY YOUTUBE PROFILE; THE LINK TO SIGN UP IS IN MY BIO 🚀Bye, Yana

[melancholyhikikomori]

I just had a really vivid dream, very connected to my real life. And it made me extremely curious about dreams. I go on YouTube and I see this. .Amazing.

[darcireyes]

So sad this series is over 😢 we love you Dr Walker! You two together is truly the perfect gift

[shadw]

Lucid dreaming is the most useful yet underrated skill you can learn.

Why do I say this?

Benefits include solving problems, getting rid of fears and anxieties, more creativity, euphoria and even building other skills.

Plus it's the most fun you'll ever have. It often feels just like real life as well, you can even live out some of your craziest fantasies like being in your favorite movies or shows.

Though it can take a while to practice and there is a LOT of misinformation about it literally everywhere.

A good channel here on YouTube dedicated to lucid dreaming is lucid dream portal, accurate concise information and even debunking of common myths.

Another good channel that doesn't really upload anymore is giz edwards.

I truly think everyone should learn how to lucid dream

[magalipagan]

I lucid dream several times a month and I wake up energized every time. I feel like I just had the greatest adventure and look forward to the next one. I feel like I just got off of an exciting rollercoaster ride.

[neetasajwani]

I can listen to the both of them for the rest of my life
I am so grateful that I am born in this era where legends like them provide so much for information for free of cost that genuinely helps to transform our lives in the best possible way.
Pure gold

[khaapula]

The bromance is moving! May this type of male influence males in our world...thank you!!!

[cinuk]

My favourite lucid dream is when I dream that I’m reading or writing. I keep observing all the words I write or read and wondering where they are coming from. I have written books, letters, read newspaper and books in my dreams. I always try to memorise the words or the context, so I can remember them when I wake up, but I never do. Recently I dreamed I was super late for work. I got on the tube, then I realised I was on the wrong direction. I looked at my watch and it was 8pm. Then I realised I was dreaming and I said to myself in the dream: this is a dream, this is a dream, wake up, wake up - and I woke up. It was a relief I was in bed and I didn’t need to wake up for work. I also used to have a lot of nightmares and sleep paralysis, but I never had them again since I became an atheist. Religion beliefs give you fear, hence the nightmares (in my case)

[klakola]

Matt Walker and Andrew Huberman! Absolute dream team not only as literally the content is about dreams but also in the poetic and passionate articulation of such interesting and critically important science. I really appreciated this series.
Thank you both. 😴🌞🌿🌱

[ali_sxhrader]

For me I actually feel 10x more refreshed when I have amazing lucid dreams, I'm always so amazed by the places I go and the things I see that it just fuels me for the next day

[lmirast]

I'm addicted to this combination, please bring him back <3

[cheezyherbivore]

I've been able to lucid dream for about 25 years now. When I first discovered I could do it, it felt like I had a superpower! I read everything I could about the subject! I have never been so fascinated by something before or since! Thank you for this episode! Now I hope to have a lucid dream tonight! ❤

[soulshine]

As always thank you Dr Huberman! Your knowledge science and wisdom are a gift to so many. What a great series and guest! After taking the “dream herb” trying to dream more and especially remember them and keeping a dream journal as well as grief journal after my husband’s horrible death thinking it might help or give me answers. But i decided there were few dreams that were ever helpful at all. Most left me at least analyzing and thinking more which i overdo anyway and most were simply very unsettling or disturbing. I decided my life is unsettling enough while awake and believe if there’s something to be worked out in my dreams it will be accomplished whether i remember them or not. So i take effort NOT to remember them after awaking. I hope stuff is getting worked out.

[SalitosInside]

What a wonderful human Matt Walker is, can't be grateful enough to him for popularizing sleep science!

[parveenspath]

I keep a dream journal and the connection I made to my life and dreams is that they will carry the same theme. So if in my life I’m feeling shame, sadness, stress…my dream will tell a story carrying that theme. Thank you for this series! Fascinating material and lots of personal questions answered. 🙏🏽