Dr. Matt Walker: Improve Sleep to Boost Mood & Emotional Regulation | Huberman Lab Guest Series

This is episode 5 of our 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 the host of The Matt Walker Podcast. In this episode, we explain the connection between sleep and mood, emotional regulation and mental well-being. We explain the role of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in processing emotions and emotional memories and why sleep deprivation causes agitation, impulsivity and emotional reactivity. We also discuss why sleep disruption is a hallmark feature of PTSD, anxiety, depression, suicidality, and other psychiatric conditions. We explain protocols for improving REM sleep and other sleep phases in order to harness the therapeutic power of quality sleep to feel calmer and emotionally restored. This episode describes various actionable tools to improve sleep for those struggling with mental health or mood and those wanting to bolster their overall state and well-being. The next episode in this special series explores dreams, including lucid dreaming, nightmares and dream interpretation. Access show notes, including referenced articles and additional resources: https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/guest-series-dr-matt-walker-improve-sleep-to-boost-mood-emotional-regulation Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/huberman InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/huberman Momentous: https://livemomentous.com/huberman Huberman Lab Social & Website Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hubermanlab Threads: https://www.threads.net/@hubermanlab Twitter: https://twitter.com/hubermanlab Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hubermanlab TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hubermanlab LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-huberman Website: https://www.hubermanlab.com Newsletter: https://www.hubermanlab.com/newsletter Dr. Matt Walker Website: https://www.sleepdiplomat.com Podcast: https://www.sleepdiplomat.com/podcast "Why We Sleep": https://amzn.to/4a9Tyyl Academic profile: https://bit.ly/3UK2Ags X: https://twitter.com/sleepdiplomat Instagram: https://instagram.com/drmattwalker LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sleepdiplomat MasterClass: https://bit.ly/3U4iEYI Timestamps 00:00:00 Sleep & Mental Health 00:01:09 Sponsors: Eight Sleep, LMNT & BetterHelp 00:05:14 Emotions & Sleep, Amygdala 00:17:27 Emotional Memory & Sleep 00:25:48 “Overnight Therapy” & REM Sleep, Noradrenaline 00:29:13 Sponsor: AG1 00:30:27 Sleep to “Remember & Forget”, Trauma; REM Sleep 00:38:27 Hinge Analogy; Motivation, Impulsivity & Addiction 00:47:08 Tool: Improve REM Sleep, Social Jet Lag, Alcohol & THC, Addiction 00:56:18 Sponsor: InsideTracker 00:57:23 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) & REM Sleep 01:06:53 Noradrenaline & REM Sleep, PTSD & Prazosin 01:09:40 Addiction, Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR); Liminal States 01:16:46 Anxiety & Sleep, Mood vs. Emotions 01:23:50 Deep Non-REM Sleep & Anxiety, Sleep Quality 01:28:51 Tool: Improve Deep Non-REM Sleep, Temperature; Alcohol 01:34:56 Suicidality & Sleep, Pattern Recognition; Nightmares 01:46:21 Depression, Anxiety & Time Context 01:51:24 Depression, Too Much Sleep?; REM Changes & Antidepressants 01:57:37 Sleep Deprivation & Depression 02:01:34 Tool: Circadian Misalignment & Mental Health, Chronotype 02:04:05 Tools: Daytime Light & Nighttime Darkness; “Junk Light” 02:13:04 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter #HubermanLab #Health #Sleep Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - https://www.blabacphoto.com Disclaimer: https://www.hubermanlab.com/disclaimer