6.7 The Hidden Architecture of Sleep

Why is getting a good night’s sleep so difficult? What actually happens in our brains while we sleep, and is deep sleep really the most important kind of sleep? In this episode of The Science Basement podcast, we sit down with Dr. Hanna Antila, an Academy Research Fellow at the Neuroscience Center at the University of Helsinki, to explore the science of sleep.

Join us to learn about the different stages of sleep, including REM and non-REM sleep, how sleep influences brain plasticity, and why getting consistently good sleep can be so challenging. We also discuss what disrupts our sleep, why developing the “perfect” sleeping pill is so difficult, how melatonin works, and what sleep-tracking devices actually tell us about our sleep.

Dr. Hanna Antila leads a research group studying the neuroscience of sleep, with a particular interest in how different sleep states influence brain function and plasticity.

Guest: Hanna Antila

Hosts: Aarti Venkatesan and Ernesta Nesta

Sound editing: Ernesta Nesta

Episode cover: Lasya Yellepeddi

TSB podcast logo by Tomás Garnier Artínano.

Jingle by Havelocke: www.thisishavelocke.bandcamp.com

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