Episode
Dr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State
2:05:40
Published: Mon Feb 13 2023
Description
My guest this episode is Gina Poe, PhD, a professor in the department of integrative biology & physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). We discuss her research exploring how sleep impacts learning, memory, hormones and emotions. She discusses tools to enhance your quality of sleep, increase deep sleep, rapid eye movement sleep and growth hormone release-- a key hormone for health, immune function and vitality. Dr. Poe explains how a specific brain area, the locus coeruleus, facilitates the processing of emotions, helps relieve traumas and how to maximize locus coeruleus function. She also explains sleep’s vital role in opiate addiction recovery and how anyone can determine their optimal sleep timing and duration. This episode is rich with basic science information and zero-cost tools to enhance quality and effectiveness of sleep for sake of mental health, physical health and performance. For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Helix Sleep: https://helixsleep.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman InsideTracker: https://www.insidetracker.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Dr. Gina Poe (00:02:52) LMNT, Helix Sleep, Eight Sleep, Momentous (00:06:58) Sleep Phases, Perfect Night’s Sleep (00:10:32) Can You Oversleep? (00:14:50) Sleep Cycles, Sleep Spindles, “Falling” Asleep, Dreams & Memories (00:19:01) Tool: Growth Hormone Release & Sleep (00:22:05) Adolescence; Early Sleep, Alcohol & Sleep Spindles (00:24:55) Middle Sleep States & REM, Schema, Waking at Night (00:30:33) Deep Sleep, Dreams & Senses (00:33:22) AG1 (Athletic Greens) (00:34:37) Later Sleep, Paralysis, Sleepwalking, Sleep Talking (00:36:47) Alarm Clock & Grogginess; Sleep Trackers, Brain & Sleep (00:43:19) Early Slow Wave Sleep & “Washout”, Normal Sleep Cycle & Night Owls (00:54:30) Locus Coeruleus, Learning & REM Sleep (01:01:46) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Locus Coeruleus & Sleep (01:06:13) InsideTracker (01:07:31) Locus Coeruleus, Trauma & Sleep, Antidepressants, Norepinephrine (01:12:29) Locus Coeruleus, Bedtime & Novelty, Estrogen & Trauma (01:16:22)Sex Differences & Sleep (01:19:12) Tool: Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR), Insomnia, Meditation, Prayer (01:27:42) Sleep Spindles, Learning & Creativity, P Waves & Dreaming (01:34:51) Lucid Dreams, Reoccurring Dreams, Trauma (01:44:11) Trauma Recovery, Locus Coeruleus & Norepinephrine, REM Sleep (01:52:15) Opiates, Addiction, Relapse & Sleep (02:02:45) Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Neural Network Newsletter, Social Media Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer
Chapters
Dr. Poe emphasizes that consistent sleep timing, not just the duration and depth of sleep, plays a role in experiencing the health-promoting benefits of sleep including hormones, and brain circuits that regulate sleep have a significant impact on learning and memory.
00:00 - 02:30 (02:30)
Summary
Dr. Poe emphasizes that consistent sleep timing, not just the duration and depth of sleep, plays a role in experiencing the health-promoting benefits of sleep including hormones, and brain circuits that regulate sleep have a significant impact on learning and memory.
EpisodeDr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State
PodcastHuberman Lab
Learn about customized mattresses and optimal sleep temperature for better rest with Helix and 8 Sleep.
02:30 - 07:29 (04:58)
Summary
Learn about customized mattresses and optimal sleep temperature for better rest with Helix and 8 Sleep.
EpisodeDr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State
PodcastHuberman Lab
Learn about why oversleeping or sleep deprivation may be indicative of other medical conditions affecting your sleep efficiency, and how consistent sleep patterns affect your cognitive abilities long term.
07:29 - 13:41 (06:12)
Summary
Learn about why oversleeping or sleep deprivation may be indicative of other medical conditions affecting your sleep efficiency, and how consistent sleep patterns affect your cognitive abilities long term.
EpisodeDr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State
PodcastHuberman Lab
During the first phase of sleep, particularly within the first 90 minutes, the body experiences a significant release of growth hormone.
13:41 - 21:49 (08:07)
Summary
During the first phase of sleep, particularly within the first 90 minutes, the body experiences a significant release of growth hormone. Encountering new information or experiences during the day can cause these experiences to be incorporated in early sleep dreams.
EpisodeDr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State
PodcastHuberman Lab
Discover how the things we do prior to going to bed impact the quality of our sleep.
21:49 - 27:12 (05:23)
Summary
Discover how the things we do prior to going to bed impact the quality of our sleep. Learn about the effects of caffeine and alcohol on the first stage of sleep and the suppression of REM sleep.
EpisodeDr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State
PodcastHuberman Lab
This podcast delves into the mystery of sleep and explores the differences between REM sleep and slow wave sleep, as well as the effects of sleep deprivation.
27:12 - 33:39 (06:26)
Summary
This podcast delves into the mystery of sleep and explores the differences between REM sleep and slow wave sleep, as well as the effects of sleep deprivation.
EpisodeDr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State
PodcastHuberman Lab
The first stage of sleep is around 105-110 minutes and is the reason why people can experience grogginess when they wake up from deep, slow-wave sleep.
33:39 - 39:22 (05:42)
Summary
The first stage of sleep is around 105-110 minutes and is the reason why people can experience grogginess when they wake up from deep, slow-wave sleep. Sleepwalking is a mixture between sleep and wakefulness while talking in sleep is common and occurs during the lighter stages of sleep.
EpisodeDr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State
PodcastHuberman Lab
People who believe they had poor quality sleep, despite getting a good night's sleep according to a sleep lab, may be monitoring subcortical structures outside the lab's reach.
39:22 - 48:10 (08:48)
Summary
People who believe they had poor quality sleep, despite getting a good night's sleep according to a sleep lab, may be monitoring subcortical structures outside the lab's reach. Trusting your own physiology is important because people with insomnia have been historically dismissed by sleep labs.
EpisodeDr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State
PodcastHuberman Lab
The timing of our sleep can affect the type and quality of sleep we get, with studies suggesting that waking up near sunrise and going to bed within hours of sunset can be beneficial for overall health.
48:10 - 52:25 (04:14)
Summary
The timing of our sleep can affect the type and quality of sleep we get, with studies suggesting that waking up near sunrise and going to bed within hours of sunset can be beneficial for overall health.
EpisodeDr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State
PodcastHuberman Lab
This episode dives into the locus coeruleus, a structure in the brain responsible for producing norepinephrine which helps with switching attention, and how it affects our sleep and wakefulness.
52:25 - 57:03 (04:38)
Summary
This episode dives into the locus coeruleus, a structure in the brain responsible for producing norepinephrine which helps with switching attention, and how it affects our sleep and wakefulness.
EpisodeDr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State
PodcastHuberman Lab
This episode explores the relationship between PTSD and sleep, specifically the role of the locus surrealis in calming down after traumatic memories and the importance of erasing these memories during REM sleep to make way for new information to be processed.
57:03 - 1:07:38 (10:35)
Summary
This episode explores the relationship between PTSD and sleep, specifically the role of the locus surrealis in calming down after traumatic memories and the importance of erasing these memories during REM sleep to make way for new information to be processed. People with PTSD have shown to have the locus surrealis continually firing during REM sleep, which contributes to the difficulty in managing the disorder.
EpisodeDr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State
PodcastHuberman Lab
Dr. Peter Attia speaks with Dr. Andrew Huberman about how hyperactivity in locus coeruleus during sleep can impact treatment of trauma and why antidepressants may not be effective for everyone.
1:07:38 - 1:18:55 (11:16)
Summary
Dr. Peter Attia speaks with Dr. Andrew Huberman about how hyperactivity in locus coeruleus during sleep can impact treatment of trauma and why antidepressants may not be effective for everyone.
EpisodeDr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State
PodcastHuberman Lab
This episode delves into the relationship between sleep and meditation, exploring whether meditation can replace certain functions of sleep such as theta activity, and discussing the benefits of practices like yoga nidra to promote relaxation.
1:18:55 - 1:28:09 (09:14)
Summary
This episode delves into the relationship between sleep and meditation, exploring whether meditation can replace certain functions of sleep such as theta activity, and discussing the benefits of practices like yoga nidra to promote relaxation.
EpisodeDr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State
PodcastHuberman Lab
Sleep spindle density, the number of sleep spindles produced per minute, is correlated with intelligence and consolidating information learned during the day.
1:28:09 - 1:35:31 (07:21)
Summary
Sleep spindle density, the number of sleep spindles produced per minute, is correlated with intelligence and consolidating information learned during the day. People with schizophrenia may not be able to incorporate new information as well due to lower sleep spindle density, and P-waves were thought to be random until recent discoveries.
EpisodeDr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State
PodcastHuberman Lab
Lucid dreaming could potentially help individuals with PTSD by allowing them to recognize and alter repeated nightmares, potentially leading to a pathway of recovery.
1:35:31 - 1:41:22 (05:51)
Summary
Lucid dreaming could potentially help individuals with PTSD by allowing them to recognize and alter repeated nightmares, potentially leading to a pathway of recovery. It would be interesting to study how lucid dreaming affects brain activity in those who experience PTSD nightmares.
EpisodeDr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State
PodcastHuberman Lab
The absence of norepinephrine during REM sleep allows for the divorce of highly activated emotions from cognitive memory, leading to adaptive and non-emotional recollection of traumatic memories.
1:41:22 - 1:50:57 (09:35)
Summary
The absence of norepinephrine during REM sleep allows for the divorce of highly activated emotions from cognitive memory, leading to adaptive and non-emotional recollection of traumatic memories.
EpisodeDr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State
PodcastHuberman Lab
Opiates compromise the structures and functions necessary for learning new behaviors and disturbance in sleep architecture by too much locus coerulus activity.
1:50:57 - 2:00:28 (09:30)
Summary
Opiates compromise the structures and functions necessary for learning new behaviors and disturbance in sleep architecture by too much locus coerulus activity. Restoration of endogenous receptors is needed while coming off of exogenous opiates to stabilize the systems.
EpisodeDr. Gina Poe: Use Sleep to Enhance Learning, Memory & Emotional State
PodcastHuberman Lab
The Huberman Lab offers a newsletter with summaries of podcast episodes and toolkits for mental health, physical health, and performance.
2:00:28 - 2:05:46 (05:17)
Summary
The Huberman Lab offers a newsletter with summaries of podcast episodes and toolkits for mental health, physical health, and performance. The podcast discussed topics in neuroscience, such as sleep and its relationship to mental health, physical health, and performance, and sometimes features discussions on supplement use.