Imagine if corporations could place adverts for their products inside your dreams. It may sound like far-fetched science fiction, but amazingly, science and technology has reached the point where this possibility may be around the corner. Earlier this year, the beer company Molson-Coors tried an experiment based on cutting edge research known as ‘targeted dream activation’. Amazingly participants reported dreaming more of Coors beer after consuming audio and video content specifically designed to ‘induce’ images of beer into the participant’s dreams. Concerned about the possibilities of drea ..read more

Despite our millennia-old fascination with dreams, their meaning, and their roles in our lives, it wasn’t up until the late 20th century that scientists really began to make big leaps into investigating the possible biological functions of dreams. But despite a now vibrant and eclectic body of research and evidence of scientific theories of dreaming, their relationship to memory, cognition and our emotional lives, up until now we’ve failed to come up with an overarching framework, a ‘big idea’ to describe the biological function of our dream lives. In a new book, When Brains Dream, two world ..read more

By Annie Curtis, Senior Lecturer, Medicine and Health Sciences, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences When microorganisms – such as bacteria or viruses – infect us, our immune system jumps into action. It’s highly trained to sense and eliminate infections and clear up any damage caused by them. It’s typically assumed our immune systems work the exact same way regardless of whether an infection occurs during the day or at night. But research spanning over half a century now shows our bodies actually respond differently at day and night. The reason for this is our body clock, and the f ..read more

The placement of the moon in the sky might not even cross your mind when it comes to improving your sleep hygiene, but the phases of the lunar cycle can have an effect on your sleep. Here is what the science says about how the moon affects sleep and how you can get quality sleep regardless of the moon’s phases. Does the moon affect sleep? The idea that the moon affects human behavior dates back centuries. The ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates, believed the moon could induce madness in some people and stories of werewolves — people who turn into wolves during a full moon — are a popular part ..read more

In the second part of our deep dive into sleep supplements we take a look at the overlapping subjects of nutrition, delivery methods, dosages, a run-down of the different categories of sleep supplements including plant-derived substances, vitamins, amino acids and more. Plus we look into the future towards the prospect of a new era of ‘nutritional sleep medicine.’ You can listen to Part 1 here: https://sleepjunkies.com/sleep-supplements-part-1/ This episode’s guest: Jesse Cook is a 4th year Clinical Psychology graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the active Sleep Resea ..read more

When we’re seeking solutions to health problems we generally look to doctors and scientists for the best advice. But what happens when the experts don’t actually have all the answers? This is often the case when we talk about sleep supplements. This rapidly growing market comprises a dizzying array of off-the-shelf products blending plant extracts, micronutrients, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, all of which purport to be able to help alleviate sleep problems in one way or the other. The problems stem from the fact that whilst there exists a modest body of scientific literature showing po ..read more

In today’s episode we discuss all things pregnancy and baby sleep with physician, host of the award-winning Savvy Psychologist and new mum Dr Jade Wu. This episode’s guest: Jade Wu, PhD, DBSM, is a Board-certified sleep psychologist and researcher at Duke University School of Medicine. She earned her PhD from Boston University and completed her clinical training at Duke. Her current research focuses on treating sleep disorders in those with chronic illness. In the clinic, her approach is grounded in both science and compassion. Website: https://www.jadewuphd.com/ Savvy Psychologist Podcast ..read more

Experts agree DST is harmful to our health, but companies profiting off its existence want to keep it around  Setting our clocks back an hour every spring has long-lasting effects beyond one night of less sleep. It may seem small, but losing an hour of sleep actually disrupts our internal biological clocks, causing overall worse sleep quality, which can lead to a number of health issues, including an increased risk of disease. For years advocates have lobbied the government to reverse course on daylight savings time (DST), but have been met with resistance from the retail and entertainmen ..read more

A special documentary to celebrate our 50th episode. Featuring multiple guests, archive material, original music and plenty of intrigue, follow the labyrinthine narrative of Daylight Saving Time, the new science of chronobiology, and the clandestine monied interests pushing to extend daylight hours into the evening. Guests in order of appearance Barry Mitzman – http://www.barrymitzman.com/ Kimberly Honn, PhD – https://medicine.wsu.edu/overview/faculty-and-staff/kimberly-honn-ph-d/ Jay Pea – https://savestandardtime.com/ Dr Michael Grandner – https://www.michaelgrandner.com/about.html Emily Ma ..read more

  Only a few years ago, the phrase consumer sleep technology was synonymous with sleep trackers, devices that monitor your nocturnal behaviours to give you insights into the mysteries of your non-waking hours. Fast forward to 2021, where we’re in the middle of an innovation explosion of all type of gadgets, wearables, apps, smart home technologies which not only track, but also actively attempt to promote better sleep. In today’s episode we talk to friend of the podcast, Dr Michael Grandner about this important distinction between sleep technology that measures, and tech that intervenes i ..read more