Starlight Stroll - A Sleep Story Read by Matt Walker

Join Matt for a serene excursion across a valley lake under the cover of night. After finding a comfortable position and centering your breath, you will step onto the deck of a weathered ferry. Marcus...

31 Aug 35min

Debunking 11 sleep myths, Matt begins by explaining that the brain remains active, not "off," during rest. He goes on to argue that 7-9 hours of sleep is vital and warns that "adapting" to less is a d...

24 Aug 27min

Matt delves into how psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD quiet the "Default Mode Network" to boost neuroplasticity. He describes these molecules as a "crowbar" that allows therapy to break deep-seate...

17 Aug 32min

Matt explores the brain's secret plumbing, a waste-clearance network once ignored for over a century. He explains how the glymphatic system flushes metabolic toxins like amyloid-beta during sleep. Thi...

10 Aug 25min

Matt tracks sleep across the human lifespan, from newborn "active sleep" to the shifts of healthy aging. He explores how biological milestones - like puberty, pregnancy, and menopause - impact rest, r...

3 Aug 20min

Matt explains the science of deep sleep, emphasizing that this front-loaded stage is vital for physical and mental repair. To boost it, he recommends "builders" like consistent wake times, daily exerc...

27 Jul 32min

Matt explores how the brain constructs reality by examining neurological anomalies. He contrasts "super-recognizers" with those living with prosopagnosia, or face blindness. By analyzing the Capgras d...

20 Jul 28min

Matt examines the neurobiology of love, defining it as a reward system rather than just an emotion. He breaks love into three systems: lust (hormones), attraction (dopamine), and attachment (oxytocin)...

13 Jul 33min