Sleep Is Not All or Nothing

In The Quanta Podcast, Samir Patel interviews Yasemin Saplakoglu about the science of sleep and wakefulness. They discuss the traditional view of sleep as an on-off phenomenon versus the modern understanding of it as a spectrum where parts of the brain can be awake while others are asleep. They delve into EEG readings of brainwaves, sleep stages (REM and non-REM), and the transitional states of falling asleep (hypnagogic) and waking up (hypnopompic). They explore how these transitional states can lead to hallucinations and enhanced creativity, as well as how disruptions in these transitions can contribute to sleep disorders like insomnia, sleepwalking, and sleep paralysis. The discussion touches on the potential for therapeutic interventions based on a better understanding of these sleep transitions and concludes with a book recommendation from Yasemin and a clip of Salvador Dali discussing his creative relationship with sleep.