Sara Mednick is a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of California, Irvine, and the author of the book The Power of the Downstate. This episode is part of our month-long "Mental Health Reboot" series to mark Mental Health Awareness Month.

This episode is from our archives.

In this episode we talk about:

The nuances of napping
Dr. Mednick's definition of the "downstate"
Whether there are practices that can compensate for poor sleep
Why heart rate variability is an important measurement of health
Why sex is so helpful for sleep
And when to take melatonin to best effect

Join Dan and Emmy Award-winning journalist Allison Gilbert at 92NY on May 17th for a live conversation about how mindfulness can deepen connection and combat loneliness, available in person and via streaming. Register here.

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This episode is sponsored by:

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The Science of Sleep: Why You're up at 3AM — And Why Worrying About It Makes It Worse | Sara Mednick

10% Happier with Dan Harris

The Science of Sleep: Why You're up at 3AM — And Why Worrying About It Makes It Worse | Sara Mednick