Dr. Matthew Walker

Let's dig into that wired but tired stress thing. what is going on in the body from a sleep perspective, in the body and the brain, when you're in a high-stress lifestyle?

Yeah, there's probably at least two things going on in the body and at least one thing going up in the brain. The first in the body is the balance between the two branches of your nervous system. One is the fight or flight branch called the sympathetic nervous system. It's very poorly named. It's anything but sympathetic. It's very agitating and activating. And then there's the parasympathetic.

Yeah, there's probably at least two things going on in the body and at least one thing going up in the brain. The first in the body is the balance between the two branches of your nervous system. One is the fight or flight branch called the sympathetic nervous system. It's very poorly named. It's anything but sympathetic. It's very agitating and activating. And then there's the parasympathetic.

Yeah, there's probably at least two things going on in the body and at least one thing going up in the brain. The first in the body is the balance between the two branches of your nervous system. One is the fight or flight branch called the sympathetic nervous system. It's very poorly named. It's anything but sympathetic. It's very agitating and activating. And then there's the parasympathetic.

That's the kind of quiescent branch of your nervous system. If you're a good healthy sleeper and you don't have too much stress in your life, you naturally switch over to that restful quiescent branch of the nervous system. And that is the royal kind of pathway to good sleep.

That's the kind of quiescent branch of your nervous system. If you're a good healthy sleeper and you don't have too much stress in your life, you naturally switch over to that restful quiescent branch of the nervous system. And that is the royal kind of pathway to good sleep.

That's the kind of quiescent branch of your nervous system. If you're a good healthy sleeper and you don't have too much stress in your life, you naturally switch over to that restful quiescent branch of the nervous system. And that is the royal kind of pathway to good sleep.

And the alacrity of sleep, the speed with which sleep arrives to you when you disengage from the fight or flight branch is really speedy and rather beautiful. If you are so wired though, however, the sympathetic, the fight or flight branch is activated. Your heart rate is jacked. Your blood pressure is too high.

And the alacrity of sleep, the speed with which sleep arrives to you when you disengage from the fight or flight branch is really speedy and rather beautiful. If you are so wired though, however, the sympathetic, the fight or flight branch is activated. Your heart rate is jacked. Your blood pressure is too high.

And the alacrity of sleep, the speed with which sleep arrives to you when you disengage from the fight or flight branch is really speedy and rather beautiful. If you are so wired though, however, the sympathetic, the fight or flight branch is activated. Your heart rate is jacked. Your blood pressure is too high.

Your temperature, because of that activated state, your core body temperature is also too high. If you are too hot, your heart is racing and your blood pressure is high. It's very difficult for you to fall asleep.

Your temperature, because of that activated state, your core body temperature is also too high. If you are too hot, your heart is racing and your blood pressure is high. It's very difficult for you to fall asleep.

Your temperature, because of that activated state, your core body temperature is also too high. If you are too hot, your heart is racing and your blood pressure is high. It's very difficult for you to fall asleep.

At the top of that, a second system in the body, which is what we call the HPA axis, or it's essentially the stress axis, which descends down from a brain stem area, the hypothalamus, down to the pituitary, releases adrenaline. All of a sudden, you are cortisol flooded.

At the top of that, a second system in the body, which is what we call the HPA axis, or it's essentially the stress axis, which descends down from a brain stem area, the hypothalamus, down to the pituitary, releases adrenaline. All of a sudden, you are cortisol flooded.

At the top of that, a second system in the body, which is what we call the HPA axis, or it's essentially the stress axis, which descends down from a brain stem area, the hypothalamus, down to the pituitary, releases adrenaline. All of a sudden, you are cortisol flooded.

And I think everyone has had that sense where, whether it's, let's say you've been on stage, you've been on tour, you come off stage and you are wired. Now, this is not you're anxious, but you're still wired. Cortisol is streaming. Your heart rate is jacked. And you can say, I was up at seven this morning. And it's now two o'clock because all is said and done. I am still unable to fall asleep.

And I think everyone has had that sense where, whether it's, let's say you've been on stage, you've been on tour, you come off stage and you are wired. Now, this is not you're anxious, but you're still wired. Cortisol is streaming. Your heart rate is jacked. And you can say, I was up at seven this morning. And it's now two o'clock because all is said and done. I am still unable to fall asleep.

And I think everyone has had that sense where, whether it's, let's say you've been on stage, you've been on tour, you come off stage and you are wired. Now, this is not you're anxious, but you're still wired. Cortisol is streaming. Your heart rate is jacked. And you can say, I was up at seven this morning. And it's now two o'clock because all is said and done. I am still unable to fall asleep.

I'm so tired, but I am way too cortisol, you know, sort of concentrated. Yeah, exactly. So those two things in the body are what we will... presumably, I think most people will cleave to as the ingredients to the type-wide phenomena. I also think upstairs, and they are interrelated, upstairs in the brain, you start to get this Rolodex of anxiety.