1 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. 3 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:16,480 Speaker 1: My name is Robert Lamb. I'm Julie Douglas. So Julie, 4 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 1: how how you been sleeping lately? Have you've been inducted 5 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 1: by aliens? Has your head exploded anything like that? Reason? No, 6 00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:26,120 Speaker 1: I haven't had any weird sleep disorders that makes me 7 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 1: feel like I'm being probed or anything ricocheting around my head, thankfully. 8 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:33,960 Speaker 1: But if we've discussed in the past, you had a 9 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:38,040 Speaker 1: little uh bit of the exploding head syndrome. I did, yeah, yeah, 10 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: which was terrifying because it sounded like a door just 11 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:43,559 Speaker 1: shutting in my head really loud, and I thought for 12 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 1: sure someone had entered the house and it was about 13 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:47,879 Speaker 1: to hack meat a bits. But no, yeah, because I mean, 14 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:50,600 Speaker 1: one of the key things about dreams is that to 15 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 1: the dream or the dream is generally real, our mind 16 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:56,880 Speaker 1: completely buys its reality, and so it's a really telling 17 00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 1: thing on on a larger level about how our brains 18 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: can believe anything, and it can be a you know, 19 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: and you can argue that well of our brains can 20 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:07,320 Speaker 1: believe this is a dream. Then what's to say that 21 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:09,800 Speaker 1: everything going on right now is not a dream. Well, 22 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 1: and dreams in the in the brain are is still 23 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 1: one of those areas of research that's pretty untapped. And 24 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:20,319 Speaker 1: and just now are people really starting to understand what's 25 00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:22,920 Speaker 1: going on with our brains when we're sleeping and why 26 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 1: we do the things we do and think the things 27 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: we think are happening to us and a general like 28 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:31,520 Speaker 1: generally for my part, I have pretty normal sleep. So 29 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:33,680 Speaker 1: I tend to have nights where I have like a 30 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 1: good night's sleep or a bad night's sleep, or I 31 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:42,399 Speaker 1: have um no dreams, stupid dreams, really cool dreams, or 32 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:45,240 Speaker 1: sometimes like stress dreams or nightmares. But that's pretty much it. 33 00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 1: But there is we're going to discuss in this podcast. 34 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 1: There's a whole world of extreme sleep out there, of 35 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 1: crazy and sometimes very tragic um sleep disorders that can 36 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 1: occur and plague people for years. Yeah. Yeah, And the 37 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:03,920 Speaker 1: sleep paralysis, which we have mentioned in the alien abductions. 38 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 1: That is pretty much the sleep paralysis. This feeling that 39 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:10,519 Speaker 1: that you know you're being tied down in your muscles, 40 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: are are you're not working basically, but you're awake. That 41 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 1: sort of brief moment that's really responsible for a lot 42 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:21,080 Speaker 1: of people trying to square what's happening to them and 43 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: coming out on the other end thinking they've been abducted 44 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 1: by aliens, by the way, because their muscles are still 45 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 1: locked down. Like the basis here is when you when 46 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:31,640 Speaker 1: you're sleeping, UH, we're having uh. You know, our bodies 47 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: arresting for the most part, and we need a we're 48 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: we have all this mental activity that's still going on, 49 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:41,240 Speaker 1: so we the brain shuts down the rest of the 50 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:44,640 Speaker 1: body so that if in your dream you are karate 51 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 1: chop and zombies, you won't actually be throwing karate chops. 52 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:51,360 Speaker 1: And then when you wake up, they the idea is 53 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 1: to release these constraints, unlock everything, and let you carry on. 54 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:58,400 Speaker 1: But in sleep paralysis, somebody forgot to undo under the locks. 55 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 1: You know what you're a but I'm awake. I should 56 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,080 Speaker 1: be able to control my muscles now, but I'm not. 57 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:08,000 Speaker 1: So it's very confusing. And then with other para so omnias, 58 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: you have the the opposite going on, where you know 59 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 1: the safety should be on and you're sleeping, and yet 60 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: your local motor part of your brain is directing you 61 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 1: in all sorts of places and you're you're running a 62 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,839 Speaker 1: muck in the neighborhood. I think yesterday I was trying 63 00:03:23,880 --> 00:03:27,600 Speaker 1: to do like an elaborate Jurassic Park electric tarance dinosaurs 64 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:30,080 Speaker 1: kind of analogy. But I think the more apt analogy 65 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:34,600 Speaker 1: would be roller coasters. Like sleep paralysis is the roller 66 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: coaster has come to a stop, but you're still locked 67 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:40,120 Speaker 1: into the roller coaster harness, and you're like, why is 68 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 1: this not releasing? And then uh, some of these other 69 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,320 Speaker 1: situations we're talking about are the roller coaster is moving 70 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 1: and the harness is not locked down. Yeah, and you're 71 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:52,600 Speaker 1: just you know, you're going down the hill and you're 72 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: trying to float out of your seat. Yes, that's the feeling, 73 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: and that's the analogy. UM, as far as statistics to go, 74 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 1: sleep paralysis actually pretty common, and surveys from different countries 75 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 1: show a wide range of estimates anywhere from twenty to 76 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 1: six of that particular population experiencing sleep paralysis. So, you know, 77 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 1: we're not going to really talk about sleep paralysis, but 78 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: we'll talk a little bit more about a parasomnia. And 79 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: we're when we're talking about a parasomnia, it's anything that 80 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:24,359 Speaker 1: happens that sort of out of the ordinary parasomnia, abnormal 81 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 1: sleep basically right, yeah, yeah, And some examples are eating disorders, 82 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: you know, sleep eating sleep, sleepwalking, night terrors. So we're 83 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:35,520 Speaker 1: not talking like midnight snack. We're talking you get up 84 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 1: in you you are stuffing your pie hole with a 85 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 1: table butter. That's what we're talking about. Something that you 86 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:45,360 Speaker 1: normally wouldn't do, right, um, and then hopefully you wouldn't 87 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:47,919 Speaker 1: be doing that. And then rem sleep behavior disorders and 88 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 1: sleep aggression. And then there's them, say the cherry on 89 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:59,040 Speaker 1: the top six omnia which is sometimes called sleep sex. Yeah, 90 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:01,279 Speaker 1: and that refers to actual acts they're carried out by 91 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:05,799 Speaker 1: a person who is sleeping. This is this is real. Yeah. 92 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:09,400 Speaker 1: Actually went to a panel at the World Science Festival 93 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:14,480 Speaker 1: about sleep and Dr Carlo Shank was one of the panelists, 94 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:17,640 Speaker 1: and he says that parasomnia is represent extreme states of 95 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:21,599 Speaker 1: mixed sleep wakefulness and that brain research has shown that 96 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 1: when the brain is globally asleep, there are still parts 97 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:26,960 Speaker 1: of the brain that are awake. With parasonnia's release of 98 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:31,080 Speaker 1: behavior is not accompanied by proper judgment, and sleep behavior 99 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 1: is non culpable behavior, which is important in your judgment 100 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 1: is still in the dream world. That your movements are 101 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:41,840 Speaker 1: in the real world. So yeah, yeah, And we can 102 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 1: talk a little bit more about this later. But there 103 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 1: have been people who have had a sleep disorder defense 104 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:49,239 Speaker 1: for murders and have gotten off because they could prove 105 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:53,360 Speaker 1: that what they did while they were sleeping really wasn't 106 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:57,200 Speaker 1: intentional by their waking self. You know, I feel like 107 00:05:57,240 --> 00:05:58,840 Speaker 1: I have some sort of a sleep disorder now that 108 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:01,159 Speaker 1: we're talking about it is I'll be having a dream 109 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:03,640 Speaker 1: and well, this is an example. I'll have the dream 110 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:05,040 Speaker 1: and then suddenly a guy will come to me in 111 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:07,520 Speaker 1: the dream and be like, Hey, I have this pegasus here. 112 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:09,360 Speaker 1: Would you like to ride this pegasus around and fly 113 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:13,520 Speaker 1: around and experience unbridled you know, joy. And I will 114 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 1: be like, I don't know, this sounds kind of scary. 115 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:18,200 Speaker 1: I have something I need to do, like like, I 116 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 1: don't embrace like I'm bringing too much real world judgment 117 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:26,800 Speaker 1: into my dreams. Was this guy Harry Hamlin? Um No, 118 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:30,080 Speaker 1: I don't think it was because of the yeah, clash 119 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:33,159 Speaker 1: the touch. Okay, so you can't really turn off that 120 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:35,320 Speaker 1: part of your brain that's see the judgment to to 121 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:38,480 Speaker 1: sort of let yourself go with it, right, Like if 122 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:40,800 Speaker 1: I'm in the dream personally, it seems like crazy things 123 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:43,600 Speaker 1: don't really happen. Sometimes weird things too, but it's it's 124 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 1: only when I'm like a third person perspective, when it's 125 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:48,200 Speaker 1: like a movie dream, then things will be awesome. But 126 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:50,920 Speaker 1: if it's just me, it's like I'll pass on the pegasus, 127 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:52,480 Speaker 1: you know, and and other things will occur and I'll 128 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:55,039 Speaker 1: be like, oh, I'm not really into that, whereas and 129 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:56,360 Speaker 1: then I'll wake up and be like, well, that was 130 00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:59,120 Speaker 1: a dream. I could have done anything. Well. I wonder, like, 131 00:06:59,160 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 1: I know that sleep patterns are now being connected to genetics. 132 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 1: I wonder if your dreaming patterns could be as well. Yeah. Yeah, 133 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 1: And this is actually from Wired dot com Sleep Disorders 134 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 1: Trace to Genes that says researchers only began to seriously 135 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 1: explore the genetics asleep in the mid ninety nineties, and 136 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 1: they're far from determining which genes are in charge of 137 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:22,880 Speaker 1: the body clock. Even so, there appears to be general 138 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 1: consensus that many of us don't voluntarily choose to be 139 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:29,559 Speaker 1: short sleepers or long sleepers, or morning people or night people, 140 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 1: which is kind of interesting because you know, independently of this, 141 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:38,040 Speaker 1: the researchers have found that people with a certain gene 142 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:40,960 Speaker 1: are more likely to feel sleepy or fatigued, but have 143 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:44,720 Speaker 1: difficulties sleeping after only four hours of sleep compared to 144 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:50,240 Speaker 1: people without this gene. And this gene is associated with narcolepsy. 145 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:53,360 Speaker 1: So's there's certainly underlying factors going on here when we 146 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:58,000 Speaker 1: talk about sleep disorders, um or even diseases like something 147 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:02,000 Speaker 1: called the fatal familial insomnia. Oh now this one's yeah, 148 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:05,679 Speaker 1: this is a brutal it's awful. Um again, it's another 149 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:08,080 Speaker 1: it's it's a type of sleep disorder. Although it's it's 150 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:10,840 Speaker 1: a bit of a disease. It runs in families, and 151 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:15,160 Speaker 1: Pierre Luigi Gambetti, one of the discoveries of the condition, 152 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 1: claims that it is the worst disease that you could get. Yeah, 153 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:21,400 Speaker 1: and he's not overstating this. Our own Josh Clark wrote 154 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:23,240 Speaker 1: a little bit about this and what do I think? 155 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:26,160 Speaker 1: It was ten amazing things your brain can do, which 156 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 1: you can just find just a search for fatal insomnia 157 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:32,320 Speaker 1: on the House of Works home page and you'll find 158 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:36,080 Speaker 1: this a particular article. But yeah, it's actually a prion disease, 159 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:40,600 Speaker 1: which is a kin to like curu. The disease among 160 00:08:40,679 --> 00:08:45,040 Speaker 1: human animals. Yeah, and then also akin to mad cow 161 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:47,640 Speaker 1: disease as well. So it's a it's a it's an 162 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:52,760 Speaker 1: abnormal like protein encoding thing. Only twenty eight families worldwide 163 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:56,120 Speaker 1: so far have they discovered have this. But yeah, I 164 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:57,800 Speaker 1: mean it's it's brute like. There was this this one 165 00:08:57,800 --> 00:09:00,600 Speaker 1: who had and I mean it's like months of not 166 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:03,320 Speaker 1: being able to sleep, like just falling into the resulting 167 00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:07,360 Speaker 1: that comes with this. And uh, I mean they eventually 168 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:08,960 Speaker 1: like tried to shut his brain down and put him 169 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:11,360 Speaker 1: in an artificial comma, but his brain was still awake 170 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:14,760 Speaker 1: in there. Yeah, this is this is the case of Um, 171 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:17,839 Speaker 1: it's a Chicago music teacher, Michael Cork. Yeah. Yeah, and 172 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:20,559 Speaker 1: at the age of forty, he just had an awful 173 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:24,719 Speaker 1: bout of insomnia. You're right, completely quit sleeping, which is 174 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:27,600 Speaker 1: the marker of this disease. You quit sleeping, your your 175 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:30,040 Speaker 1: brain and your body begin to shut down. He deteriorated 176 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:34,760 Speaker 1: into dementia, and doctors actually even induced the coma in 177 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:37,560 Speaker 1: in him, hoping that that would help shut down that 178 00:09:37,559 --> 00:09:39,600 Speaker 1: part of the brain. But no, this is his brain 179 00:09:39,640 --> 00:09:43,400 Speaker 1: continued to be active. Um, and so I believe it 180 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,600 Speaker 1: was six months after the initial onset of insomnia that 181 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:49,360 Speaker 1: he died. So this is fatal um. In some cases, 182 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 1: people can live up to three years, but they will 183 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:56,959 Speaker 1: die UM. And what's unusual about this is that it 184 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:00,400 Speaker 1: doesn't really come into existence until and that's something like 185 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:03,600 Speaker 1: the forties fifties. UM, that's when it's going to show up. 186 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:07,280 Speaker 1: And because it's an autosomal dominant gene mutation, there's a 187 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:10,360 Speaker 1: fifty percent chance that you can pass this along to 188 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:14,960 Speaker 1: your kid. So it's relatively um new to us in 189 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:19,440 Speaker 1: terms of its discovery, and it's very rare. And again 190 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:21,560 Speaker 1: it's very hard to spot because if your kid doesn't 191 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:24,319 Speaker 1: develop this until they're an adult, you know, they're forty 192 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:27,120 Speaker 1: fifty years old, then you know, prior to us even 193 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:29,800 Speaker 1: knowing about it, you would just not you would assume 194 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:32,839 Speaker 1: that it was some sort of freak accident that you're 195 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:36,719 Speaker 1: you know, that your child expired from. So it's a 196 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 1: It is awful because you're wasting away in your mind 197 00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:43,440 Speaker 1: is wasting away, and you're not sleeping, and you just 198 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:46,640 Speaker 1: shut down, your body shuts down. You know. Insomnia is 199 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:48,600 Speaker 1: one of these things that I think it's difficult for 200 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:51,560 Speaker 1: people to imagine if you've never suffered through it, because 201 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:54,120 Speaker 1: I mean, if for people with normal sleep patterns, you 202 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:55,960 Speaker 1: might think like, well, I wouldn't be able to sleep. Oh, 203 00:10:55,960 --> 00:10:57,640 Speaker 1: I guess I'll have to play video games all night 204 00:10:57,720 --> 00:10:59,160 Speaker 1: or a while. I'd get so much work done or 205 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:02,160 Speaker 1: reading done. Is sometimes it's especially in a busy life 206 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:06,280 Speaker 1: or life full of a lot of hobbies. Um, you think, well, 207 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:07,960 Speaker 1: sleep's kind of in the way. It's kind of like eating. 208 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:09,560 Speaker 1: It's if I didn't have to do this, it would 209 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:12,360 Speaker 1: free up a lot of time. But but but when 210 00:11:12,360 --> 00:11:15,600 Speaker 1: you have insomnia, when you have trouble sleeping, Um, it's 211 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:18,520 Speaker 1: it's not like you have a gift of usable time 212 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:21,280 Speaker 1: on your hands, you do know, I mean yeah, I 213 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:25,560 Speaker 1: mean basically, insanity sets in the longer amount of time 214 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:28,760 Speaker 1: that you know you're sleep deprived. Um. And we've talked 215 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:30,600 Speaker 1: about this before. You've had a couple of all night 216 00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:33,719 Speaker 1: ers maybe, Um, you know, whether you're studying or you 217 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:36,400 Speaker 1: were doing something else, a couple of days after you 218 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:41,240 Speaker 1: were seriously debilitated in your ability to think critically. And 219 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:43,720 Speaker 1: that's just a couple of nights. Can you imagine six 220 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:46,920 Speaker 1: months of not sleeping? Um? You know that and and 221 00:11:46,960 --> 00:11:50,200 Speaker 1: that would make sense why he descended into dementia. Yeah, 222 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:53,720 Speaker 1: there is. I mean this is fiction. But Stephen King's 223 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:57,080 Speaker 1: book Insomnia um, which that's the title implies, has to 224 00:11:57,080 --> 00:11:59,640 Speaker 1: do with insomnia, but it it ultimately involves, of course 225 00:11:59,679 --> 00:12:01,760 Speaker 1: some stup for natural elements and ties into the whole 226 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:05,800 Speaker 1: Dark Tower series. But there are some great chapters as this. 227 00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:08,960 Speaker 1: The lead characters an older man and he's he's gradually 228 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:11,880 Speaker 1: developing insomnia where it's like each night he's getting less 229 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:14,200 Speaker 1: and less sleep. And King does a really great job 230 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:17,360 Speaker 1: of in these these early chapters, especially really making you 231 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:23,079 Speaker 1: feel the frustration and weariness of someone who is having uh, 232 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:27,360 Speaker 1: who is suffering from insomnia. Yeah, it's grueling, right. Um. So, 233 00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:30,040 Speaker 1: I mean I've had it several times in my life 234 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:34,120 Speaker 1: and I cannot imagine having having it just im perpetuity. 235 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:37,160 Speaker 1: How do you fix it? I mean, eventually my body 236 00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:39,960 Speaker 1: could just got so tired that I, you know, fell asleep. 237 00:12:40,120 --> 00:12:42,800 Speaker 1: But it really is one of those things that your 238 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:47,319 Speaker 1: brain can drive you insane because you're constantly thinking and 239 00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 1: and and and most of the time it's not deep 240 00:12:49,080 --> 00:12:52,840 Speaker 1: thoughts or interesting thing. This is a very Buddhist idea there, 241 00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:55,920 Speaker 1: How's that well, it's constantly thinking, right, and you need 242 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:58,480 Speaker 1: to be able to clear your mind right, Yeah, yeah, 243 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:02,320 Speaker 1: which is where meditation comes. Right. Um, So let's let's 244 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:06,360 Speaker 1: talk about something called REM sleep behavior disorder. This is 245 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:09,840 Speaker 1: something that Dr Shank talked about a lot, and this 246 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:14,199 Speaker 1: is particularly um interesting because people are acting out their 247 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:18,600 Speaker 1: aggressions and and oftentimes it can actually be dangerous to partners, 248 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 1: spouses who have to live with someone who has what's 249 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:26,480 Speaker 1: called an rb D, the rem sleep behavior disorder. And 250 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:29,120 Speaker 1: it's actually cultural as well. So you can see in 251 00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:31,520 Speaker 1: every different culture there there are going to be examples 252 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:35,960 Speaker 1: of r b D, and um, those aggressions, these dreams 253 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:38,240 Speaker 1: that are very violent are going to be playing out 254 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:41,920 Speaker 1: and whatever sort of cultural story that they're telling. Uh. 255 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:44,120 Speaker 1: We saw a clip again at this panel at the 256 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:48,360 Speaker 1: World Science Festival of this Japanese man who was having 257 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:51,000 Speaker 1: a dream about a Samurai sword which he was wielding 258 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:56,040 Speaker 1: around and then plunging into his opponent yuse I guess 259 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:58,880 Speaker 1: lying in repose on the on the floor, and it 260 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:03,240 Speaker 1: was this very allowed britt uh movement that he was 261 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:06,040 Speaker 1: doing that was I mean, you could practically see the 262 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:08,920 Speaker 1: Samurai sword in his hand. It was that convincing he 263 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:10,880 Speaker 1: did not actually have a sword. No, no, no, he 264 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:13,640 Speaker 1: was dreaming about this. Did not let that man sleep 265 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:16,320 Speaker 1: with the sword, right, And you probably don't want to 266 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:19,160 Speaker 1: cuddle up next to someone like this, right. Um, You've 267 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 1: heard plenty of other accounts of I think it was 268 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:23,720 Speaker 1: my great grandfather, I want to say, um, like he 269 00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:25,560 Speaker 1: had a little of this where he would like start 270 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:28,920 Speaker 1: kicking and punching his sleep. Or you've heard of accounts 271 00:14:28,960 --> 00:14:32,920 Speaker 1: of people who like strangle somebody in their sleep, you know, yeah, yeah, 272 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:35,680 Speaker 1: And that's actually it's male dominant this RBD, which is 273 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:38,920 Speaker 1: interesting and Dr Shank has said that a lot of 274 00:14:38,960 --> 00:14:43,200 Speaker 1: his RBD patients were just mild mannered folks during the day, 275 00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:47,840 Speaker 1: really nice people, but they would have these terrifyingly aggressive 276 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:51,200 Speaker 1: dreams at night and their spouses would say, please help me, 277 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:54,760 Speaker 1: because you know, my my husband tried to come me 278 00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:57,800 Speaker 1: last night. And in fact, there was an example mel Abel, 279 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:02,320 Speaker 1: again mild mannered retiree, who almost strangled his wife Harriet 280 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:04,640 Speaker 1: to death one night while dreaming that he was finishing 281 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 1: off a deer that he had just shot in his dream, 282 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:10,440 Speaker 1: and in his dream, the deer would not die, and 283 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:13,160 Speaker 1: so he took it by the jaw and he started 284 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:14,920 Speaker 1: to twist it and try to snap its neck and 285 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:17,400 Speaker 1: that wasn't working, so then he started to strangle the 286 00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:20,400 Speaker 1: deer while the deer was his wife, and his wife 287 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:24,040 Speaker 1: was screaming, you know, blood curling screams, and thankfully it 288 00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:27,240 Speaker 1: woke him up right before he he almost killed her. 289 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:29,760 Speaker 1: And that's, of course when he went to go seek help. 290 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:33,760 Speaker 1: And all of this is like, it's it's sensational, it's 291 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:37,240 Speaker 1: it's nuts, but um and I think one one of 292 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:39,520 Speaker 1: the things that's pointing to is that there are underlying 293 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:42,800 Speaker 1: factors going on here. And what Dr Shank found is 294 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:50,600 Speaker 1: that of rbd UH disorder sufferers will then convert into 295 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:54,640 Speaker 1: Parkinson's disease, Yeah, which is crazy. And he thinks that 296 00:15:54,680 --> 00:15:57,640 Speaker 1: this is it's definitely a lot of insight and an 297 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:04,200 Speaker 1: opportunity to have insight into Parkinson's and try to intervene early. Uh. So, 298 00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 1: you know, you think that these things are going on 299 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:10,080 Speaker 1: your head and that it's just some sort of anomaly. Well, 300 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:13,640 Speaker 1: in fact, you know, there's some sort of physical basis 301 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:18,600 Speaker 1: uh for your for your your emotions, your mind, your 302 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:22,120 Speaker 1: body reacting to all of this and playing out you know, 303 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:24,720 Speaker 1: an aggression. So it'll be interesting to see what sort 304 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:29,080 Speaker 1: of extrapolations they make with Parkinson's in rb D. But 305 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:31,680 Speaker 1: now let's get back to that tub of butter. Oh 306 00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:33,680 Speaker 1: but before we get to that, to a butter Oh yeah, 307 00:16:33,720 --> 00:16:41,120 Speaker 1: we guess we're take a quick break. This presentation is 308 00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:48,520 Speaker 1: brought to you by Intel Sponsors of Tomorrow, and we're 309 00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:52,560 Speaker 1: back tub of butter. Sleep eating. Let's do this all right. 310 00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:54,360 Speaker 1: We have a great article on our site called the 311 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:58,560 Speaker 1: House Sleepwalking More exply Katie Lambert, and uh, you might 312 00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:03,040 Speaker 1: associate sleep eating with ambient right right, Yeah, that's typically 313 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:07,160 Speaker 1: that's the whole story, all these nightmare scenarios where someone 314 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:10,560 Speaker 1: gets a prescription for ambient and uh, and then all 315 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:13,080 Speaker 1: their friends him, Oh, well, I I know a friend 316 00:17:13,080 --> 00:17:15,280 Speaker 1: who blah blah blah. They you know, ate a pack 317 00:17:15,320 --> 00:17:17,840 Speaker 1: of cigarettes where they or they got up and they 318 00:17:17,840 --> 00:17:19,840 Speaker 1: cooked dinner or they did something crazy or they saw 319 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:22,000 Speaker 1: something crazy and then they don't take the ambiance that 320 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:25,000 Speaker 1: was prescribed to them by a doctor. Well, but Katie's 321 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:28,560 Speaker 1: article points out that as the drug groom popularity, you 322 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:32,760 Speaker 1: had more of these instances of sleep eating happening. Interesting fact, 323 00:17:32,840 --> 00:17:36,680 Speaker 1: Katie wrote that article while sleep typing and sleep eating 324 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:39,199 Speaker 1: at the same time. Yeah, and uh. In fact of 325 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:40,800 Speaker 1: this is the first person to count here. And she 326 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:43,800 Speaker 1: says they ate from tubs of margarine that some of 327 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:46,879 Speaker 1: the subjects, um, I'm just kidding. Of course, Kati wouldn't 328 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:49,720 Speaker 1: do that. Uh. And they ate cigarettes and raw meat. 329 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:52,560 Speaker 1: And again, what you're seeing, what you're seeing here are 330 00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:56,119 Speaker 1: are hopefully hallmarks of what they would not be doing 331 00:17:56,560 --> 00:17:59,879 Speaker 1: right in daytime activities. And people would wake up with 332 00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:02,639 Speaker 1: rumbs all over the bed and have no idea, you know, 333 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:05,840 Speaker 1: why the crumbs were there. They'd start gaining weight and 334 00:18:05,840 --> 00:18:08,000 Speaker 1: they'd say, I don't understand why I'm gaining weight. Well, 335 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:10,360 Speaker 1: I understand sometimes too, it would be even if they're 336 00:18:10,359 --> 00:18:12,800 Speaker 1: eating something normal, there'd be something abnormal about the way 337 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:15,639 Speaker 1: they were doing it, Like like there was some account 338 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:17,560 Speaker 1: where somebody who's doing something weird with their pinky finger 339 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:20,639 Speaker 1: while eating. Oh yeah, yeah. Dr Schunky talks about that 340 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:23,520 Speaker 1: and he says that, um, he said he showed a 341 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:26,840 Speaker 1: video actually in this panel of the woman eating a brownie. 342 00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:29,040 Speaker 1: In each bite, she would put her pinky at the 343 00:18:29,119 --> 00:18:32,359 Speaker 1: entrance of her mouth and then she'd nibble at her pinky, 344 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:34,960 Speaker 1: and she'd do other little weird things while she was eating. 345 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:38,080 Speaker 1: It was it was pretty curious. Um. And of course 346 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:40,840 Speaker 1: she would never eat that way during the day. Um. 347 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:42,520 Speaker 1: And that was a good indicator that her mind and 348 00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:46,000 Speaker 1: her brain were still in this weird sleep mode. And 349 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:49,760 Speaker 1: um and and and yet she had this motor activity 350 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:53,000 Speaker 1: going on. And this is interesting too that that sleep 351 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:57,359 Speaker 1: eating is usually considered a final common pathway disorder, meaning 352 00:18:57,400 --> 00:18:59,800 Speaker 1: that a variety of other sleep problems could be at 353 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:03,880 Speaker 1: So you've got sleepwalking, restless leg syndrome, or even sleep apnea, 354 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:08,920 Speaker 1: which the sleep athnia. Is it the same one who 355 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:11,600 Speaker 1: was punching? No, No, that was I think that was 356 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:16,320 Speaker 1: the That was his wife's father. Okay, yeah, I was 357 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:18,840 Speaker 1: gonna say, because that could have that could have been 358 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:22,120 Speaker 1: what sort of tipped the scale in terms of activity 359 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:25,639 Speaker 1: at night when he slept he had like an air mask. Okay, 360 00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:27,280 Speaker 1: all right. So I mean we do see we see 361 00:19:27,320 --> 00:19:30,120 Speaker 1: these ambient induced sleep eating things, and then we also 362 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:32,720 Speaker 1: see where it's not ambient induced, it just happens to 363 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:36,040 Speaker 1: be sort of a byproduct of other sleep disorders. And 364 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:39,840 Speaker 1: I should I really want to stress. Having gone through 365 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:42,120 Speaker 1: this with a member of my family. Uh, if your 366 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:45,399 Speaker 1: doctor prescribes ambient too, you don't listen to all your 367 00:19:45,440 --> 00:19:48,600 Speaker 1: crazy friends about like some encounter they had with somebody 368 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:50,159 Speaker 1: who had some sort of crazy thing. Listen to your 369 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:52,679 Speaker 1: doctor for you know, you know you say that, and 370 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:54,560 Speaker 1: then I'm going to be honest and say to you 371 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:57,239 Speaker 1: that I'm not necessary. Well, I don't take a lot 372 00:19:57,280 --> 00:19:59,159 Speaker 1: of stuff like that anyway, so it's it's just not 373 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:03,639 Speaker 1: sort of my thing. But I take medicine when I 374 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:06,240 Speaker 1: need it, but I don't necessarily seek out sleep aids, 375 00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:09,280 Speaker 1: and even though I probably should sometimes, but I do 376 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:11,720 Speaker 1: have this fear that if you make it sound like 377 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:14,520 Speaker 1: like rifling through everyone's desk when they go home in 378 00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:16,880 Speaker 1: the evening to look for sleeping No, no, no, I'm 379 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:19,239 Speaker 1: talking about like if someone if you're prescribed it by 380 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:22,000 Speaker 1: your doctor. Yes, I know, but you have to understand 381 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:26,120 Speaker 1: that it is. There's just part of of people who say, 382 00:20:26,359 --> 00:20:29,000 Speaker 1: I really don't want to wake up having, you know, 383 00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:33,120 Speaker 1: finding myself having a urinated on a policeman after stuffing 384 00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:36,320 Speaker 1: ten donuts into my mouth in the middle of nowhere. 385 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:38,639 Speaker 1: I know nobody wants that. Who wants to bring that 386 00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:41,800 Speaker 1: upon them, even if it happens to like one person 387 00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:44,600 Speaker 1: out of and I'm really hurt that you keep bringing 388 00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:46,679 Speaker 1: this up because that was an isolated incident for me 389 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:51,160 Speaker 1: to donut and the urination thing on the cop. But 390 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:53,640 Speaker 1: you say you say that, yeah, but we just did 391 00:20:53,680 --> 00:20:55,639 Speaker 1: a podcast about lying, So how can I how can 392 00:20:55,680 --> 00:20:57,040 Speaker 1: I be sure you just look me straight in the 393 00:20:57,080 --> 00:21:01,160 Speaker 1: eye and said that. I UM. But anyway, so s yes, 394 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:04,399 Speaker 1: sleepingting is definitely one of those. Um that is is 395 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:09,400 Speaker 1: brought on by other disorders, as is sexomnia. Alright, so yeah, 396 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:11,399 Speaker 1: this is the main event. This is I hope people 397 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:13,480 Speaker 1: I mean, I hope they didn't you didn't fast forward 398 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:17,680 Speaker 1: to this part, but get to the sexomnia. Yeah, people 399 00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:22,560 Speaker 1: with sexomnia tend to be sleepwalkers and have other parasomnias. Again, 400 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:26,240 Speaker 1: and that makes sense because the locomotive system is activated. 401 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:31,119 Speaker 1: So there are kind of two different scenarios for sexomnia. UM, 402 00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:35,000 Speaker 1: if you've had a long history of multiple parasomnias, some 403 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:38,399 Speaker 1: of them beginning in childhood, or if you've got obstrictive 404 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:41,920 Speaker 1: sleep apnea. And I should also stress that, um and 405 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:46,320 Speaker 1: for anyone who wasn't aware, uh, sexual arousal during sleep 406 00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:49,840 Speaker 1: is normal generally happened, especially in men, like happens every night. 407 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:53,439 Speaker 1: Like um, lack of an erection during sleep tends to 408 00:21:54,119 --> 00:21:58,120 Speaker 1: um uh be a telling factor in there being other 409 00:21:58,320 --> 00:22:01,840 Speaker 1: like erectile this functions going on. So, I mean the 410 00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:04,239 Speaker 1: very the medieval idea that you're being visited by a 411 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:08,120 Speaker 1: demon at night. Yeah, succubus are an incubus that are 412 00:22:08,119 --> 00:22:11,280 Speaker 1: causing you to have these these you know, erotic fantasies 413 00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:13,640 Speaker 1: in your head. Um. No, it's just we're talking about 414 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:16,440 Speaker 1: something purely biological here. Well, in the case of sleep, 415 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:18,520 Speaker 1: ap near where you're you know, you could be snoring, 416 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,760 Speaker 1: um and you sort of wakes you up, except you're 417 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:25,919 Speaker 1: not quite awake, yeah, just enough to Like we we 418 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:29,200 Speaker 1: keep talking about about how it's like these lockdowns that 419 00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:32,800 Speaker 1: are released in these different parasomnia encounters. And now I've 420 00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:34,679 Speaker 1: got a different metaphor in mine, and that is of 421 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:38,240 Speaker 1: a like a cell block in a prison, lockdown at night. 422 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:40,920 Speaker 1: But and so in some in this cell you've got 423 00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:42,760 Speaker 1: sex in this cell, you've got eating in this cell, 424 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:46,399 Speaker 1: you've got um, samurai sword usage and uh. And in 425 00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:49,479 Speaker 1: some of these encounters, everything locks down, but oh the 426 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:52,720 Speaker 1: sex cell is open and then uh and it's free 427 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:55,760 Speaker 1: to wander the halls at night and it's snoring. Yeah, 428 00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:58,680 Speaker 1: and it's snoring and Dr Schenk is now calling it snoregasm. 429 00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:02,040 Speaker 1: That's actually what here before referred to with the sleep apnea. 430 00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:07,080 Speaker 1: I looked it up and it has other um usages 431 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:10,480 Speaker 1: as well. But yeah, oh yeah, yeah, Like, well, I 432 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:11,960 Speaker 1: don't know if I can mention any of them. They're 433 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:16,960 Speaker 1: they're all significantly less scientific. Bird alert. Well, you put 434 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:18,359 Speaker 1: this on the outline and I'm like, well, let me 435 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:20,480 Speaker 1: look this up, and I'm just got that I didn't 436 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:24,000 Speaker 1: do a Google image search. Well, we'll leave that to 437 00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:28,000 Speaker 1: you guys out there. Uh. The good news though about this, 438 00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:31,600 Speaker 1: I mean, some of this is actually pretty tragic, but um, 439 00:23:31,920 --> 00:23:36,800 Speaker 1: particularly the familial Yeah, but most of this can be 440 00:23:37,359 --> 00:23:42,280 Speaker 1: diagnosed and then treated with something like the clonazepam, which 441 00:23:42,320 --> 00:23:44,760 Speaker 1: has really been very effective. So if you've got an 442 00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:48,080 Speaker 1: rb D or you've got sleep eating or even sleepwalking 443 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:51,080 Speaker 1: as a child at slip box, so um, I mean 444 00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:55,520 Speaker 1: I can attest to how terrifying that can be to parents. Um, 445 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:57,760 Speaker 1: of course, I don't think they would give me clonaza 446 00:23:57,800 --> 00:24:02,080 Speaker 1: pam and they just they just locked me in my room. Um, 447 00:24:02,119 --> 00:24:03,639 Speaker 1: but there are things that you can do about it, 448 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:06,080 Speaker 1: which is great. Oh well, now I will add that 449 00:24:06,119 --> 00:24:10,120 Speaker 1: when we were researching, I ended up running across confusional arousals, 450 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:12,240 Speaker 1: which I thought was going to be tied in with 451 00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:14,240 Speaker 1: the sex thing, or at the very least I thought 452 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:18,200 Speaker 1: maybe it was referring to like odd occurrences like when 453 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:21,000 Speaker 1: your grandmother's cat sitting in your lap or something. But 454 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:23,880 Speaker 1: but no, it's just this is when a person wakes 455 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:25,800 Speaker 1: from a deep sleep during the first part of the 456 00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:29,040 Speaker 1: night and uh, and they just they have excessive sleep 457 00:24:29,119 --> 00:24:31,800 Speaker 1: in our show, or sleep drunkenness, so they just come 458 00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:34,320 Speaker 1: out of it. They're just like a zombie. So they 459 00:24:34,359 --> 00:24:37,480 Speaker 1: just roams the house like a zombie. Like, yeah, pretty much. 460 00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:41,560 Speaker 1: I mean, it's just people experiencing confusional arousal. They react slowly, 461 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:45,480 Speaker 1: they have trouble understanding questions, um, problems with short term 462 00:24:45,520 --> 00:24:48,040 Speaker 1: memory and have and they and they have no memory 463 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:51,600 Speaker 1: of this later in the day. So I guess it 464 00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:53,320 Speaker 1: would be like if if you if you have like 465 00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:55,400 Speaker 1: a spouse that wakes up in the night and they're 466 00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:58,080 Speaker 1: just like a zombie and you're like, whoa crazy to 467 00:24:58,119 --> 00:24:59,560 Speaker 1: get back to bed and go to sleep and then 468 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:01,080 Speaker 1: the next art they're like, well, I don't remember that 469 00:25:01,119 --> 00:25:04,680 Speaker 1: at all. That's confusional arousing. Yeah. I should also mentioned 470 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:08,760 Speaker 1: too that um, alcohol can definitely exascerbate a lot of 471 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:14,600 Speaker 1: these conditions, and particularly night terrors. Yeah. Yeah, And if 472 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:17,280 Speaker 1: you are going through a lot of emotional distress, you know, 473 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:20,600 Speaker 1: all this can sort of be the perfect cocktail for 474 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:23,120 Speaker 1: for a sleep disorder, or at least experiencing it. Yeah, 475 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:26,280 Speaker 1: if you're if you're experiencing any sleep problems. Um, first 476 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:27,879 Speaker 1: of all, you can come to house Stuff Works and 477 00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:31,919 Speaker 1: type insomnia into the into the search bar. We have 478 00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:33,399 Speaker 1: an article and there with a number of tips and 479 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:35,560 Speaker 1: a lot of it's really common sense that like, you know, 480 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:38,080 Speaker 1: maybe cut down the alcohol in the evening, don't you know, 481 00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:41,520 Speaker 1: don't have coffee afternoon and things of that nature. But 482 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:45,320 Speaker 1: certainly consider consulting a doctor if you're having yeah, trick 483 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:48,600 Speaker 1: with the RBD. Yeah, yeah, especially if it's something that 484 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:51,800 Speaker 1: is extremely out of the out of the ordinary. So 485 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:53,280 Speaker 1: if you're punching around in the middle of the night, 486 00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:55,720 Speaker 1: get that checked out. Cool. Well, let's check out some 487 00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:58,440 Speaker 1: listener mail. As luck would have it, we received two 488 00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:03,720 Speaker 1: emails related to dreams. Uh. Prior to this recording, completely 489 00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:08,439 Speaker 1: un called for, but welcome we heard from Don, and 490 00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:11,600 Speaker 1: Don says, Hello, Robert and Julie. I'm a little behind 491 00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:15,159 Speaker 1: since I'm relatively recent listener, but Tetris and PTSD reminded 492 00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:17,520 Speaker 1: me of the way my brain operates after I've seen 493 00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:21,040 Speaker 1: a horror movie. Uh. Not always, but sometimes after a 494 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:24,440 Speaker 1: movie has particularly frightened me. Candy Man and Blair Witch, 495 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:27,600 Speaker 1: all of these things, I experienced very vivid counting dreams. 496 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:30,680 Speaker 1: During the dreams, I see numbers almost exclusively, and any 497 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:36,000 Speaker 1: horrifying images are conspicuously absent. I can also only guess 498 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:38,719 Speaker 1: it's my brain's version of copying. I think in the 499 00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:41,119 Speaker 1: future I shall try Tetris after a scary movie to 500 00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:44,920 Speaker 1: potentially avoid the number dreams, as they also frequently weighted 501 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:47,719 Speaker 1: me up. Thanks for the great podcast. Let's see now 502 00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:49,240 Speaker 1: that there are a number of awesome things going on 503 00:26:49,320 --> 00:26:52,080 Speaker 1: in that that. I mean, on one hand, you know, 504 00:26:52,119 --> 00:26:53,920 Speaker 1: it's like the idea of someone having scary dreams after 505 00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:56,399 Speaker 1: his watching a movie that's you know, every day, but 506 00:26:56,480 --> 00:27:00,439 Speaker 1: she's having like nightmare number dreams. That's amazing. It's almost 507 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:04,000 Speaker 1: it's like a form of synaesthesia in a way. You know, yeah, 508 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:07,240 Speaker 1: the now, the the the tetris pocket. That may have 509 00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:09,120 Speaker 1: been an old one. I think that may have been. 510 00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:10,879 Speaker 1: It may have been like a step in the science 511 00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:13,560 Speaker 1: lab one. But but it's some pretty internet. The idea 512 00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:17,800 Speaker 1: being that, um, when traumatic things happening happened, there's a 513 00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:21,200 Speaker 1: stage afterwards where we we start building this story about 514 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:25,600 Speaker 1: what happened. That the the idea that it's like, all right, 515 00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:28,560 Speaker 1: I say a dog chase me, and then afterwards I'm like, 516 00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:31,359 Speaker 1: oh my goodness, I was chased by a dog. A 517 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:33,720 Speaker 1: dog chased me. I was walking down the street and 518 00:27:33,760 --> 00:27:37,280 Speaker 1: a dog chased me? You know what was that all about? 519 00:27:37,359 --> 00:27:39,000 Speaker 1: How dare he? You know? And all and then all 520 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:41,320 Speaker 1: these connotations come with it. I like, I am at 521 00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:43,720 Speaker 1: risk of being chased by a dog every day? Um, 522 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:46,040 Speaker 1: how dare a dog chase me? I should be unchasable? 523 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:48,920 Speaker 1: You know. It depends on this situation. But there's that 524 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:51,960 Speaker 1: period where we formed that story and it and it 525 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:55,000 Speaker 1: in it and it forms the trauma, it like entrenches 526 00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:57,640 Speaker 1: it in our memory. And so if you could interrupt 527 00:27:57,680 --> 00:28:00,760 Speaker 1: that process, it's like so instead of the set of 528 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:02,760 Speaker 1: performing that story, you're chased by a dog and then 529 00:28:02,760 --> 00:28:05,600 Speaker 1: you whip out your smartphone and are playing Tetris. Tetris 530 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:08,120 Speaker 1: has been found to like interfere with that the formation 531 00:28:08,119 --> 00:28:10,720 Speaker 1: of the traumatic memory. Tetris has been used a lot 532 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:14,640 Speaker 1: in uh in sleep research, right, yeah, because I believe 533 00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:17,120 Speaker 1: it's been using dreams too to see how people learn. Yeah, 534 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:19,680 Speaker 1: they dream about Tetris to see the patterns. And it's 535 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:21,520 Speaker 1: not just people loving Tetris and being like I got 536 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:23,560 Speaker 1: to incorporate this into my words, get away with it. 537 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:27,560 Speaker 1: But yeah, so that was a fascinating email. It was 538 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:30,400 Speaker 1: that was it was interesting to hear about. We also 539 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:33,760 Speaker 1: heard from Mario. Mario right in and says, hello, Robert 540 00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:37,439 Speaker 1: and Julie. I was currently listening to the episode you 541 00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:40,600 Speaker 1: did in January, a dream podcast. You talked about how 542 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:43,760 Speaker 1: dreams can help solve problems. To me, dreams are becoming 543 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:46,280 Speaker 1: more important to me every night. I don't know if 544 00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:48,720 Speaker 1: they helped me solve problems, but they sometimes give me 545 00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:51,360 Speaker 1: problems to solve in the dream, and it's sort of 546 00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:54,520 Speaker 1: a role playing dream. I treat dreams like totally different 547 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:57,080 Speaker 1: world and it's its own thing. They're not real, but 548 00:28:57,120 --> 00:29:00,000 Speaker 1: they exist. Keep up the great podcast. Your thirteen year 549 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:02,880 Speaker 1: old listener. Oh, very cool. One of the things that 550 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:06,560 Speaker 1: I learned on that World Science Festival panel is that, um, 551 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:10,680 Speaker 1: we do dream in non rem and when we dream 552 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:14,240 Speaker 1: in non rem it's more about UM it's less like 553 00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:16,880 Speaker 1: a cohesive story and it's sort of a little bit 554 00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:20,160 Speaker 1: more like just raw data sitting there that you sipped through, 555 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:22,880 Speaker 1: which I thought was very interesting in terms of trying 556 00:29:22,920 --> 00:29:27,080 Speaker 1: to um, you know, figure out all the information the 557 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:29,800 Speaker 1: stimulants that you amass that day and going through it 558 00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:35,200 Speaker 1: and categorizing it. Well, Hey, if you want to share 559 00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:37,800 Speaker 1: your dreams with us or share in the dream that 560 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:41,200 Speaker 1: is stuff to blow your mind, then you can find 561 00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:43,600 Speaker 1: us on Facebook and Twitter. We are blow the Mind 562 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:45,640 Speaker 1: on both of those and you know, if you're fan 563 00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:47,320 Speaker 1: of the show, check them out. Each feed is a a 564 00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:50,280 Speaker 1: little differently, but like every day, we're switching through all 565 00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:53,719 Speaker 1: sorts of like cool cool articles online, different studies, and 566 00:29:54,320 --> 00:29:56,560 Speaker 1: we'll pop some of those up, whether they're related to 567 00:29:56,600 --> 00:29:59,120 Speaker 1: something we're covering or not. We'll keep you in touch 568 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:03,480 Speaker 1: with what we're what we're recording, what we're thinking about recording, 569 00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:07,080 Speaker 1: and uh, we do in fact take requests, so and 570 00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:10,840 Speaker 1: the stuff that you're writing to which is very cool. Yeah, 571 00:30:10,840 --> 00:30:13,240 Speaker 1: and you can also drop us a line if you 572 00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:15,440 Speaker 1: want to keep in touch at below the Mind at 573 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:22,640 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com. Be sure to check out 574 00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:25,840 Speaker 1: our new video podcast, Stuff from the Future. Join how 575 00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:28,400 Speaker 1: Stuff Work staff as we explore the most promising and 576 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:30,600 Speaker 1: perplexing possibilities of tomorrow.