Why the Top Students Never Wake Up Early to Study

Summary

In this video, the speaker, a doctor named Mike, debunks the myth that sleep is unproductive. He explains the science behind sleep, highlighting the importance of deep, light, and REM sleep for memory consolidation, learning, and creative thinking. Mike shares his personal struggles with sleep due to night shifts and offers practical tips to improve sleep quality, emphasizing the role of temperature, timing, and light. He encourages viewers to prioritize sleep for enhanced productivity and cognitive function.

Takeaways

• 😴 The speaker used to believe that sleep was unproductive, but later realized its importance for cognitive functions.
• 🧠 During sleep, the brain transitions through light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep, each playing a crucial role in memory and learning.
• 📚 Deep sleep is essential for storing new information, akin to filing away notes into a permanent place in the brain.
• 🗑 Light sleep acts as a 'janitor', clearing out unnecessary information to make space for new learning.
• 🔗 REM sleep is when the brain makes connections between old and new information, fostering creativity and understanding.
• 🕒 The speaker emphasizes the importance of getting a full 7-9 hours of sleep for optimal productivity and learning.
• 🌡️ To improve sleep, maintaining a cool bedroom temperature can help signal to the body that it's time to sleep.
• ⏰ Establishing a consistent sleep schedule helps train the body to fall asleep and wake up at the same time each day.
• 💡 Minimizing light exposure in the evening and maximizing it in the morning can support a healthy circadian rhythm.
• 🛀 Taking a warm shower before bed can help lower body temperature, promoting sleepiness.
• 💡 The video suggests that improving sleep habits can lead to increased productivity, learning capacity, and overall cognitive function.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial opinion on sleep?

The speaker initially thought that sleeping was a complete waste of time, as it seemed unproductive with the body motionless and the eyes closed.

How did the speaker's perspective on sleep change after learning about its science?

The speaker's perspective changed dramatically after understanding the science behind sleep, realizing that sleep is not only productive but might be the most productive activity during the day.

What are the three types of sleep cycles mentioned in the script?

The three types of sleep cycles mentioned are light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep.

How does deep sleep function in terms of the brain's activity?

Deep sleep is likened to taking and storing notes, where the brain attempts to file away new information into a more permanent place in the brain, specifically the hippocampus.

What is the role of light sleep in the brain's processes during sleep?

Light sleep acts as a janitor, cleaning out the leftover notes and papers that weren't saved during deep sleep, making room for new information the next day.

Why is REM sleep considered important for learning and productivity?

REM sleep is when the brain makes connections between old and new information, facilitating the creation of new ideas and understanding, which is crucial for learning and productivity.

What are the three factors of the sleep framework mentioned in the script?

The three factors of the sleep framework are temperature, timing, and light.

How can maintaining a cool bedroom temperature help with sleep?

A cooler bedroom temperature helps the body drop its core temperature, which is necessary for falling asleep and staying asleep.

Why is it recommended to have a regular sleep schedule?

A regular sleep schedule helps establish a consistent circadian rhythm, making it easier for the brain to fall asleep and wake up at the intended times.

How does light exposure affect sleep, and what are the recommendations for managing it?

Light exposure can reset the circadian rhythm; it's recommended to get plenty of light during the day and limit exposure to light, especially artificial light, in the evening to prepare for sleep.

What is the significance of a night routine in improving sleep quality?

A night routine helps establish a consistent bedtime and reduces exposure to stimulating light, which can signal to the body that it's time to sleep, thus improving sleep quality.

Outlines

00:00

🌙 The Misunderstood Productivity of Sleep

The speaker begins by expressing a former misconception that sleep was unproductive, comparing it to being motionless and unproductive. They recount personal experiences of pulling all-nighters in high school and college, initially believing that this was a way to maximize productivity. However, they later realize the error of this belief and introduce the idea that sleep is not just about energy recovery but plays a crucial role in cognitive functions. The speaker, Mike, a doctor, and content creator alongside his brother Mattie, delves into the science of sleep, explaining how sleep stages are not only productive but essential for daily cognitive tasks. He shares his personal struggle with night shifts and the impact on his sleep patterns, leading to a decline in productivity and memory. The analogy of sleep stages is introduced, likening deep sleep to note-taking and storage, light sleep to janitorial duties clearing out unnecessary information, and REM sleep to the process of making connections between stored memories.

05:02

🛌 The Science Behind Sleep Stages and Productivity

This section delves deeper into the science of sleep, explaining the three stages: deep, light, and REM sleep, and their roles in memory consolidation, learning, and understanding. The speaker uses the analogy of note-taking with RemNote to illustrate how deep sleep helps in storing information, light sleep in discarding irrelevant information, and REM sleep in making connections between memories. The importance of getting a full night's sleep for cognitive functions is emphasized, and the negative impacts of sleep deprivation are discussed. The speaker then transitions into practical advice on improving sleep quality by focusing on three factors: temperature, timing, and light. Suggestions are given on how to manipulate these factors to foster better sleep habits, such as maintaining a cool bedroom, establishing a regular sleep schedule, and managing light exposure.

10:03

🌟 Implementing a Sleep Framework for Enhanced Productivity

The final paragraph provides actionable advice on how to implement a sleep framework to improve sleep quality and, consequently, productivity. The speaker discusses the importance of maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, even on weekends, to regulate the body's internal clock. They also address the role of light in regulating sleep, recommending exposure to natural light in the morning and minimizing light exposure in the evening. Practical tips such as taking a warm shower before bed to lower body temperature and winding down activities an hour before sleep are offered. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for viewers to improve their sleep habits for better productivity and cognitive function, and a reference to a free course on Skillshare for a more in-depth approach to habit change.

Keywords

💡Sleep Cycles

Sleep cycles refer to the natural progression of sleep stages that occur during a sleep period. In the video, it's explained that a full night's sleep involves transitioning through light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep, with each cycle being unique and essential for different aspects of cognitive function. The video emphasizes the importance of completing these cycles for optimal brain health and productivity.

💡Deep Sleep

Deep sleep is a stage of the sleep cycle characterized by a slower pulse and breathing, and it's when the body repairs and regenerates tissues. The video uses the analogy of 'taking and storing notes' to describe how deep sleep helps in consolidating memories and information, suggesting that missing out on deep sleep could lead to a failure in properly 'saving' the day's learned information.

💡Light Sleep

Light sleep is the initial stage of the sleep cycle where the body is in a state of light slumber and is easily awakened. In the context of the video, light sleep is likened to a 'janitor' that clears out unnecessary information from the brain, making space for new learning. This stage is crucial for decluttering the mind and preparing for new information intake.

💡REM Sleep

REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is one of the deepest stages of the sleep cycle, typically characterized by rapid eye movements, more dreaming and bodily movement, and faster pulse and breathing. The video highlights that REM sleep is when the brain makes connections between old and new information, akin to 'bi-directional linking' in note-taking, which is vital for creativity and understanding.

💡Circadian Rhythm

Circadian rhythm is the body's internal clock that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours. The video discusses how disruptions to this rhythm, such as working night shifts, can lead to sleep difficulties and decreased productivity. Maintaining a regular sleep schedule is presented as a key strategy for keeping the circadian rhythm in sync.

💡Hippocampus

The hippocampus is a region in the brain that plays a major role in long-term memory and spatial navigation. In the video, it's described as a 'little notebook' where the brain temporarily stores new information before filing it away during deep sleep. This concept is used to illustrate the importance of deep sleep in memory consolidation.

💡Productivity

Productivity, in the context of the video, refers to the efficiency of cognitive and creative output. The video argues that contrary to common misconceptions, sleep is not unproductive but is actually the most productive activity one can engage in, as it directly influences memory, learning, and overall cognitive function.

💡Astral Projection

Astral projection is a concept in which the astral body is said to separate from the physical body, allowing for out-of-body experiences. The video mentions Dr. Strange's ability to cast an astral projection form while sleeping as a contrast to the speaker's initial belief that sleep was unproductive, highlighting a misconception that is later debunked.

💡Cortisol

Cortisol is a hormone that regulates stress and helps maintain homeostasis. The video explains that cortisol levels rise as the body temperature increases, which can naturally wake a person up. This is part of the discussion on how body temperature fluctuations influence sleep and wakefulness.

💡Note-taking

Note-taking is the act of recording information during learning or meetings. The video uses the analogy of note-taking to explain the different stages of sleep and their functions, such as deep sleep being like storing notes and light sleep being like clearing out unnecessary information from the 'notebook'.

💡Temperature Regulation

Temperature regulation in the context of the video refers to the body's natural cooling process that aids in falling asleep. The video suggests that maintaining a cool sleeping environment and taking warm showers before bed can help lower body temperature, facilitating sleep onset.

Highlights

Sleep is not a waste of time; it's productive for the brain.

Dr. Strange's astral projection during sleep is a cool concept but not practical advice.

All-nighters may hinder productivity and learning.

Sleep is crucial for memory consolidation and cognitive function.

The speaker's personal experience with night shifts and the impact on sleep quality.

The brain is active during sleep, transitioning through light, deep, and REM sleep.

Deep sleep is essential for storing and saving new information.

Light sleep acts as a 'janitor', clearing out unnecessary information from the brain.

REM sleep is when the brain makes connections between old and new information.

Missing out on sleep stages can lead to poor memory, learning, and understanding.

The importance of getting 7-9 hours of sleep for optimal learning and productivity.

Lying in bed does not equate to actual sleep time; focus on sleep quality.

Natural methods to improve sleep include temperature, timing, and light control.

Cooler bedroom temperatures and warm showers before bed can aid sleep.

Establishing a regular sleep schedule helps maintain a healthy circadian rhythm.

Minimizing light exposure in the evening helps signal to the brain that it's time to sleep.

A bedtime routine can improve sleep quality by incorporating temperature, timing, and light management.

Sleep not only enhances productivity but also contributes to a longer life.

Transcripts

- I used to think that sleeping

was a complete waste of time.

Your eyes are closed.

Your body is motionless.

I mean, how could sleeping be productive?

You're literally doing nothing.

I thought Dr. Strange was so cool because

while he was sleeping, he'd cast an astral projection form

of himself to keep productive.

In high school, I would pull all-nighters,

sometimes doing homework but mostly playing video games.

In college, I would pull all-nighters studying for my exams.

Little did I know that I probably would've been

a better student and a better gamer

if I had taken my sleep more seriously.

Well, obviously, I was wrong,

but it's not for the reason that you'd expect.

I'm not about to tell you that sleeping is more productive

because it helps you recover energy for tomorrow.

I'm sure you already knew that.

It's more than that.

If you look at the science of sleep,

you'll realize that not only is sleep productive,

it might be the most productive thing that you do all day.

Hey, guys, if you're new to the channel, my name is Mike.

I make videos with my brother, Mattie.

We're both doctors, and we love talking about the science

behind productivity and learning.

New videos every week.

Subscribe, and let's hang out.

So recently, I started my first job as a doctor,

and half of my shifts take place at nighttime

between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.

At first, I thought it was fine.

I mean, you get paid substantially more

for working at night.

Plus, when you work at night,

you get more days off to recover,

which meant that I could work on making videos

and music on my days off.

But the hours quickly caught up with me.

Sometimes I felt almost hungover the next day.

Sometimes it took me multiple days to recover

and reset my circadian rhythm.

But the worst part was that on my days off,

I was unmotivated to do any work, and I felt such brain fog,

and I had a hard time remembering and focusing.

And this really bothered me.

Like, what's the point of having all these extra days off

when you can't even use 'em?

So I started to explore the science of sleep,

and what I found was awakening, pun unintended.

While we're sleeping, we turn off our bodies

but not our brains.

During a full night of sleep,

which is about seven to nine hours,

our brains transitioned between three different types

of sleep, light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep.

We cycle through all three of these phases

approximately every 90 minutes,

but the important thing to note is that every cycle

is a little different.

For example, the first sleep cycles

right when you fall asleep have more deep sleep,

and the last sleep cycles right before you wake up

have more light sleep.

So why does this matter?

Well, some of you guys know that I love analogies,

so let me try to use an analogy to convey to you

just how productive our brains are during sleep.

And the analogy I'm gonna use is about note-taking,

(clears throat) RemNote.

So you can think of deep sleep like taking

and storing notes.

So during the day, you've collected all these notes

into your little notebook.

That little notebook in the brain is called the hippocampus.

Your notebook is just a temporary storage space.

During deep sleep, your brain attempts to file away each

of your new notes into a more permanent place in your brain

into the specific areas where they belong.

So what happens if you decide to stay up late

and miss out on the first sleep cycle?

Remember, these first cycles are heavy in deep sleep.

Well, you would risk not properly storing away

the hard-earned notes that you collected that day.

Basically, going to sleep late means you don't give

your brain the chance to save your work.

And those notes could be lost forever

because right after deep sleep comes light sleep.

Light sleep is like the janitor.

It goes through your notebook and gets rid

of all the leftover notes and papers

that you didn't care to save

because after being awake all day long,

your notebook gets full,

and light sleep's job is to clean it out

and make more room to prepare your hippocampus

to learn new things the next day.

When I stay up late trying to cram new information,

I sometimes find myself rereading the same paragraph

over and over again.

My hippocampus, or my notebook, is full.

I don't have the capacity to cram any more notes in there.

See, in college, I would wake up super early

to be productive and study,

like I would wake up at 5:00 a.m. and try to get ahead.

Well, what happens is if you wake up too early,

you lose out on your last sleep cycles,

the ones that have the most of your light sleep.

So you might find it difficult to learn new things

because you haven't given your brain the chance

to clean out your notebook and make room for new notes.

So waking up early and only getting like five hours of sleep

is actually counterproductive.

Finally, let's talk about REM sleep.

During REM sleep, your brain is making connections

between all the old and new notes that you've stored

in your filing cabinets.

And for all you RemNote fans out there, no pun intended,

REM sleep is when all the bi-directional linking happens.

You're trying to make sense of all your stored memories

and make new connections.

That's why you sometimes hear about all the artists

or musicians or mathematicians who had vivid dreams

and wake up discovering some new creative idea

or some new breakthrough in their field.

So just to recap, deep sleep helps us save information,

light sleep helps us learn new information,

and REM sleep helps us make sense of our information.

If you don't get a full night's sleep

and you miss out on the important stages of deep, light,

and REM sleep, you'll remember less,

you'll learn less and you'll understand less.

So based on the science of sleep cycles,

you'll come to realize how important it is

to get a full seven to nine hours of sleep

when it comes to learning and productivity.

Now, when we're planning our sleep,

a lot of us forget that lying in bed

for seven hours doesn't mean you're actually sleeping

for seven hours.

You could be laying there doom scrolling

through social media or tossing and turning for hours.

I mean, I've had many nights when I was physically lying

in bed for seven hours,

yet I only got like four real hours of sleep.

So the solution to this is to train your body

to fall asleep faster and to stay asleep.

And there are a lot of a natural ways that you can do this,

like using pills and supplements, technology, paid products,

some of which are amazing and some of which are expensive.

Maybe I'll do a different video covering those topics,

but in this video, I'm gonna take it back to the natural

and fundamental methods,

which also happened to cost nothing.

So these natural habits are based

on a simple sleep framework, which is comprised

of three factors, temperature, timing, and light.

Let's go through each one, starting with temperature.

So our inner body temperature is coldest

in the middle of the night,

and as we get closer to waking up,

our body temperature automatically rises and rises and rises

until boom, you get this boost of cortisol,

and then you naturally wake up.

When nighttime approaches,

our body temperature starts to drop,

and this makes us sleepy to get ready for bed again.

So now that we know how our body temperature naturally works

for sleep, how do we affect change?

Well, an easy fix is to make sure that your bedroom is cool.

- Your body needs to drop its core temperature

by about two to three degrees Fahrenheit to fall asleep

and then to stay asleep,

and it's the reason you will always find it easier

to fall asleep in a room that's too cold than too hot.

- Use fans or use less blankets

if you get really hot at night when you sleep.

One of my favorite things to do is to take a warm shower

before bedtime 'cause when hot water hits the skin

on the outside of your body,

you react by trying to cool down

from the inside of your body.

Therefore, taking a warm shower

causes your body's temperature to drop in response.

The opposite is true for cold showers.

The cold water makes your body react

by heating up your inner body temperature.

That's why you see people taking cold showers in the morning

to wake themselves up.

Next, let's talk about timing.

Our brain is conditioned by habits and rituals,

and if you go to sleep at the same time every day,

preferably in the same bed every day,

your brain gets used to it

and helps you establish a regular circadian rhythm.

- Regularity is probably the most important thing

I can tell you.

Go to bed at the same time, wake up at the same time,

no matter whether it's the weekend, weekday.

Regularity is key.

- Take myself, for example.

Depending on what kind of night shift I'm on,

I'm forced to sleep at a different time,

and I'm assigned to a different call room

with a different bed.

So over time, I found it harder and harder to fall asleep

because I've lost the regularity.

And even when I get home,

I'm unable to sleep during the daytime.

And finally, let's talk about light.

When we view light, like when light hits our eyeballs,

there are certain chemical reactions

that happen in our brain

that kinda resets our circadian rhythm.

The simple way to think about this is you want as much light

as is safely possible early in the day,

morning and throughout the day,

and you want as little light coming into your eyes,

artificial or sunlight, after say 8:00 p.m.

And certainly, you do not want to get bright light exposure

to your eyes between 11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m.

- So the goal is to get the right kind of light exposure

at the right time in order to get good sleep.

After you wake up,

make sure there is plenty of light around you,

and the best way is to have natural light just pour

into your bedroom,

or if you don't have that, go outside or onto your balcony

for like five to 10 minutes with a cup of coffee

if you want.

Then at night, you wanna do the opposite.

You wanna limit the amount of light

that's hitting your eyeballs.

That way, you can get ready for bed.

So let's put all three of these together.

An easy way to clean up your sleep habits

is to use a night routine.

Routine is where timing comes in.

Have established bedtime, and keep it regular.

About an hour before you plan to sleep,

start wrapping up your work

and start turning down the lights

and try to avoid too much light coming from screens.

And finally, it might be helpful

to take a quick, warm shower to rinse your body,

bring down your body temperature

and get you feeling nice and clean before jumping into bed.

So as you can see,

getting enough quality sleep makes you more productive,

and it makes you smarter.

Now, if you want a more in-depth, step-by-step approach

to changing your habits,

check out our free course on Skillshare.

Link in the description below.

But if being smarter and more productive is not enough

to inspire you to get better sleep,

then consider sleeping in order to live longer.

But that's a discussion for another video.

In the meantime, check out this video where I talk

about the type of sleep that you want to avoid.

You can watch it by tapping on the screen right here.

(upbeat music)