Thank you for joining the Huberman Lab Neural Network—a once-a-month newsletter with science and science-related tools for everyday life. This newsletter aims to provide you with actionable information in a condensed form.

Our recent guest series with Dr. Matt Walker was a deep dive into the biology of sleep, tools to improve your sleep, and how specific factors (like caffeine, alcohol, and naps) influence sleep quality. The final episode concluded with a Q&A session covering the 10 most popular audience questions about sleep. This newsletter is a summary of these questions and answers.

  1. What are the best practices for managing rumination and negative thoughts when trying to fall asleep?
    • If you have racing thoughts or sleep-onset insomnia related to anxiety, use the following strategies:
      • Meditation, either guided breathing or guided relaxation. The Waking Up meditation app offers a free 30-day trial. (Disclosure: Waking Up is a Huberman Lab sponsor.)
      • Body scans – where your focus moves progressively from one part of the body to another. (Non-sleep deep rest, or NSDR, typically includes a body scan and can be very effective in helping you fall asleep. Here are scripts for a 10-minute NSDR and a 20-minute NSDR.)
      • Breathing techniques, especially those emphasizing long-exhale breathing
      • Take a “mental walk” – visualize a familiar route in great detail as though you mentally walk yourself through it
  2. What is the best position to sleep in?
    • Avoid sleeping on your back, as it increases the likelihood of snoring or that your airway could collapse, causing a “hypoxic event.”
    • Dr. Walker suggests being curious and determining whether you snore or not. Use an app like SnoreLab to monitor your breathing throughout the night. In the morning, the app will provide a visual of your snoring distribution. Eight Sleep’s Pod Covers can now detect snoring as well. (Disclosure: Eight Sleep is a Huberman Lab sponsor.)
      • If you get a confirmation of snoring, consult with your doctor; 80% of people who have sleep apnea are undiagnosed. Sleep apnea negatively affects your health and lifespan. When treated, sleeping through the night will be transformational for your mental and physical health.
      • If you consume alcohol, expect snoring to increase.
  3. Why do I wake up at 3:30 a.m., no matter what time I go to sleep?
    • Waking up at a specific time (like 3:30 a.m.) is likely due to the end of a sleep cycle and/or due to a learned habit.
    • During REM sleep, your body is paralyzed, and upon exiting this phase, the body needs to move and reposition, which often briefly awakens you. Normally, these awakenings are so brief that you don’t remember, but some will wake you up fully.
    • Checking the time when you wake up at night can train your brain to continue waking at that time. This is a form of learning whereby checking the clock strengthens the memory association with that specific time.
      • Remove visible clocks from your bedroom to help disrupt this pattern.