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The Matt Walker Podcast
The Matt Walker Podcast is all about sleep, the brain, and the body. Matt is a Professor of Neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of the book, Why We Sleep and has given a few TED talks. Matt is an awkward British nerd who adores science and the communication of science to the public.
Podcasting since 2021 • 144 episodes
The Matt Walker Podcast
Latest Episodes
#113 - Modafinil: An All-Nighter In A Pill?
Diving into the controversial world of Modafinil, the "all-nighter in a pill", Matt begins with the story of Olympic sprinters using the narcolepsy drug as a loophole for a competitive edge. He then unpacks the science of how Modafinil affec...
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32:04
#112 - How Synesthesia Secretly Shapes Your Reality
Matt explores the fascinating world of synesthesia today, challenging the notion that it's a rare quirk by proposing a bold claim: in subtle ways, we are all synesthetes. This idea is powerfully demonstrated by the famous "Bouba/Kiki" test, ...
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22:46
#111 - The Price of Sleep
Framing sleep not as a biological necessity, but as a critical economic asset, Matt reveals that sleep deprivation costs the U.S. economy up to $411 billion annually, with billions more lost globally. These costs stem from lost workplace pro...
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19:46
#110 - The Science Behind Wearable Sleep Monitoring
In this user's guide to sleep trackers, learn the science behind how they work using motion and optical sensors as Matt explains the key metrics of Sensitivity, Specificity, and Accuracy. Revealing why most trackers overestimate sleep by fai...
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1:02:10
