Ready to begin or deepen your meditation practice? Join Dan Harris and world-class meditation teachers on the 10% with Dan Harris app here: https://app.danharris.com/membership This episode originally aired in 2022 and is being re-released as part of Sleep Week on the 10% with Dan Harris app. If you're struggling with sleep, you're probably thinking about it wrong. The problem isn't just what happens in the hour before bed — it's how you're living the entire day before it. Dr. Sara Mednick is a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of California, Irvine and the author of The Power of the Down State and Take a Nap! Change Your Life. In this conversation, Sara and Dan cover: - Why sleep can't be fixed in isolation — and what the "down state" actually means for your whole body - The napping debate: who should nap, who shouldn't, and why the dementia headlines miss the point - How heart rate variability works — and why it's one of the most important measures of your health - Whether daytime practices like deep breathing and inversion poses can actually compensate for a bad night's sleep - The sleep worry spiral: what to do when anxiety about not sleeping is exactly what's keeping you awake - Why the timing of your exercise, meals, and light exposure matters as much as your bedtime routine - Why sex helps with sleep onset — and what single people can do instead - Melatonin: when to take it, how much, and why most people are dosing it wrong - The case for nose breathing at night — and the low-tech solution for training yourself to do it - Why getting morning sunlight (outside, not through a window) may be the simplest sleep intervention available Subscribe to watch more 10% Happier videos: https://www.youtube.com/tenpercenthappier Follow Dan Harris on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/danharris/ https://www.tiktok.com/@danbharris https://www.facebook.com/DanHarrisABC https://twitter.com/danbharris https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-harris-91ba5716b/ Timestamps: 0:00:00 Introduction: Sleep Week and why sleep is the apex predator of healthy habits 0:02:00 How Sara ended up doing nap research in a converted copy room at Harvard 0:05:00 The napping debate: who benefits and who shouldn't nap 0:09:00 What the "down state" is — and why sleep is just one version of it 0:13:00 Rev and restore: the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems explained 0:16:00 Can daytime practices actually make up for poor sleep? 0:19:00 The glymphatic system, vagal activity, and shifting the burden off nighttime sleep 0:22:00 Heart rate variability: what it is, why it matters, and how to improve it 0:29:00 The sleep worry spiral — and practical ways to break out of it 0:34:00 Exercise timing: when to do cardio, when to lift, and the four-hour rule before bed 0:37:00 Liquids, late eating, and the circadian rhythm of your bladder 0:38:00 Morning sunlight: why windows don't count and 15 minutes outside does 0:41:00 Evening light: blue light blocking, circadian bulbs, and candlelight 0:44:00 Sex as a sleep aid — the physiology of rev, restore, and orgasm 0:46:00 Skin hunger, emotional connection, and why a phone call beats a text 0:47:00 Melatonin: start at 1mg, take it one to two hours before bed 0:49:00 Nose breathing: why mouth breathing is a problem and how to train yourself out of it 0:52:00 Resonance: what happens when all your body's rhythms sync up #sleep #neuroscience #mentalhealth This episode is sponsored by: Rosetta Stone — Language learning that's immersive and intuitive. Ten Percent Happier listeners get 20% off a Rosetta Stone Sapphire subscription at https://www.rosettastone.com/happier Quo — The business communication system built so you never miss a call. Try free and get 20% off your first six months at https://www.quo.com/happier