Episode guide
Sleep: The Nightly Tide
Sleep is not an off switch; it is a tide that comes in stages, washing and tidying as it rises. This episode explains what the night is for.
The science, gently
- Sleep moves in cycles, roughly ninety minutes each, between light, deep, and dreaming.
- During deep sleep, the brain rinses itself and files away the day's learning.
- Everything that sleeps, from bees to whales, does its own version of this tide.
Wonder together
- What do you hope your brain files tonight in the keep-forever drawer?
- Where do you think dreams get their pieces?
- What does your body do first when it starts to fall asleep?
Tonight's calm-down
You do not fall asleep; the tide comes to you. Your only job is to stand still on the shore: eyes closed, breath slow, feet in the warm sand of your bed, while it rises.