Are You Sleeping?

Sleep paralysis is like when you wake too early from a dream, and your waking and sleeping brains collide. Many see vivid and terrifying visions, and feel unable to move. This is a sleep disorder that more than twenty-percent of us will experience in our lifetime, yet is it not well understood. Meet Dr. Baland Jalal, who went from suffering from sleep paralysis to becoming an expert working on a cure. Learn more and submit your own sleep questions at www.vox.com/areyousleeping And, let us know what you think of the show at www.vox.com/survey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Olympic bobsledder Lauren Gibbs has struggled with sleep her entire life. But as an elite athlete, she knows that sleep can be the difference between winning a key race and losing a spot on Team USA. So, why is sleep so important for performing our best? And what exactly happens when we sleep? We’ll check in with a sleep and athletics expert, and find out how the rest of us can improve our own sleep game.  Learn more and submit your own sleep questions at www.vox.com/areyousleeping And, let us know what you think of the show at www.vox.com/survey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The stress of trying to fall asleep when you know the alarm is going off extra early can be maddening. Listener Suzana calls in to ask how to wind down for an early bakery shift. Host Kate Berlant talks to sleep expert Dr. Shelby Harris about the wider sleep challenges shift work presents in our society. And meet trucker Antoinette, who has adapted her unpredictable sleep schedule to her life on the road. Learn more and submit your own sleep questions at www.vox.com/areyousleeping And let us know what you think of the show at www.vox.com/survey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How can dreams help unlock our creativity, and put us better in touch with ourselves? Brian’s lucid dreams of flight help him create a comic book superhero, and to process his emotions. Amy composes operas and new musical works while sleeping, dreaming her way through tricky creative challenges. Host Kate Berlant meets dream coach Kim Gillingham for a session examining her own dreams.  Learn more and submit your own sleep questions at www.vox.com/areyousleeping And, let us know what you think of the show at www.vox.com/survey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sleep gadgets are everywhere. On our wrists. In our pockets. Even built into our beds. Technology today can help us track how much sleep we get and what kind of sleep it is. Great! But listener Elizabeth wants to know… what do we do with all that data? Listen to find out how smart watches and apps can help you get better sleep, and our sleep experts share why some of your daily habits might need changing. Learn more and submit your own sleep questions at www.vox.com/areyousleeping And, let us know what you think of the show at www.vox.com/survey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices