Sources

9 original sources

Where every claim in our videos comes from. Open-access sources are linked; for books and paywalled papers we give the full reference so you can look them up.

9 shown

  1. review2017

    Sleep and Human Aging

    Mander BA, Winer JR, Walker MP

    Our assessmentA narrative review from the Walker lab (UC Berkeley); NIH-funded; mixes cross-sectional human EEG/MRI, autopsy and rodent data; the causal chain "sleep → memory → amyloid" is partly inferred from correlations and the authors' own studies.

  2. clinical manual2005

    Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Insomnia: A Session-by-Session Guide

    Michael Perlis, Carla Jungquist, Michael Smith, Donn Posner

    Our assessmentThe standard clinical manual written by the University of Pennsylvania CBT-I team. Page numbers are printed page numbers (PDF page = printed page + 13).

  3. podcast2026

    #145 - How to get More Deep Sleep

    Matthew Walker

    Our assessmentA solo monologue by Matthew Walker (UC Berkeley sleep neuroscientist, author of Why We Sleep); he refers to studies by number and almost never names them. His statistics in Why We Sleep were criticized by Alexey Guzey (2019) and Andrew Gelman; in passing he treats the brain's "cleaning crew" as settled (without mentioning the contrary finding of Miao 2024). Sponsored.

  4. book2023

    Hello Sleep: The Science and Art of Overcoming Insomnia Without Medications

    Jade Wu

    Our assessmentA board-certified behavioral sleep medicine psychologist (Duke University). Evidence-based, but gentler than classic sleep restriction (the time-in-bed window never shrinks below baseline + 30 minutes); some claims rest on small studies.

  5. podcast2021

    Huberman Lab: Sleep Toolkit and 'Master Your Sleep & Be More Alert When Awake'

    Andrew Huberman

    Our assessmentA Stanford University neuroscientist. The parts on light and circadian mechanisms are solid; the specific minute counts are rules of thumb; his supplement advice and his rationale for delaying caffeine have been criticized. His numbers are inconsistent between the podcast and the toolkit (morning light 2-10 minutes vs 10-15 minutes).

  6. book2017

    The Stanford Method for Ultimate Sound Sleep

    Seiji Nishino

    Our assessmentThe author heads the Stanford Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology Laboratory. The best of the three popular-science books that cover body temperature. Overstates things on the "golden 90 minutes", alcohol and some numbers.

  7. book2016

    Sleep

    Nick Littlehales

    Our assessmentA sports sleep coach who started out in mattress sales, not a scientist; sells R90 bedding and lamps (conflict of interest). Figures and medical advice need to be checked.

  8. book2016

    Sleep Smarter

    Shawn Stevenson

    Our assessmentThe author is a health podcast host, not a clinician. The mainstream basics are fine, but he often overstates (grounding, electromagnetic radiation, supplements, health statistics).

  9. book2009

    Say Good Night to Insomnia, rev. ed.

    Gregg D. Jacobs

    Our assessmentFrom the Harvard insomnia program. The cognitive restructuring and relaxation sections are well written. Several health claims are outdated (core sleep of 5.5 h, "insomnia doesn't harm your health"). The program's efficacy figures are self-reported, with no control group.