E14 Understanding the Basics of Sleep: What Everyone Should Know about Sleep Needs and Stages

Host: Christopher L. Camp, M.D., Creator & Guide | Mayo Clinic Human Optimization Project

Guest: Stuart J. McCarter, M.D., Sleep and Cognitive/Behavioral Neurologist | Mayo Clinic – Rochester, MN

In the past, we’ve discussed the circadian rhythm and how it sets your clock for the day. Both when you are awake, and when you are asleep. Today, we are going to focus in on what happens to us when we go to sleep. We all know that for sleep to be truly restorative, we need a certain amount of it, and that sleep needs to be high quality. So, it’s a problem that concerns both quality and quantity. But if you want to optimize the quality and quantity of your sleep, you need to start by understanding what sleep is and what happens to our bodies while we are snoozing. This knowledge is foundational to you becoming the best sleeper you can be. Our guest this week is Dr. Stuart McCarter, who is a Neurologist and Sleep Expert from the Mayo Clinic. The three big questions Dr. McCarter is going to answer for us this week are: 1. What is sleep and why is it so important? 2. What are the different stages of sleep and their functions? 3. How can I tell how if I am getting enough high-quality sleep?

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