Examine groundbreaking research on the enigmatic phenomenon of sleep, straight from a scientist at the forefront of the field. In these 24 engrossing lectures, award-winning Stanford University professor H. Craig Heller reveals what happens in the sleeping brain all the way down to the cellular and molecular level as you investigate coping mechanisms for jet lag, shift work, and insomnia; parasomnias such as sleepwalking and night terrors; and much more.
Secrets of Sleep Science: From Dreams to Disorders
Examine groundbreaking research on the enigmatic phenomenon of sleep all the way down to the cellular and molecular level, led by an award-winning scientist.
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Bernie K from
Another very good course
Dr. Heller really excites a keen interest in whole area of sleep. Some of the science is pretty heavy, however the saliant parts are reviewed. The course has help me to do more sleep investigation on my own. It is a course that directly relates to every student.
Date published: 2024-01-06
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Henning from
Interesting and technical
I found the course informative and Professor Heller is an engaging lecturer.
It was interesting to learn about sleep as a mechanism for the restoration of glycogen stores, and also about the consolidation of procedural and declarative memories. I also appreciated his description of the thinking that goes into the design of experiments that confirm or refute hypotheses.
I wonder whether more lectures could be added with the passing of time, since in the decade since these lectures, new discoveries have been made. For example the existence within the brain of what is called the glymphatic system , which seems to be a waste disposal system and seems to be particularly active during slow wave sleep.
Date published: 2023-08-27
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Jeff Towers from
Worth multiple listens and careful study
The wondrium great courses have many excellent offerings in neurology, anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology, as well as the foundational sciences. This course is a systematic investigation of sleep neurology that builds on these, though the material is accessible as a general interest course.
Even a superficial audit of this course would be beneficial, but among all the courses this one stands out for our careful study because of the author's extraordinary, exemplary scholarship. It is a profound example of applied science where benefits are wisely evaluated and the methods of science brought to bear.
Whatever the reason you take this course, you're likely to benefit on many levels - and come away with a profound understanding of the value of sleep in our lives.
Date published: 2023-06-05
Rated 4 out of
5
by
EngineerinVA from
Tough Course with Real Science
This course is not pop science; it is hard science with a definite reliance on biochemistry and neurology. It might be beneficial to take Understanding the Brain by The Great Courses (TGC) before taking this course. In contrast with presentations from other sources which focus on platitudes and sleep hygiene, this course focuses on functions in the brain, cell functions (particularly neurons), and chemical reactions within and between cells.
To be more precise, the first two-thirds of the course are deep and highly technical. Having laid this strong foundation, Dr. Heller shifts gears in the last third of the class to discuss interesting topics such as how sleep affects learning, how sleep affects memory, and various sleep disorders.
Dr. Heller lectures as though you understand what he is saying. Trying to follow his lecture is much like trying to read a technical paper. One definitely must pay full attention to the lecture in order to follow it owing to its highly technical nature. One cannot casually follow this course while multitasking such as playing solitaire, driving, or exercising. However, the student who has adequate background and who follows intently will find these lectures rigorous and beneficial.
The course guide is below average by TGC standards. It is written in bullet format as opposed to paragraph or outline form. It has about 6-7 pages per lecture, which seems to be about average for TGC courses. There are no useful graphics in the course guide, which is surprising given the number of important graphics in the video lectures. There is a bibliography with a one-sentence description of the value provided by the reference. There is no glossary, which is a significant problem for such a highly technical course.
I used the video version. I recommend the video version over the audio version owing to the important graphics such as chemistry models, brain architecture, etc.
The course was published in 2013.
Date published: 2023-04-10
Rated 5 out of
5
by
gpc47 from
Secrets of Sleep Science
I have taken many courses from The Great Courses. However, this one was much more detailed and intense than most. It presented overwhelming information about sleep including cell-level operations. If you have an interest in sleep, you should consider taking this course. You will learn so much.
Date published: 2022-12-21
Rated 3 out of
5
by
JKMc from
Could not get past animal experimentation
The presenter is clear, articulate, personable and extremely knowledgeable. But I should have paid more attention to the title Sleep SCIENCE. A significant part of the data for these lectures is derived from experiments on animals. By the 6th lecture I was simply appalled by the blatant descriptions of physically invasive and abusive experiments on various animals and had to stop. This was simply not the approach to the study of sleep that worked for me.
Date published: 2022-10-31
Rated 4 out of
5
by
baylou from
The presenter was articulate and knowledgeable, and the content was interesting and many of the technical aspects dovetail nicely with intuition. However, I feel the course was lacking in visual support. It would have been beneficial to see more charts, data, and more detailed graphs.
Date published: 2022-10-25
Rated 3 out of
5
by
MLK41 from
Expecting More
While the content was basically very good, my main interest is knowing about the effects of sleep deprivation or sleep debt due to lack of time for sleep--not due to insomnia or poor sleep hygiene or sleep/brain disturbance of some kind. Merely due to having perhaps just 5 or 6 hours per night for sleep, always, over a long period of time, years, in fact. How does that person function and perform? What does that experience do to the person? There was nothing about this phenomenon in the program.
Date published: 2022-09-17
Overview
About
Dr. H. Craig Heller is the Lorry I. Lokey/Business Wire Professor of Biological Sciences and Human Biology at Stanford University. He earned his Ph.D. in Biology from Yale University. Over the past three to four decades, virtually all biology undergraduates at Stanford have learned physiology from Professor Heller. In recognition of his outstanding performance, he received the Walter J. Gores Award for excellence in teaching and the Kenneth M. Cuthbertson Award for exceptional contributions to Stanford University. The coauthor of more than 200 peer-reviewed research papers, Professor Heller incorporates a wide range of topics into his research, including thermoregulation, hibernation, circadian rhythms, sleep, learning and memory, and human physical performance. His current focus is on the role of sleep and circadian rhythms in learning and memory as applied to the development of therapies for the learning disabilities associated with Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Heller's laboratory is also dedicated to developing technologies for the efficient regulation of heat into and out of the body. Professor Heller is a coauthor of a leading college textbook, Life: The Science of Biology, now in its 10th edition, and the new biology textbook, Principles of Life.
Trailer
01: Sweet Sleep-Essential for a Healthy Life
Professor Heller introduces you to the many consequences of short or disrupted sleep, along with accounts of medical mistakes and large-scale disasters likely to have occurred due to sleep deprivation. Contemplate our "National Sleep Deficit" and learn the professor's hypothesis for the purpose of sleep, which science has yet to fully explain....
34 min
02: What Is Sleep?
Given the long-standing interest in sleep, why is the science of sleep so relatively new? As you identify the defining features of sleep as a foundation for later lectures, you explore the tools researchers use to study sleep patterns and what experiments have taught us about the key characteristics of REM and non-REM sleep, including dreams....
29 min
03: Sleep across the Night
Examine hypnograms that show how the various stages of REM and non-REM sleep cycle throughout the night. Then, find out how the REM and non-REM sleep states relate, how they change throughout the sleep phase, and why the brain may create changes in sleep intensity to help you "pay back" a sleep deficit....
29 min
04: Sleep across the Lifespan
Is there a biological basis for the sleep changes that commonly occur over a person's lifespan? Learn how your brain's circadian rhythms regulate sleep, then compare the sleep patterns of precocial and altricial species. Discover the disorders that can impair the restorative quality of sleep and problems associated with sleeping too much....
33 min
05: Who in the World Sleeps?
There are thousands of animal species in the world. Do they all have the same need to sleep as we do? Learn the three basic characteristics of sleep that can generally be applied to animals, then investigate the sleep patterns of various species, including migratory birds, arthropods, monotremes, and marine mammals that are able to sleep on only one side of their brains at a time....
29 min
06: The Timing of Sleep
In the first of two lectures on understanding the clock in your brain and how it controls virtually every aspect of physiology and behavior, you'll learn the essential characteristics of circadian rhythms and how working against your clock can result in health and performance problems. Investigate phase advances and delays related to jet lag and shift work....
30 min
07: The Wheels of the Circadian Clock
As you turn to the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for the characteristics of circadian rhythms, the professor offers a basic lesson in molecular genetics before discussing "clock genes" and how they can constitute a negative feedback system with a delay in the feedback loop....
31 min
08: The Deep Sleep of Hibernators
Hibernation is an adaptation that enables some warm-blooded animals to turn down their thermostats for spans of hours to months in an effort to conserve energy. In the first of two lectures that explore the neural systems that control sleep and wakefulness, investigate the evolutionary explanations for and mechanisms of hibernation in squirrels and bears, as well as daily torpor in birds....
32 min
09: The Neuroanatomy and Neurochemistry of Sleep
Many discrete structures in the brain are involved in the control of sleep and wakefulness. Delve into neuroanatomy and neurochemistry, which are necessary to understand how and why we sleep, and how medications and other factors influence sleep. Grasp the significance of discoveries by Giuseppe Moruzzi, Constantin von Economo, and others through an in-depth examination of sleep pathologies....
31 min
10: The Neurophysiology of Sleep
Go a step further in discovering the cellular function of non-REM sleep by identifying the cellular changes produced by wakefulness and reversed during sleep, and investigating the processes underlying the generation of slow-wave activity on the EEG. Learn about the fundamental principles of electrical circuits as you explore how a neuron functions like a tiny battery....
32 min
11: Sleep Disorders-Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is an incurable neurological disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, disrupted nighttime sleep, bizarre hallucinations at sleep onset, and cataplexy. Analyze research exploring the possibility of a genetic component to this disorder in humans and canines, and learn what medications and other treatments are available to manage it....
31 min
12: The Strange World of Dreams
What are dreams and what do they mean? Examine Freudian-Jungian psychoanalytic theory and methods relating to the unconscious as well as scientific hypotheses for the occurrence of dreams. Consider the therapeutic potential of "lucid dreaming" for treating nightmares in post-traumatic stress disorder sufferers and the possibility that dreaming may enhance our ability to be creative....
29 min
13: Functions of Sleep-Fueling the Brain
In the first of several lectures that explore hypotheses on the function of sleep, focus on the idea that sleep is for the restoration of brain energy reserves that are depleted during periods of wakefulness. Analyze the relationship between sleep and glycogen metabolism, as well as the molecule adenosine....
31 min
14: The Timing and Function of REM Sleep
Why do non-REM and REM cycle, with non-REM always first? Why is non-REM sleep deeper early in the night? Delve into the fundamental relationship between non-REM and REM and question the common assumption that the need for sleep builds during wakefulness. Extend your analysis into a hypothesis about the basic function of REM sleep....
31 min
15: Sleep and Learning-Procedural Memory
In studying the interactions between sleep and the stages of procedural memory-including encoding, consolidation, stabilization, reactivation, and reconsolidation-you'll focus on experiments that seek to identify which type of sleep contributes to the consolidation of procedural memories and whether this effect can be exploited to maximize learning....
33 min
16: Sleep and Declarative Memory
Turn now to declarative memory and the ways that sleep impacts our capacity to form and integrate conscious memories and improves our ability to use the facts we remember. Explore hypotheses about memory consolidation, reactivation, and reconsolidation by analyzing a working model of two-step memory processes involving the hippocampus and cortex....
32 min
17: Sleep and Memory in Animals
For both humans and animals, sleep plays an important role in memory consolidation and therefore, learning. Focus on evidence that sleep promotes structural changes in the nervous system, then move on to the neurophysiological processes of memory consolidation. Conclude by looking at factors that can disrupt the sleep-related functions required for learning and memory....
32 min
18: Sleep and Learning Disability
Using your understanding of how sleep is critically involved in learning and memory, explore whether an underlying cause for learning disabilities may be related to sleep systems or mechanisms, and whether they offer a route to a therapy. Consider the potential for improving learning and memory in individuals with Down syndrome, specifically....
28 min
19: When You Cannot Sleep-Insomnia
Move on from lectures exploring how we "sleep to learn" to the first of several lectures concerned with "learning to sleep." Differentiate between primary and secondary insomnias as you identify some of the major causes of sleep disruption, and confront the consequences suffered by those who delay sleep-both intentionally and unintentionally....
28 min
20: Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a major cause of insomnia, yet it's often misdiagnosed. First, touch on central sleep apnea in infants and sudden infant death syndrome, then delve into the causes, signs, consequences, and treatments associated with obstructive sleep apnea-the most common form of the disorder in adults....
30 min
21: Behavior during Sleep-Parasomnias
Make sense of various types of parasomnias-undesirable behaviors or phenomena that occur predominantly or exclusively during sleep-including sleep walking, sleep-related eating disorder, night terrors, periodic limb movement, sleep paralysis, and sexsomnia. Then, consider how the legal principle of mens rea applies to sleepwalkers who have allegedly committed heinous crimes....
30 min
22: Sleep and the Rest of the Body
Return to a question posed in the lecture on sleep in the animal kingdom: Why take the brain off-line during sleep if the function of sleep is not for the brain? Look at experiments studying the effects of sleep loss on rats as you investigate sleep's role in a range of physiological processes. Then, see how shortened sleep contributes to obesity and immune system failure in humans....
31 min
23: Improving Sleep
How can you improve your quality of sleep? Start by delving into the efficacy and potential dangers of various pharmaceutical solutions to the problem of insomnia, including herbal remedies such as kava-kava and chamomile tea; barbiturates; benzodiazepines; caffeine; and amphetamines. Then, look at the nonpharmaceutical approaches of good sleep hygiene and cognitive behavioral therapy....
31 min
24: Sleep in the Future and the Future of Sleep
Will we ever fully comprehend the function of sleep? See how sleep and treatment for sleep problems might change in years to come, and consider how continuing progress in understanding sleep's role in learning and memory processes may enhance education and hold therapeutic potential for treating post-traumatic stress disorder....
33 min
