Podcasts · Office Hours with Arthur Brooks

2 Ways to Sleep Better and Be Happier

· 45 min

Episode 2 Ways to Sleep Better and Be Happier

0:00 45:28

We all know how important sleep is for our health and happiness. So why do we resist going to bed, even when we know we should?

In this episode of Office Hours, I explore the science of sleep and how it affects our well-being. I explain why we sometimes sacrifice sleep for a little extra time to ourselves, a phenomenon known as "revenge bedtime procrastination," and what it reveals about our need for control. I also share two ways to change your relationship with sleep, along with my own nightly routine.

—

Brought to you by:

• Noble Mobile—With Noble, there is only one plan: The No-Bull Plan. It’s simple. It’s transparent. And if you use less data, you get cash back. Get an exclusive offer at: https://noblemobile.com/arthurbrooks.

—

Where to find Arthur Brooks:

• Website: https://arthurbrooks.com/

• In-person Retreats: https://retreats.arthurbrooks.com/

• Newsletter: https://www.arthurbrooks.com/newsletter

• X: https://x.com/arthurbrooks

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arthurcbrooks/

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArthurBrooks/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGuyFRjJQFGCKzfHTBvWM6A

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-c-brooks/

• Email: officehours@arthurbrooks.com

—

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(05:42) The sleep deprivation epidemic

(08:27) How sleep affects your health and well-being

(13:46) Four common barriers to sleep

(15:58) Bedtime procrastination

(19:22) Revenge bedtime procrastination

(24:22) #1. Quell your inner tyrant

(28:42) #2. Go from physical to metaphysical

(36:14) My personal sleep routine

(41:33) Q&A: Dealing with shifting ambition

(42:34) Q&A: Why men struggle more with friendship than women

—

Referenced:

• The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness: themeaningofyourlife.com

• Arthur’s newsletter: https://www.arthurbrooks.com/newsletter

• The Happiness Scale: https://learn.arthurbrooks.com/the-happiness-scale

• Retreats: https://retreats.arthurbrooks.com

• Huberman Lab: https://www.hubermanlab.com

• About Sleep: https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about/index.html

• Changes in Sleep Duration, Quality, and Medication Use Are Prospectively Associated With Health and Well-being: Analysis of the UK Household Longitudinal Study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28364423

• The role of sleep in cognition and emotion: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19338508

• ...References continued at: https://www.arthurbrooks.com/office-hours

Links in the notes 17

The episode on the publisher’s site

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.