In this episode, we're hosting cognitive neuroscientist Prof. Sara Mednick who is visiting Tübingen all the way from the University of California, Irvine. Being an expert in biorhythms, she explains the importance of natural up- and downstates such as related to sleep, the menstrual cycle and the transition to menopause. What are biorythms and how can we use especially downstates to improve our wellbeing? How can we use the knowledge on hormonal changes to balance our mood and cognition? Sara is here to give us a new perspective on our natural rhythms!

Timestamps:

01:30 What are biorythms?

03:31: What is the power of downstates?

06:42: How can we use biorythms & downstates for our wellbeing & cognition?

08:00: Sleep as restorative downstate

12:40: What is the menstrual cycle?

14:32: How does the menstrual cycle affect other biorythms?

15:50: Sleep as mood buffer during the menstural cylce

21:40: A change in prespective on the menstrual cylce

30:40: Changes in sleep in the transition to menopause

34:22: Subjective vs. objective measures of sleep & cognition

39:45: Wellbeing during (the transition) to menopause

42:53: Summary

44:40: A future vision for women's mental health: awareness, reseach & empowerement.

Sara's popular-scientific books: https://www.saramednick.com/books

• "The Power of the Downstate: Recharge Your Life Using Your Body's Own Restorative Systems" (2022)
• "Take a Nap! Change Your Life. The Scientific Plan to Make You Smarter, Healthier, More Productive" (2006)

Thanks to Nina Röhm for supporting & exchanging ideas in preparation of this episode!

Sound recording: Nina Röhm with the equipment of the IRTG2804

Editing: Franziska Weinmar

Do you have any feedback, suggestions, or questions? Get in touch with us: [email protected]

Are you intrigued by this topic and want to be kept updated? Follow us on twitter: @irtg2804 or instagram: @irtg2804

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.