Good Life Project

Sara C. Mednick, PhD | How to Activate Your “Ease” Button


Listen Later

When was the last time you felt truly at peace? Relaxed, physically and emotionally at ease? How can you downregulate your mind and body and reclaim control over everything from your current state of mind to your sleep, risk of illness and even how fast or slow you age? What if you had so much more control over these than you imagined, no matter what seemingly breathless circumstance swirls around you? 


Turns out, we do, and it’s all about understanding our nervous system and how to actively bring ourselves into what my guest today, Professor Sara Mednick, calls the downstate. Sara is a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of California, Irvine and author of the powerful new book, The Power of the Downstate: Recharge Your Life Using Your Body's Own Restorative Systems. She is passionate about understanding how the brain works through her research into sleep and the autonomic nervous system. 


In fact, her seven-bedroom sleep lab works literally around the clock to discover methods for boosting cognition by napping, stimulating the brain with electricity, sound and light, and pharmacology. Her research findings have been published in such leading scientific journals as Nature Neuroscience and The Proceedings from the National Academy of Science, and covered by major media outlets, in no small part because of their importance and practical application in helping us feel better, and live healthier, more vibrant lives.


You can find Sara at: Website | Twitter


If you LOVED this episode you’ll also love the conversations we had with Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor about understanding your brain to live a better life.


Check out our offerings & partners: 

  • My New Book Sparked
  • My New Podcast SPARKED.
  • Visit Our Sponsor Page For Great Resources & Discount Codes

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

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Good Life ProjectBy Jonathan Fields / Acast

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

3,125 ratings


More shows like Good Life Project

View all
The One You Feed by Eric Zimmer

The One You Feed

2,553 Listeners

Generation Why: True Crime by Wondery

Generation Why: True Crime

17,312 Listeners

Untangle by Untangle

Untangle

818 Listeners

The Vanished Podcast by Wondery

The Vanished Podcast

15,310 Listeners

This Is Actually Happening by Wondery

This Is Actually Happening

10,471 Listeners

Sounds True: Insights at the Edge by Tami Simon

Sounds True: Insights at the Edge

1,852 Listeners

10% Happier with Dan Harris by 10% Happier

10% Happier with Dan Harris

12,762 Listeners

Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson by Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Forrest Hanson

Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

2,527 Listeners

True Crime All The Time by Emash Digital / Wondery

True Crime All The Time

13,730 Listeners

The Minds of Madness - True Crime Stories by Grip Tape

The Minds of Madness - True Crime Stories

6,720 Listeners

Oprah's Super Soul by Oprah

Oprah's Super Soul

31,749 Listeners

American History Tellers by Wondery

American History Tellers

19,263 Listeners

Business Wars by Wondery

Business Wars

12,855 Listeners

The Science of Happiness by PRX and Greater Good Science Center

The Science of Happiness

1,903 Listeners

American Scandal by Wondery

American Scandal

19,155 Listeners

The Happiness Lab: Getting Unstuck by Pushkin Industries

The Happiness Lab: Getting Unstuck

14,350 Listeners

Unlocking Us with Brené Brown by Vox Media Podcast Network

Unlocking Us with Brené Brown

23,598 Listeners

The Gathering Room Podcast by Martha Beck

The Gathering Room Podcast

680 Listeners

Against The Odds by Wondery

Against The Odds

7,769 Listeners

A Slight Change of Plans by Pushkin Industries

A Slight Change of Plans

2,014 Listeners

We Can Do Hard Things by Treat Media and Glennon Doyle

We Can Do Hard Things

41,499 Listeners

Pulling The Thread with Elise Loehnen by Elise Loehnen

Pulling The Thread with Elise Loehnen

1,104 Listeners

The Mel Robbins Podcast by Mel Robbins

The Mel Robbins Podcast

21,170 Listeners

The Oprah Podcast by Harpo

The Oprah Podcast

1,723 Listeners