The autonomic nervous system is actually an integral part of us as human beings

and us as self-regulating, self-control, self-actualizing human beings.

And that's a very new way of thinking.

So when was the last time you felt truly at peace?

Relaxed physically and emotionally at ease.

How can you down-regulate your mind and body and reclaim control

over everything from your current state of mind, your sleep, your risk of illness,

and even how fast or slow you age? What if you had so much more control over all of these

than you ever imagined? No matter what seemingly breathless circumstance swirls around you?

Well, it 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 Sarah Mednek calls the down state.

Sarah is a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of California Irvine,

and the author of the powerful new book, The Hidden Power of the Downstate.

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,

yes, that's right, seven bedrooms, works literally around the clock to discover methods

for boosting cognition by napping, stimulating the brain with electricity, sound, and light

and pharmacology. And her research findings had been published in leading scientific journals like

Nature, Neuroscience, and the Proceedings from the National Academy of Science and covered by

major media outlets around the world in no small part because of its importance and practical

application in helping us feel better and live healthier, more vibrant lives. So excited to share

this conversation with you on Jonathan Fields and this is Good Life Project.

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