Why do I get sleepy?
CrowdScience
BBC
4.8 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 8 November 2019
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
We’re all familiar with the sensation of sleepiness – heavy eye-lid, that warm, fuzzy feeling. But, one CrowdScience listener wants to know, what’s actually going on in our body and brain when tiredness takes over?
Presenter Marnie Chesterton takes up the challenge and follows a trail that leads to circadian scientists working at the NASA Ames research centre in Silicon Valley. It turns out aviators and astronauts take sleepiness very seriously indeed.
Marnie sends out roving reporter Anand Jagatia to investigate how our psycho-motor skills are affected by fatigue in a driving simulator. And we ask how does sleepiness change with age? Why, when tired, do adults crave a nap but children become ever more excitable? And what the hell’s going on with teenagers? We have some answers.
Presented by Anand Jagatia Produced by Dom Byrne (Photo: Tired woman taking a nap at work sitting at office desk. Credit: Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of |
| 0:07.0 | Happiness Podcast. |
| 0:08.0 | For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want |
| 0:14.4 | to share that science with you. |
| 0:16.1 | And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley. |
| 0:19.4 | I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that |
| 0:25.4 | calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds. Hello? |
| 0:41.0 | Good morning, How are you? |
| 0:43.0 | I'm going to be honest with you, Marney. How are you? |
| 0:48.0 | I'm fine, Annand, because I got a proper night sleep whereas I believe I am actually |
| 0:57.1 | tell me about you so I was only allowed to have four hours sleep last night so I went to bed at 3 a.m. |
| 1:05.0 | gone up about half six and now me and producer Dom are on the train on our way to Bristol. |
| 1:12.0 | And I'm really sorry and I'm presuming you haven't had a tea or coffee or anything. |
| 1:17.0 | No, I was not allowed to drink any caffeinated drink. |
| 1:20.0 | You know in your toilet you just don't function. |
| 1:22.0 | It took me like 10 minutes just to like take a pair of stocks. |
| 1:26.0 | Welcome to Crowd Science with me, Marnie Chesterton and him, Anand Jagatir. |
| 1:31.1 | I've sent a sleep-deprived Anand off to a lab to help us understand a phenomenon that afflict us all, sleepiness and tiredness. |
| 1:39.0 | So, Anan's tired, I could do with some more time in bed, but that's nothing compared to crowd science |
| 1:46.1 | listener Chris Peck from Sydney Australia. |
| 1:48.7 | Chris, hello, what time is it where you are? |
| 1:52.2 | So it's about 20 to Chris, hello, what time is it where you are? |
... |
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