What staying up all night does to your brain | Anna Rothschild

TED Health

TED

Health & Fitness, Fitness, Shoshana Ungerleider, Medicine, How To Be Healthier, Ted Shoshana, Ted Talks Health

4.2 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 18 March 2025

⏱️ 21 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

You’re just one history final away from a relaxing spring break. But you still have so much to study! You decide to follow in the footsteps of many students before you, and pull an all-nighter. So, what happens to your brain when you stay up all night? And does cramming like this actually help you prepare for a test? Anna Rothschild explores how a sleepless night impacts your cognitive function. [Directed by Biljana Labović, narrated by Jack Cutmore-Scott, music by Salil Bhayani, cAMP Studio]. After the talk Shoshanna does a dive deep into the effects of sleep deprivation on other aspects of your health -- starting with the heart.

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Transcript

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0:48.4	This is TED Health, a podcast from the TED Audio Collective, and I'm your host, Dr. Shoshana Ungerleiter.
0:56.9	Back when I worked the night shift in the hospital, I thought I had mastered the art of running on no sleep.
1:03.5	Coffee, adrenaline, and sheer willpower got me through the early hours.
1:08.4	But by the morning, my brain felt like it was wrapped in fog. I'd forget
1:12.7	simple things. I'd struggle to focus and let's not even talk about my reaction time driving home.
1:19.1	Sleep isn't just about feeling rested. It's a powerful force shaping memory, mood, and even long-term
1:25.6	health. This 2024 TED-Ed lesson takes us inside the sleep-deprived brain, revealing what really
1:33.2	happens when we push past exhaustion.
1:36.9	Understanding the science of sleep can help us make better choices, not just for staying
1:41.7	sharp today, but for protecting our health in the long run.
1:45.7	So before trading shut eye for screen time, you might want to listen to this first.
1:50.9	Before we dive in, a quick break to hear from our sponsors.
2:05.7	Every episode of trade-offs is grounded in rigorous research.
	...

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