The Current

Documentary explores serious consequences of sleep deprivation

To sleep, perchance to dream. A new documentary looks at new information about dreams and sleep and what the brain is up to while we slumber - including a new form of brain washing that actually seems to be good for you.
"When we deprive ourselves of sleep, there are some very very serious consequences," says Jennifer Gardy, host of While You Were Sleeping. (Carl Court/AFP/Getty Images)

Read story transcript

In parts of sleep, the brain is at least as active and maybe more active than it is during waking.-  Robert Stickgold, cognitive neuroscientist 

As Shakespeare says, we are such stuff. As dreams are made on.

For some a good night's sleep has become something we can only dream about. 

Sleep is about much more than letting our bodies recharge, says sleep researcher. (General Photographic Agency/Getty Images)
 But as the scientific research continues to grow, it's becoming more and more apparent that getting our sleep is about much more than simply recharging our energy stores and that the time may have come to re-think sleep. 
...men tend to have more action-based dreams, whereas women's tend to be a little more subtle as opposed to the I'm Flying!- Jennifer Gardy, host of While You Were Sleeping

It's a topic that CBC TV's the Nature of Things will tackle this Thursday March 10, 2016, in While You Were Sleeping.

Sleep is "our brains cleaning themselves out," says documentary host Jennifer Gardy. (George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images)

Guests in this segment:

  • Jennifer Gardy, host of While You Were Sleeping and an assistant professor in the faculty of medicine at the University of British Columbia.
  • Robert Stickgold, cognitive neuroscientist and director of the Center for Sleep and Cognition at Harvard Medical School.

How do you make sure you get enough sleep? What happens if you don't?

Tweet us at @TheCurrentCBC. Find us on Facebook.Or email us.

This segment was produced by The Current's Karin Marley.