Film Info43 minutes
Infield Fly Productions in Association with The Nature of Things, CBC TV; the Canada Media Fund, Rogers Telefund, The Ontario Media Development Corporation and CAVCO Available for Free AND Ticketed events Synopsis: For thousands of years, we’ve regarded sleep as nothing more than a way to charge our batteries. But thanks to revolutionary new technology, innovative animal research and advances in genetics, that view is about to change. Does sleep control our weight, allow us to make memories, wash our brain and help us fight off diseases like Alzheimer’s? Around the world researchers are attempting to penetrate the mysterious world of the sleeping brain to answer these questions – answers that could change our lives. Join host Dr. Jennifer Grady as she goes on a remarkable journey to find out why we sleep. |
|
Action Items
- Make sure to get a MINIMUM of 7 hours of sleep EVERY night
- Learn more about what happens when you don’t get enough sleep http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/features/sleep-more-important-than-you-think
- Become aware of the consequences of sleep deprivation and the benefits of a full night of sleep.
- To learn more about the importance of sleep visit cbc.ca/natureofthings
- Keep a dream diary and write down your dreams in order to try and understand what how your brain is working at night to file your memories, experiences, and information about your day.
- To learn how to log a dream diary visit https://psychcentral.com/lib/how-to-analyze-your-dreams-and-why-its-important/
Filmmaker Q & A
Describe some of the challenges faced while making this film
Dugald Maudsley, EP: Sleep is not an easy subject to visualize. The Nature of Things were very clear that they did not want to see sequence after sequence of subjects with wires attached to their heads sleeping away the night. So, that was our greatest challenge: tell a story about sleep without showing anyone sleeping. Our solution was to focus on the actual research being conducted by the best sleep scientists in the world – people like Dr. Robert Stickgold of Harvard University – and inject our host into that research as a human guinea pig. Our other major challenge was explaining some of the very complex concepts that viewers had to understand in order to grasp the amazing discoveries being made in this field. In the end, we relied on the extraordinary talents of graphic artist Mark Alberts of Electric Square to visualize the ideas of director Jeff Semple, editor David Murray and executive producer, Dugald Maudsley. We also worked very hard on the writing of the story to make the ideas both easily understood but still sophisticated and detailed.
How do you approach science storytelling?
Dugald Maudsley, EP: We approach science storytelling the same way we approach all storytelling – the story comes first. By that I mean that we start with a clear storyline driven by a clear thesis. The scientists also play a critical role. To us they are more than interviews -- they are characters with interesting backgrounds, motivated by unique experiences that often interact in fascinating ways with their discoveries. Finally, we let our pictures lead us. Sequences, and what they can tell the viewer, come first and the information we want to convey about the science of our subject is told through those pictures.
What impact do you hope this film will have?
Dugald Maudsley, EP: We hope this film will have the same impact on the people who watch it as it had on us. When we began to uncover the discoveries currently being made in the world of sleep research we were blown away: our brain washes itself when we sleep? Amazing! How does that happen? Why does it happen? How critical is it to us? Our hope is that people will watch this film and realize, as we did, that sleep is vital to our existence, vital to our ability to be able to function during our waking hours.
Anything else you would like people to know?
Dugald Maudsley, EP: It is critical that people realize that we have ignored the importance of sleep to our health for far too long and that we continue to ignore its importance at our peril. Across the world, but especially in North America, we see sleep as the enemy – something that gets in the way of the other things we want to do, something that can be avoided. Hopefully this film changes that view and makes people healthier and happier as a result. Dr. Jennifer Gardy, Host: With our docs, we really try to show people the interesting science behind things that everyone can relate to. Of everything we’ve done over the past few years, I’m most proud of the sleep doc - I’ve had so many people tell me how it’s changed their views on sleep and made them recognize the value of a good night’s sleep beyond just recharging your proverbial batteries!
What’s next?
Dugald Maudsley, EP: We are currently working on a documentary for The Nature of Things about our senses and the fascinating new research being done in this area. We are also developing a documentary on poo! Turns out it is an amazing by product with the potential to change our lives. Truly.
What inspired you to tell this particular story?
Dugald Maudsley, EP: Infield Fly Productions produces a popular series for The Nature of Things on CBC Television called Myth or Science. We began to research the subject of sleep for a possible Myth or Science and realized that this arena of scientific endeavor was going through a seismic change. After decades of making very little progress, sleep scientists were discovering the most extraordinary things: that our brain cleans itself while we sleep; that sleep is critical to memory and learning; that sleep affects our weight. We immediately recognized the importance of this work to, literally, every single person on the planet and got the go-ahead from The Nature of Things to produce a documentary on the subject.
Were there any unexpected surprises or breakthroughs during this film investigation?
Jeff Semple, Director: I was surprised that every scientist regarded themselves more like an astronaut on an exciting deep space mission: to them sleep was like a dark void and it was clear that they felt they had only scratched the surface of what's happening in our brain and body as we sleep. Everyone on the crew came away from filming this documentary with a newfound appreciation for a good night's sleep. I learned that I had been showing little respect for something vitally important to my mental and physical well being. And, I have changed my sleeping patterns because of it. I also learned that in the not too distant future everyone will know that a good sleep is just as important to your overall health as exercise and eating well. People who think that going without sleep proves their strength will be seen as fools. Decisions made by people on little sleep will hold as much value as decisions made by those who are intoxicated.
Dr. Jennifer Gardy, Host: Those tears of surprise/amazement you see in our dream sequence were totally real! I’d always discounted dream analysis, assuming that our dreams were just a mishmash of what we’d experienced that day and that any major themes would be immediately obvious - if you were concerned about work, for example, you’d dream about your job. My “dream log” for the show only contained a handful of dreams that I was able to remember and log in great detail, so I was skeptical that anything would come of it. When our dream doctor - who had gone to great pains to ensure he know absolutely nothing about me before the interpretation - began to walk me through some of the hidden meanings behind the recurrent themes in my dreams, I was completely blindsided. It really opened my eyes as to what goes on, well, when my eyes are closed!
Dugald Maudsley, EP: Sleep is not an easy subject to visualize. The Nature of Things were very clear that they did not want to see sequence after sequence of subjects with wires attached to their heads sleeping away the night. So, that was our greatest challenge: tell a story about sleep without showing anyone sleeping. Our solution was to focus on the actual research being conducted by the best sleep scientists in the world – people like Dr. Robert Stickgold of Harvard University – and inject our host into that research as a human guinea pig. Our other major challenge was explaining some of the very complex concepts that viewers had to understand in order to grasp the amazing discoveries being made in this field. In the end, we relied on the extraordinary talents of graphic artist Mark Alberts of Electric Square to visualize the ideas of director Jeff Semple, editor David Murray and executive producer, Dugald Maudsley. We also worked very hard on the writing of the story to make the ideas both easily understood but still sophisticated and detailed.
How do you approach science storytelling?
Dugald Maudsley, EP: We approach science storytelling the same way we approach all storytelling – the story comes first. By that I mean that we start with a clear storyline driven by a clear thesis. The scientists also play a critical role. To us they are more than interviews -- they are characters with interesting backgrounds, motivated by unique experiences that often interact in fascinating ways with their discoveries. Finally, we let our pictures lead us. Sequences, and what they can tell the viewer, come first and the information we want to convey about the science of our subject is told through those pictures.
What impact do you hope this film will have?
Dugald Maudsley, EP: We hope this film will have the same impact on the people who watch it as it had on us. When we began to uncover the discoveries currently being made in the world of sleep research we were blown away: our brain washes itself when we sleep? Amazing! How does that happen? Why does it happen? How critical is it to us? Our hope is that people will watch this film and realize, as we did, that sleep is vital to our existence, vital to our ability to be able to function during our waking hours.
Anything else you would like people to know?
Dugald Maudsley, EP: It is critical that people realize that we have ignored the importance of sleep to our health for far too long and that we continue to ignore its importance at our peril. Across the world, but especially in North America, we see sleep as the enemy – something that gets in the way of the other things we want to do, something that can be avoided. Hopefully this film changes that view and makes people healthier and happier as a result. Dr. Jennifer Gardy, Host: With our docs, we really try to show people the interesting science behind things that everyone can relate to. Of everything we’ve done over the past few years, I’m most proud of the sleep doc - I’ve had so many people tell me how it’s changed their views on sleep and made them recognize the value of a good night’s sleep beyond just recharging your proverbial batteries!
What’s next?
Dugald Maudsley, EP: We are currently working on a documentary for The Nature of Things about our senses and the fascinating new research being done in this area. We are also developing a documentary on poo! Turns out it is an amazing by product with the potential to change our lives. Truly.
What inspired you to tell this particular story?
Dugald Maudsley, EP: Infield Fly Productions produces a popular series for The Nature of Things on CBC Television called Myth or Science. We began to research the subject of sleep for a possible Myth or Science and realized that this arena of scientific endeavor was going through a seismic change. After decades of making very little progress, sleep scientists were discovering the most extraordinary things: that our brain cleans itself while we sleep; that sleep is critical to memory and learning; that sleep affects our weight. We immediately recognized the importance of this work to, literally, every single person on the planet and got the go-ahead from The Nature of Things to produce a documentary on the subject.
Were there any unexpected surprises or breakthroughs during this film investigation?
Jeff Semple, Director: I was surprised that every scientist regarded themselves more like an astronaut on an exciting deep space mission: to them sleep was like a dark void and it was clear that they felt they had only scratched the surface of what's happening in our brain and body as we sleep. Everyone on the crew came away from filming this documentary with a newfound appreciation for a good night's sleep. I learned that I had been showing little respect for something vitally important to my mental and physical well being. And, I have changed my sleeping patterns because of it. I also learned that in the not too distant future everyone will know that a good sleep is just as important to your overall health as exercise and eating well. People who think that going without sleep proves their strength will be seen as fools. Decisions made by people on little sleep will hold as much value as decisions made by those who are intoxicated.
Dr. Jennifer Gardy, Host: Those tears of surprise/amazement you see in our dream sequence were totally real! I’d always discounted dream analysis, assuming that our dreams were just a mishmash of what we’d experienced that day and that any major themes would be immediately obvious - if you were concerned about work, for example, you’d dream about your job. My “dream log” for the show only contained a handful of dreams that I was able to remember and log in great detail, so I was skeptical that anything would come of it. When our dream doctor - who had gone to great pains to ensure he know absolutely nothing about me before the interpretation - began to walk me through some of the hidden meanings behind the recurrent themes in my dreams, I was completely blindsided. It really opened my eyes as to what goes on, well, when my eyes are closed!