Vertebrate Physiology

Sleep is something that we take for granted, and all too often assume that we will find enough time to get the sleep that we need.
This is a WNYC Radio Lab podcast that talks about many aspects of sleep. With studies of sleep involving a diverse array of animals from little girls and cats to iguanas and dolphins, this program discusses half-brain sleep behaviour, night terrors, and parasomnias.

One of the primary themes is how fear (notions of menace and predation) may be a major factor in the sleep process. Fear is a factor in other aspects of behaviour, that we will look at when we discuss the amygdala.
There is also a segment on dreams and how they represent and affect our conscious state. One story describes how rats “replay” their experiences in a maze from earlier in the day while sleeping. This may indicate how sleep can effect memory.

Radiolab is a great series of science-oriented programs that are easy to listen to, but still very interesting in a Discovery Channel style.