[00:00] Can we evolve so that we never have to sleep? First, we need to upgrade your body's reset system. When you sleep, your neurons pulse in a slow rhythm, reducing the noise in your brain and preserving what you learned.
[00:13] We need to fix that reset program so it runs while you're still awake by implanting electrodes across the entire brain cortex to reset one region at a time. Next, we need to get rid of your brain's toxic waste.
[00:25] Protein byproducts that build up through the day are flushed out when you sleep. The spaces between brain cells open up and fluid carries the toxins away. Without this, the proteins accumulate and you may get Alzheimer's.
[00:37] So each half of your brain will need to take it in turns to be cleaned while the other stays awake. But all this comes at a cost. Your brain already burns around 20% of your body's energy. Keeping your brain running 24-7 would require around three times as much.
[00:52] And biologically, you're not human anymore. You're closer to a bottlenose dolphin that can put half of its brain to sleep while the other half stays conscious. Nature hasn't found the perfect hack for zero sleep, but if we cram these fixes into
[01:04] a wearable sleep suit, you might be very hungry but otherwise truly unstoppable.