Vodcast Series  ·  2026
SLEEP
RESCUE
with Dr. Matthew Walker

Dr. Matthew Walker — the world's leading sleep scientist — spends 24 hours inside a prominent guest's home. Cameras roll through the night. He watches, measures, and listens. By morning he delivers a diagnosis and a plan the guest can use for the rest of their life.

60 Minutes
60 Min / Episode
24-Hour Stay
Live Diagnosis
Multi-Platform
Dr. Matthew Walker
REC
00:00:12:04
DR. MATTHEW WALKER
Sleep Neuroscientist · UC Berkeley · On Location
SLEEP RESCUE· MAYIM BIALIK· PETE DAVIDSON· ANDERSON COOPER· NICOLE RICHIE· MIKE TYSON· NATASHA LYONNE· DR. MATTHEW WALKER· SLEEP RESCUE· MAYIM BIALIK· PETE DAVIDSON· ANDERSON COOPER· NICOLE RICHIE· MIKE TYSON· NATASHA LYONNE· DR. MATTHEW WALKER·
The Concept
WALKER SHOWS UP.
SPENDS THE NIGHT.
FIXES THE SLEEP.

Each episode is a 24-hour journey built around a single question: what is keeping this person from sleeping, and how do we fix it? Walker arrives at the guest's home and stays through the night. He observes the bedroom, the habits, the data from a wearable tracker — then sits down in the morning and explains exactly what went wrong and what to do about it.

The guests are prominent people with real, documented sleep problems. Comedians who can't come down after a show. Athletes running on four hours of pride. Executives who wear sleep deprivation like a badge. Trauma survivors haunted every night. The casting universe is as wide as public life.

WHY VODCAST
01

FILMED DIAGNOSIS

Walker on camera conducting real sleep assessments — wearables, environment scans, lifestyle interviews — all documented live.

02

GUEST VULNERABILITY

Prominent guests filmed in their real bedrooms, real routines, real breakdowns — the intimacy that only cameras rolling through the night can capture.

03

VISUAL SCIENCE

Sleep data, brain scans, circadian charts and infographics displayed as animated overlays — making complex neuroscience watchable and shareable.

04

DUAL FORMAT

Released as both a filmed vodcast and a broadcast-ready cut. Built for the way audiences watch content now.

I

THE ARRIVAL

Walker arrives on camera — meeting the guest in their home, getting initial impressions, observing the pre-sleep environment. Raw and unscripted.

II

THE LONG NIGHT

Cameras capture everything — the bedtime ritual, the restlessness, the wearable data coming in. Walker reviews readings in real time with the audience watching.

III

THE MORNING REVEAL

Walker sits across from the guest over coffee and delivers the full diagnosis — what went wrong, why, and the exact rescue plan they take away.

"Sleep is not a luxury. It is a non-negotiable biological necessity — and what I find in every home I visit is the same thing: people suffering in silence, convinced this is just who they are."
— Dr. Matthew Walker  ·  Sleep Rescue
Sample Guest Roster
EVERY EPISODE
A DIFFERENT GUEST.
A DIFFERENT DISORDER.
ALL ON CAMERA.

The following guests represent the kind of people Sleep Rescue was built for — prominent figures with distinct, publicly known relationships with sleep. They are examples of the show's casting range. Walker's guest universe is as wide as public life itself.

ANXIETY INSOMNIA the mind that won't stop
Episode 01
Insomnia
MAYIM BIALIK
Anxiety-Driven Insomnia
The neuroscientist-actress who has spoken candidly about anxiety and sleep struggles — Walker meets a scientific peer in a uniquely intimate collision of expertise and vulnerability.
On Camera
  • Late-night anxiety spirals filmed
  • Brain scan walkthrough with Walker
  • CBT-I delivered live
The Science
  • Cortisol & hyperarousal
  • Blue light & melatonin
  • Sleep restriction therapy
SLEEP ANXIETY the night that won't settle
Episode 02
Racing Thoughts
PETE DAVIDSON
BPD & Sleep Anxiety
Davidson's openness about BPD, PTSD and irregular sleep makes him one of the most compelling guests Walker could sit across from. Raw, unfiltered, and genuinely in need.
On Camera
  • 3am bedroom conversations
  • Wearable data reveal
  • Trauma & REM discussion
The Science
  • Fight-or-flight at sleep onset
  • REM & emotional processing
  • Mindfulness & sleep anchors
CHRONIC DEPRIVATION years of debt, still owing
Episode 03
Sleep Deprivation
ANDERSON COOPER
Chronic Deprivation & Jet Lag
The CNN anchor who has chronicled wars, disasters, and presidential cycles on broken sleep. Walker gets his most data-driven patient — and his hardest case.
On Camera
  • Live sleep debt calculation
  • Breaking news vs. sleep conflict
  • Circadian reset protocol
The Science
  • Sleep debt & brain toxicity
  • Glymphatic system flush
  • Strategic light exposure
12 3 6 9 CIRCADIAN CHAOS a life on the wrong clock
Episode 04
Jet Lag & Disruption
NICOLE RICHIE
Circadian Chaos & Nightlife Sleep
The designer, mother and longtime creative whose schedule has never had a bedtime. Walker documents a life run entirely on the wrong side of the clock.
On Camera
  • Full schedule audit on camera
  • Circadian marker blood test
  • Light therapy morning ritual
The Science
  • Chronotype vs. lifestyle
  • Social jet lag science
  • Melatonin & reset protocol
NIGHTMARES what the night brings back
Episode 05
Nightmares & PTSD
MIKE TYSON
Nightmares, Trauma & REM Disruption
Tyson has spoken publicly about nightmares, trauma and decades of disrupted sleep. Walker spends the most intense night of the series — and delivers one of its most profound rescues.
On Camera
  • Dream journal review
  • Imagery Rehearsal Therapy live
  • REM architecture analysis
The Science
  • Trauma & REM processing
  • Amygdala hyperactivation
  • IRT nightmare rewriting
SLEEP HYGIENE a bedroom that never quiets
Episode 06
Sleep Hygiene
NATASHA LYONNE
Disrupted Sleep Hygiene & Night-Owl Chaos
The actress-director-writer whose legendary chaotic creative schedule has made sleep an afterthought for decades. Walker rebuilds her relationship with the night — from the ground up.
On Camera
  • Full bedroom environment audit
  • Late-night writing habit filmed
  • Complete hygiene rebuild
The Science
  • Light, noise & temperature
  • Caffeine & alcohol windows
  • Consistent anchor sleep times
POST-ADDICTION SLEEP a system that forgot how to rest
Episode 07
Substance Recovery
STEVE-O
Post-Addiction Sleep Chaos
Years of extreme stunt work and substance abuse have left Steve-O with a nervous system that doesn't know how to wind down. Walker encounters his most chaotic sleep environment yet — and his most motivated patient.
On Camera
  • Adrenaline & sleep conflict
  • Recovery brain scan walkthrough
  • Sober sleep architecture reveal
The Science
  • Dopamine & sleep reset
  • Cortisol in recovery
  • Nervous system downregulation
CIRCADIAN DRIFT the city that never made him sleep
Episode 08
Irregular Sleep Schedule
SNOOP DOGG
Night-Owl Circadian Drift
A decades-long nocturnal lifestyle has made 2am feel like noon to Snoop. Walker examines what a life permanently lived against the circadian clock does to every body system — and whether it can be reclaimed.
On Camera
  • Studio hours vs. sleep audit
  • Circadian blood marker test
  • Late-night lifestyle renegotiation
The Science
  • Chronotype drift science
  • Cannabis & REM suppression
  • Social jet lag over decades
PERFORMER INSOMNIA the stage that won't go dark
Episode 09
Performer's Insomnia
BEN GLEIB
Post-Show Hyperarousal
The comedian and game show host who can't come down from the stage high. Walker films the exact biochemical crash that follows a live performance — and why it's destroying Ben's ability to sleep before midnight.
On Camera
  • Post-show cortisol reading
  • Adrenaline wind-down protocol
  • Performer decompression ritual
The Science
  • Adrenaline & sleep onset delay
  • Performance hyperarousal loop
  • Cortisol wind-down strategies
HORMONAL DISRUPTION the body that runs too hot
Episode 10
Menopause Insomnia
WANDA SYKES
Hormonal Sleep Disruption
Wanda has been vocal about menopause — and the sleep hell that came with it. Walker addresses one of the most under-discussed sleep disorders affecting millions of women, live on camera, with full science and a real rescue plan.
On Camera
  • Night sweat & waking pattern
  • Hormonal sleep architecture
  • Temperature regulation audit
The Science
  • Estrogen & sleep architecture
  • Hot flash neuroscience
  • CBT-I adapted for menopause
4am grind SLEEP DEPRIVATION PRIDE hustle culture's debt
Episode 11
Sleep Deprivation Pride
GARY VAYNERCHUK
Hustle Culture Sleep Debt
GaryVee has built an empire on the idea that sleep is optional. Walker goes to war — politely, forensically — with the most influential voice in hustle culture, and shows him exactly what the scoreboard actually looks like.
On Camera
  • Live sleep debt calculation
  • Cognitive test vs. peer baseline
  • Hustle culture myth dismantling
The Science
  • Sleep & performance data
  • Chronic deprivation economics
  • Recovery sleep science
AGING DEEP SLEEP the slow waves that fade
Episode 12
Aging & Deep Sleep
BILLIE JEAN KING
Age-Related Sleep Decline
One of the greatest athletes in history now finds recovery harder and sleep shallower. Walker examines the science of aging and sleep with one of sport's most remarkable minds — and delivers a protocol that anyone over 60 can use.
On Camera
  • Slow-wave sleep analysis
  • Athletic recovery vs. sleep
  • Age-adapted sleep protocol
The Science
  • Deep sleep decline with age
  • Growth hormone & sleep
  • Nap strategy for seniors
woke up ATHLETIC SLEEP DEBT 4am calls and old injuries
Episode 13
Athlete Sleep Debt
MICHAEL STRAHAN
Post-Athletic Disruption
An NFL career built on physical extremes, followed by a media career built on 4am call times. Walker examines what decades of physical punishment and irregular schedules have done to Strahan's sleep architecture — and how to rebuild it.
On Camera
  • 4am call time impact audit
  • Athletic injury & sleep pain
  • Schedule normalisation plan
The Science
  • CTE risk & sleep quality
  • Pain disruption of sleep stages
  • Early wake anchor protocols
before now BURNOUT RECOVERY the gaps the advocate missed
Episode 14
Burnout Recovery
ARIANNA HUFFINGTON
Post-Collapse Sleep Rebuilding
The woman who collapsed from sleep deprivation and built a wellness empire around sleep is now Walker's most self-aware patient. An unusual episode: Walker diagnoses the remaining gaps the even the advocate doesn't know she has.
On Camera
  • Advocacy vs. actual data
  • Hidden sleep debt reveal
  • Expert-to-expert diagnosis
The Science
  • Burnout & sleep architecture
  • Stress hormone recovery
  • Sleep efficiency optimisation
apnea SLEEP APNEA every night, the breath stops
Episode 15
Sleep Apnea
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL
Sleep Apnea & Oxygen Deprivation
Shaq has publicly discussed his sleep apnea diagnosis. Walker examines what unaddressed breathing disruption at that physical scale does to the brain and body — and delivers the most medically urgent rescue of the series.
On Camera
  • Overnight oxygen monitoring
  • Brain fog assessment live
  • CPAP adherence protocol
The Science
  • Apnea & brain damage risk
  • Oxygen desaturation effects
  • Athletic size & airway science
The Host
Dr. Matthew Walker
DR. MATTHEW WALKER
Neuroscientist · UC Berkeley · Host
20M+
TED Talk Views
#1
NYT Bestseller
20+
Yrs Research
THE WORLD'S MOST TRUSTED VOICE ON SLEEP
Professor of Neuroscience & Psychology, UC Berkeley

Dr. Walker is the founder and director of the Center for Human Sleep Science. His landmark book Why We Sleep became a cultural phenomenon — not just a bestseller, but a wake-up call. His TED Talk "Sleep is Your Super Power" has been viewed over 20 million times.

On camera, Walker is something the science world rarely produces: a diagnostician with the warmth of a therapist and the precision of a detective. He does not lecture. He investigates. And then he fixes what he finds.

"Every single guest I have ever met who told me they didn't need more sleep was wrong. The data never lies."

  • Author — Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams (NYT Bestseller, 2017)
  • TED Talk "Sleep is Your Super Power" — 20 million+ views
  • Founder & Director, Center for Human Sleep Science, UC Berkeley
  • Professor of Neuroscience & Psychology, University of California, Berkeley
  • Consultant to professional sports organizations, Fortune 500 companies, and governments
Episode Guide
SIX EPISODES.
SIX RESCUES.
ALL FILMED.

Every episode is a 90-minute vodcast and a 42-minute broadcast cut. The science segments are visualized with animated overlays. The rescue plan lands in the final 20 minutes — always on camera, always live.

E01
Mayim Bialik
THE INSOMNIAC MIND
Insomnia

Walker films Bialik's late-night anxiety loop in real time — the scrolling, the overthinking, the 3am ceiling stare. A neuroscientist diagnosing a fellow neuroscientist creates the most intellectually charged episode of the series.

Science Covered
  • Cortisol elevation at sleep onset
  • Blue light melatonin suppression
  • CBT-I on camera walkthrough
  • Progressive muscle relaxation
E02
Pete Davidson
RACING THOUGHTS AT 4AM
Sleep Anxiety

Davidson has never been this candid on camera — or this vulnerable. Walker films the exact moment sleep refuses to come, then breaks down the neuroscience of BPD, trauma and the fight-or-flight bedtime trap in terms Davidson has never heard before.

Science Covered
  • Amygdala hijack at sleep onset
  • Trauma & REM emotional processing
  • Box breathing sleep induction
  • Sleep anchor protocols
E03
Anderson Cooper
THE CORRESPONDENT'S DEBT
Deprivation

Decades of breaking news, war zones and election nights have left Cooper with a staggering sleep debt. Walker runs live calculations on camera — showing Cooper exactly what those decisions have cost his brain — and how to start repaying it.

Science Covered
  • Sleep debt accumulation model
  • Glymphatic brain detox system
  • Cognitive performance degradation
  • Sleep banking strategy
E04
Nicole Richie
LIVING ON THE WRONG CLOCK
Circadian Chaos

Richie's schedule is genuinely nocturnal — creative work at midnight, social events at 2am, children at 7am. Walker maps her circadian biology on camera and shows her, for the first time, exactly how out of alignment her internal clock has become.

Science Covered
  • Chronotype biology explained
  • Social jet lag science
  • Light exposure reset protocol
  • Melatonin timing strategy
E05
Mike Tyson
WHAT THE NIGHT BRINGS BACK
Nightmares

The most powerful episode of the series. Tyson has spoken publicly about nightmares for years. Walker stays through the night — listening without judgment, then deploying Imagery Rehearsal Therapy on camera in a moment of genuine, unscripted television.

Science Covered
  • Trauma & REM architecture damage
  • Amygdala hyperactivation at night
  • Imagery Rehearsal Therapy live
  • REM stabilisation protocols
E06
Natasha Lyonne
THE ARTIST'S WRECKAGE
Sleep Hygiene

Lyonne's bedroom is a crime scene of bad sleep hygiene — screens, irregular hours, caffeine at midnight, chaos. Walker films a forensic audit of every choice, explains each one's biological cost, and rebuilds her sleep environment from scratch.

Science Covered
  • Temperature, light & noise science
  • Caffeine half-life mapping
  • Screen ban neuroscience
  • Sleep anchor construction
Production
SHOT ON LOCATION.
RELEASED LIKE
A PODCAST.

Sleep Rescue is produced with a broadcast-grade crew and a full post-production pipeline — distributed with the velocity and intimacy of a podcast.

SERIES SPECS
Format: Filmed Vodcast
Runtime: 60 minutes per episode
Shoot: 24 continuous hours per guest
Style: Observational, unscripted
Graphics: Animated science overlays
Delivery: Multi-platform simultaneous

CAMERA & PRODUCTION

  • Crew (DoP, sound, 2nd camera) embedded for the full 24-hour stay
  • Cinéma vérité approach — no staging, no re-shoots
  • Night-vision and low-light cameras for bedroom footage
  • Wearable data visualized as real-time animated overlays in post
  • Morning reveal shot as a single uninterrupted conversation
  • Science sequences visualized with motion graphics (Walker to camera)

SCIENCE INTEGRATION

  • Walker uses wearable sleep trackers on every guest (Oura, WHOOP)
  • Data read live to camera — audience sees what Walker sees
  • Animated circadian clock, sleep stage, and brain scan overlays
  • Infographic sequences woven into the narrative (not separate segments)
  • Each rescue plan delivered as a downloadable, printable asset

TONE & EDITORIAL

  • Intimate, observational — no studio, no couch, no stage
  • Walker is never condescending — always curious, always forensic
  • Guests are not made to look broken — they are shown to be fixable
  • Each episode ends with an actionable plan, not an open question
  • Science is never dumbed down — but always made visceral and human
The Series
UP TO 32 EPISODES
PER SEASON.
NO OFF-SEASON.

Sleep Rescue is conceived as a perpetual vodcast — not a limited run. The six guests announced here are the launch slate. The world of prominent guests with documented sleep disorders is effectively unlimited. Walker can keep going as long as there are people who aren't sleeping — which is forever.

1
New guest, every episode
No recurring cast. No ensemble. One new prominent guest, one sleep disorder, one rescue — every single episode, indefinitely.
1 in 3
Adults with a sleep disorder
One in three adults has a documented sleep disorder. The guest pool covers every walk of public life — athletes, comedians, journalists, executives, musicians, scientists.
Casting range
Athletes, comedians, journalists, musicians, politicians, scientists, executives, actors. Every walk of public life carries a sleep story Walker can tell.
Scientific depth
No two episodes cover the same disorder the same way. Walker's research spans decades. The format never runs dry — because insomnia, nightmares, deprivation, and circadian chaos never do either.
Series Roster — Season 1
Sample
Guests Shown
Upcoming Episodes — Open Casting
The guests shown in this treatment represent the show's tone, casting range, and ambition. Each episode features a new prominent guest, a new sleep disorder, and a 60-minute rescue plan delivered live on camera.
Viewer Promise
WHAT EVERY
VIEWER WALKS
AWAY WITH

Sleep Rescue is not passive entertainment. Every episode is a diagnostic education. By the end of the series, the audience has seen six disorders, six rescues, and acquired a complete toolkit for their own sleep — all on camera, all in real homes, all real.

01
Reset and strengthen your circadian rhythm — understand why and how to do it.
02
Fall asleep faster and stay asleep through the night without waking.
03
Manage anxiety and stress so they no longer ambush you at bedtime.
04
Reduce nightmares and build emotional resilience through protected REM sleep.
05
Optimize your bedroom environment for genuinely restorative rest every night.
06
Apply Walker's evidence-based science to your own life — starting tonight.
SLEEP
RESCUE
with Dr. Matthew Walker
Fully Filmed Vodcast
60 Min / Episode
24-Hour Stay
Multi-Platform
2026
Confidential Vodcast Treatment  ·  All Rights Reserved  ·  2026