Hibernation: The Science of Slowing Down | Calm Bedtime Science for Kids & Adults

Don't forget to click follow! ⭐️Keep the show ad-free! Join our Patreon community! ➡️ ⁠⁠⁠The Bedtime Scientist on Patreon⁠⁠⁠ Explore our books! ➡️ ⁠⁠⁠Browse The Bedtime Scientist Books ⁠⁠⁠ Tonight, we're stepping out of the movement and into the stillness of the den. We aren't looking up at the stars; we're looking inward, at the biological miracle of the long winter sleep. This isn't a bedtime story. It's a scientifically accurate exploration of torpor—nature's most efficient survival strategy—designed to help your own biology power down for the night. In this episode, we decode: 🐻 Hyperphagia : How a bear consumes 20,000 calories a day (the energy of 40 cheeseburgers) to build a warm inner battery 💓 The Metabolic Dial : Why a bear's heart rate plummets from 40 beats per minute to just 8—a rhythm of total peace 🔬 Biological Recycling : The incredible chemistry that turns metabolic waste back into muscle protein, keeping the bear strong without moving an inch ❄️ The Physics of Warmth : How curling into a perfect sphere minimizes surface area and turns snow into a high-grade insulator The Bedtime Scientist combines rigorous biology with calming delivery. You'll learn the complex mechanics of survival while your nervous system follows the bear's lead—drifting into deep, heavy rest. No fluff. No pseudoscience. Just the quiet facts. Perfect for: Curious minds who can't shut off | Science lovers with insomnia | Anyone seeking sleep content with substance | Kids and adults who love nature