Matthew Walker PhD

Professor of Neuroscience at UC Berkeley, Sleep Scientist at Google and Author of Why We Sleep

Matthew Walker is a professor of neuroscience and psychology at UC Berkeley, the Director of its Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab, and a former professor of psychiatry at Harvard University. He has published over 100 scientific studies and has appeared on 60 Minutes, Nova, BBC News, and NPR’s Science Friday. Why We Sleep is his first book.

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Philosopher's Notes on Matthew Walker PhD's Books

Philosopher's Notes

Why We Sleep

by Matthew Walker PhD

Matthew Walker is one of the world’s leading neuroscientists and sleep experts. He’s a professor at UC Berkeley (and former professor at Harvard) who has spent decades studying why we sleep and how to, as per the sub-title of this book, unlock the power of sleep and dreams. As you know if you’ve been following along, I’m a HUGE advocate of Optimizing our sleep as a fundamental practice in Optimizing our lives. This book has made me EVEN MORE bullish about the power of sleep. The consequences of chronically depriving ourselves of the sleep we need? Well, they’re astonishingly devastating—dramatically increasing the odds of having everything from mood disorders to cancer (and everything else we don’t want). Big Ideas we explore include the fact that you're more likely to get struck by lightning than have the gene that let's you get by on less than the recommended sleep, the universality of sleep (even worms sleep!!), resetting baselines, the iPad effect (did you know how much using one before sleep messes w/your melatonin?), and some tips to Optimize your sleep TONIGHT!!!

Quotes by Matthew Walker PhD

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Two thirds of adults throughout all developed nations fail to obtain the recommended eight hours of nightly sleep. I doubt you’re surprised by this fact, but you may be surprised by the consequences. Routinely sleeping less than six or seven hours a night demolishes your immune system, more than doubling your risk of cancer.

Matthew Walker PhD

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That humans (and all other species) can never ‘sleep back’ that which we have previously lost is one of the most important take-homes of this book.

Matthew Walker PhD

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Humans are not sleeping the way nature intended. The number of sleep bouts, the duration of sleep, and when sleep occurs have all been comprehensively distorted by modernity.

Matthew Walker PhD

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I will summarize this section by offering a discerning quote on the topic of sleep and emotion by the American entrepreneur E. Joseph Cossman: ‘The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep.’

Matthew Walker PhD

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There are many things that I hope readers take away from this book. This is one of the most important: if you are drowsy while driving, please, please stop.

Matthew Walker PhD

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A bedroom temperature of around 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3C) is ideal for the sleep of most people, assuming standard bedding and clothing.

Matthew Walker PhD

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Insufficient sleep is only one among several risk factors associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Sleep alone will not be the magic bullet that eradicates dementia. Nevertheless, prioritizing sleep across the lifespan is clearly becoming a significant factor for lowering Alzheimer’s disease risk.

Matthew Walker PhD

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Insufficient sleep does not, therefore, push the brain into a negative mood state and hold it there. Rather, the under-slept brain swings excessively to both extremes of emotional valence, positive and negative.

Matthew Walker PhD