Why We Sleep Quotes

“far more of our age-related physical and mental health ailments are related to sleep impairment than either we, or many doctors, truly realize or treat seriously.”
― Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

“We can awake the next morning with new solutions to previously intractable problems or even be infused with radically new and original ideas.”
― Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

“Individuals who are deliberately fasting will sleep less as the brain is tricked into thinking that food has suddenly become scarce.”
― Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

“I was once fond of saying, "sleep is the third pillar of good health, alongside diet and exercise." I have changed my tune. Sleep is more than a pillar; it is the foundation on which the other two health bastions sit. Take away the bedrock of sleep, or weaken it just a little, and careful eating or physical exercise become less than effective, as we shall see.”
― Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

“My mind is made up. Don't confuse me with the facts.”
― Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

“(1) establish a regular bedtime and wake-up time, even on weekends, (2) go to bed only when sleepy and avoid sleeping on the couch early/mid-evenings, (3) never lie awake in bed for a significant time period; rather, get out of bed and do something quiet and relaxing until”
― Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

“However, those that abandoned regular siestas went on to suffer a 37 percent increased risk of death from heart disease across the six-year period, relative to those who maintained regular daytime naps. The effect was especially strong in workingmen, where the ensuing mortality risk of not napping increased by well over 60 percent.”
― Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

“The memory refreshment was related to lighter, stage 2 NREM sleep, and specifically the short, powerful bursts of electrical activity called sleep spindles, noted in chapter 3. The more sleep spindles an individual obtained during the nap, the greater the restoration of their learning when they woke up.”
― Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

“Forced by the hand of early school start times, this state of chronic sleep deprivation is especially concerning considering that adolescence is the most susceptible phase of life for developing chronic mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and suicidality. Unnecessarily bankrupting the sleep of a teenager could make all the difference in the precarious tipping point between psychological wellness and lifelong psychiatric illness. This is a strong statement, and I do not write it flippantly or without evidence.”
― Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

“One brief note of caution regarding physical activity: try not to exercise right before bed. Body temperature can remain high for an hour or two after physical exertion.”
― Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

“The obvious methods involve reducing caffeine and alcohol intake, removing screen technology from the bedroom, and having a cool bedroom. In addition, patients must (1) establish a regular bedtime and wake-up time, even on weekends, (2) go to bed only when sleepy and avoid sleeping on the couch early/mid-evenings, (3) never lie awake in bed for a significant time period; rather, get out of bed and do something quiet and relaxing until the urge to sleep returns, (4) avoid daytime napping if you are having difficulty sleeping at night, (5) reduce anxiety-provoking thoughts and worries by learning to mentally decelerate before bed, and (6) remove visible clockfaces from view in the bedroom, preventing clock-watching anxiety at night.”
― Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

“Squeezed by the vise grips of an electrified night and early-morning start times, bereft of twenty-four-hour thermal cycles, and with caffeine and alcohol surging through us in various quantities, many of us feel rightly exhausted and crave that which seems always elusive: a full, restful night of natural deep sleep.”
― Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

“A bedroom temperature of around 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3°C) is ideal for the sleep of most people,”
― Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

“Although every human being displays an unyielding twenty-four-hour pattern, the respective peak and trough points are strikingly different from one individual to the next. For some people, their peak of wakefulness arrives early in the day, and their sleepiness trough arrives early at night. These are “morning types,” and make up about 40 percent of the populace. They prefer to wake at or around dawn, are happy to do so, and function optimally at this time of day. Others are “evening types,” and account for approximately 30 percent of the population. They naturally prefer going to bed late and subsequently wake up late the following morning, or even in the afternoon.”
― Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

“Routinely sleeping less than six or seven hours a night demolishes your immune system, more than doubling your risk of cancer. Insufficient sleep is a key lifestyle factor determining whether or not you will develop Alzheimer’s disease. Inadequate sleep—even moderate reductions for just one week—disrupts blood sugar levels so profoundly that you would be classified as pre-diabetic. Short sleeping increases the likelihood of your coronary arteries becoming blocked and brittle, setting you on a path toward cardiovascular disease, stroke, and congestive heart failure.”
― Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

“scientific evidence linking sleep disruption and cancer is now so damning that the World Health Organization has officially classified nighttime shift work as a “probable carcinogen.”
― Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

“Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan—two heads of state that were very vocal, if not proud, about sleeping only four to five hours a night—both went on to develop the ruthless disease. The current US president, Donald Trump—also a vociferous proclaimer of sleeping just a few hours each night—may want to take note.”
― Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

“Within the space of a mere hundred years, human beings have abandoned their biologically mandated need for adequate sleep—one that evolution spent 3,400,000 years perfecting in service of life-support functions”
― Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams