Matthew Walker Busts Sleep Myths | Why We Sleep

Does counting sheep help? 00:12
Does eating cheese before bed affect your dreams? 01:21
Can ocean sounds and white noise help you sleep? 01:52
Is napping good for you? 03:51
Can you split your sleeping pattern? 05:03

Sleep is one of the most important aspects of our life, health and longevity and yet it is increasingly neglected in twenty-first-century society, with devastating consequences: every major disease in the developed world - Alzheimer's, cancer, obesity, diabetes - has very strong causal links to deficient sleep.

In this book, the first of its kind written by a scientific expert, Professor Matthew Walker explores twenty years of cutting-edge research to solve the mystery of why sleep matters. Looking at creatures from across the animal kingdom as well as major human studies, Why We Sleep delves into everything from what really happens during REM sleep to how caffeine and alcohol affect sleep and why our sleep patterns change across a lifetime, transforming our appreciation of the extraordinary phenomenon that safeguards our existence.

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[almostmatttas]

EVERYONE should read Why We Sleep. Incredible book.

[pooonastick]

Idk why but this guy has such a positive vibe

[williamfrederickiversen]

Usually when i try to count sheep it'll always end like:

"1 Sheep, 2 Sheep, 3 Sheep, 4 sheep, 5 sheep, 6 sheep, 7th sheep, 8 sheeps has jumped over the fence, 9 shee... Wait, if the sheeps can jump over the fence then the fence is totally useless, hmm... What if the fence was higher? And.... You know what? Lets just make a Wall instead.. Or a Metal Wall so that the sheeps can't jump over, Metal? Hmmm what if the Sheeps are actually made out of Metal, a roBOT SHEEP!!! hmm...but then they'll be able to jump over the wall, but what if we electricuted the Metal wall so that they won't escape..."


And by this point I should be sleeping.

[HookBeak_]

Back in 1988 I was led on a west coast beach, the sand was beautiful, the rocky coastline had a blow hole formation, and the gentle sound of waves sent me to sleep. This moment is almost etched in memory, I can certainly say its the most peaceful, restful sleep I've ever had. Professor Mathew Walker mentioned the sound of waves in his presentation, which made me think & type this comment.

[JoJo-Hamilton]

I visualise. First I steady my breathing, close my eyes and get comfy. Then I visualise my self going on a vacation, I go to a stunning first floor apartment by the sea, I hear the sea. I have comfort food and good wine and visualise myself eating and drinking, candles are alight and there is a log fire, as it's winter... I drift ❤️

[patrick_hansson]

love watching this at 2.30 am, alarm’s at 7.30am..

[bh]

Do you narrate an audio book version of Why We Sleep? Your voice is very relaxing and articulate
It sends me to sleep!

[tannyijaz]

I like this guy. He makes me want to sleep.

[prithviraj]

This book is gold. I find that white noise helps me clear up my head and eliminate any other sounds that might disturb sleep. That is why I use it but keeping technology far away during sleep is the best way to probably get sleep.

[drinaciofernandes]

I watched the Joe Rogan podcast and came here. Definitely looking forward to reading the book

[pukkapeter]

He's one of my favourite people. Articulate and accurate. Informs us of things, that I think should be part of school learning for every child, because most adults have never learnt this stuff that's critical to our health.

[blindbrick]

That last statement is true for me. I like to sleep twice a day. From 1 to 7 and from 13 to 16

[stephenbaffoe]

That was an incredible presentation, illuminating. Thank Mathew for that deep and revealing research finding.

[deepriver]

Intentionally depriving someone of sleep is a form of torture.  Sleep Deprivation Torture has been used to cause harm.

[superpoopycoco]

Based on what I've read evolutionarily in the Sahara plains we evolved what is called crepuscular sleep schedule where Homo sapiens will sleep at the extreme temperature variance throughout a 24-hour period of the day so the hottest time of the day between noon and 4:00 and the coldest parts of the night between midnight and 4:00 so I think this is what he's explaining when he's talking about the biphasic hardwired programming that we as humans have within us.

[Spooglecraft]

Interesting questions, here is my take on it.
I should clarify first: I am a polyphasic sleeper and currently on an Everyman-3-extended schedule, meaning I sleep 4h30 at night and take 3 20min naps per day.


Now, for the questions:
1) Keeping your brain focused on one single thing can actually help you fall asleep by greatly reducing the danger of your mind wandering off. Counting sheep may not be the best method, though. I've been successful with repeating a sequence of words or a short song in my head over and over until I fall asleep.
2) Eating before sleep is not recommended. Before naps, you shouldn't eat anything 30min-1h before and leave 2h-3h after a big meal. Whether eating cheese 1h before your nap does anything for your dreams is not known.
3) Coloured noise may indeed help with sleep. I am not very experienced in that area, which is why I do not wish to speculate on how or why, so I do not spread misinformation.
4) Naps can be very beneficial and are an essential part of many polyphasic schedules. What Mr. Walker is hinting at is the effect, that light sleep (NREM2) seems to act as a sort of wakefulness sustainer. Futhermore, on harder schedules, which reduce the core so much, that it cannot fit SWS and REM needs, naps will, after adaptation, provide that missing deep sleep.
5) Yes, that is what polyphasic sleeping is all about. Not only is the Siesta being practiced in certain parts of the world, evidence points to pre-industrial humans practicing Segmented sleep, which consists of 2 3-3h30 cores at night with a wake gap in between. Some people are naturally Segmented. If you tend to wake in the middle of your Monophasic core, you may be one of them.


Now, there is a lot more information.
One of the best tips I can give right off the bat is to sleep at consistent times. Your body will become accustomed to those times, which can help with sleep onset and sleep quality. Also, it adds structure to your day.
Another great tip is implementing a dark period. That is an 8-10h period of time in which you avoid blue and green light. This is important for your circadian rhythm, as light is the most important Zeitgeber. Furthermore, you should not eat or perform heavy exercise during the dark period. This period stimulates the release of melatonin, a hormone, which is needed to go into deep sleep. You start your dark period 2h before your core sleep, time sleeping is counted as part of the dark period. To implement the dark period, red laser glasses are recommended, as they are the most effective at blocking out harmful wavelengths.


Also visit our Discord server to get help in improving your sleep quality.

[airevacrn]

Following a car crash, I either stopped dreaming or was unable to remember them. I used to eat a load of cheese, hoping to bring on nightmares but nothing. Dreams have come back, since, not as many but I now visit dreamland again.

[susan]

I found listening to whale or dolphin songs helpful to fall into relaxation and sleep.

[katyantis]

I think you missed one point of the noise machines, the only reason I use one. It cuts out the background noises. Cats playing, storm comes, air conditioner kicking on, person next to you snoring, etc... this way you have a constant noise vs super quiet with a burst of noise off and on during the night that wakes you up.

[politereminder]

I think counting sheep can be beneficial for sheep herders or owners. Recognizing your financial buffer can be very relaxing. 😅