Category: Matthew Walker

Sleep is a biological necessity for humans and for all other animal species as well. It serves a crucial purpose in maintaining the health of both the brain and the body. Sleep must be prioritized along with diet and exercise in order to optimize health.

Lower levels of testosterone in both men and women and lowered libido and sexual performance can be caused by a lack of good quality sleep. This is only one of many other detrimental effects on our health that often arise from not getting adequate sleep.

It’s wise to follow and obey nature as much as possible in all areas related to our health, sleep included. We humans evolved as a diurnal species and are meant to sleep at night for quite a long period of time, about 8 hours, which appears to be optimal.

Every aspect of health and well-being, both mental and physical, is degraded by getting insufficient sleep, which unfortunately is what many people today are now getting. Conversely, when we get enough sleep, our health and longevity are greatly enhanced.

If you want to be more productive in your life, if you want to get more things done, you should spend lots of time sleeping and resting because this will make you far more efficient in everything you do. This may sound paradoxical but it’s certainly true.

Cats and dogs tend to sleep erratically at various times of the day and night, but this is not the best sleep pattern for humans. We seem to be best adapted to sleeping at night and sleeping for a full 8 hours. I have been feeling much better as a result.

In the 1940s, Americans were sleeping on average about 8 hours each night. Now, the average amount has plummeted to about 6 and one-half hours. This massive global sleep loss epidemic is having massive deleterious effects on both our health and longevity.

Drugs like alcohol and prescription sleeping pills produce a state of sedation, which mimics natural sleep but doesn’t provide the health benefits. So instead of enhancing and improving your sleep, you’re actually harming it by using these sedative drugs.

Naps can be extremely beneficial in increasing mental alertness and improving learning and memory, but long naps and naps in the late afternoon or evening can disturb our natural sleep cycle by making it much harder to go to sleep at the appropriate time.

Going to bed before midnight and staying in bed for 8 hours has benefited me tremendously in just a few days. I have abundant energy throughout the day and evening with no need for naps. Even at midnight I’m not overly tired, but I can go to sleep easily.