Neuroscientist Matthew Walker, Ph.D. is a world-renowned expert on sleep. He hosts a Masterclass on the science of better sleep and his TED Talk, ‘Sleep is your superpower’ has over 20 million views. Matthew Walker is also the author of an international smash bestselling book Why We Sleep. It’s a must-read for anyone and everyone looking to live and feel better.
A sleep evangelist
We should be serious about our sleep. Walker himself is dead serious about the dangers of sleep deprivation.
“Now more than ever, perhaps, as bedrooms everywhere glow from the screens of round-the-clock technology consumption.”
“The silent sleep loss epidemic is one of the greatest public health challenges we face in the 21st century,” says Walker, who has served as a sleep consultant to the NBA, NFL, and Pixar Animation Studios, among other Fortune 500 enterprises.
He was recently quoted on the Rich Roll podcast saying:
“Sleep is not a disposable luxury—it’s a non-negotiable biological necessity.”
Matthew Walker shares his top 5 tips on how to improve your sleep
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even after a bad night’s sleep or on the weekend.
- Keep your bedroom temperature cool; about 65 degrees Fahrenheit is optimal for cooling your body towards sleep. Wear socks if your feet are cold.
- An hour before bedtime, dim the lights and turn off all screens. Blackout curtains are helpful.
- If you can’t sleep, get out of bed and do something quiet and relaxing until the urge to sleep returns. Then go back to bed.
- Avoid caffeine after 1 p.m. and never go to bed tipsy. Alcohol is a sedative and sedation is not sleep. It also blocks your REM dream sleep, an important part of the sleep cycle.
About Dr. Matthew Walker
Dr. Matthew Walker is a specialist in the study of slumber and the founder-director of the Center for Human Sleep Science at the University of California, Berkeley. The influential British neuroscientist is the author of the international bestseller Why We Sleep (2017). It was recommended by The New York Times for “night-table reading in the most pragmatic sense” and endorsed by Bill Gates. In addition to examining how sleep affects the brain and body, Matthew has analyzed everything from its role in Alzheimer’s disease and depression to how it can facilitate learning and, potentially, extend our life expectancy.
Matthew Walker received his Ph.D. from the Medical Research Council at Nottingham University in London in 1996, eventually becoming an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in 2004. As a certified sleep scientist, Matthew has conducted extensive research and studies into the impact of sleep and how it affects our physical and mental health.
You can join his sleep masterclass here: Matthew Walker Masterclass
Watch his TED talk here: Matthew Walker on TED
Buy his book here: Why We Sleep
