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The book Why We Sleep delves into how sleep is the most important factor affecting a person’s longevity and how dangerous sleep deprivation can be.
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Here are eleven key takeaways from Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
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It is the body’s natural 24-hour “internal clock” that regulates sleep-wake patterns and influences activity and rest. All organisms have a circadian rhythm.
About 40% of the population reaches peak wakefulness in the morning, 30% feel most energetic in the evening and the remaining 30% fall somewhere in the middle.
A chemical called adenosine begins to build up in the brain the moment one wakes up. The more adenosine there is in the brain, the sleepier one feels. This is called sleep pressure.
Caffeine, the most widely used psychoactive stimulant, works by blocking adenosine receptors, preventing sleepiness and leading to alertness.
During sleep, humans alternate between rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, associated with dreams, and non-REM (NREM) sleep in a 90-minute cycle.
During NREM sleep, memories are transferred from short-term storage (the hippocampus) to permanent storage (the cortex).
It is during REM sleep that the brain processes emotional memories, especially those linked to fear.
When a person isn’t sleeping enough, they aren’t allowing their brain to burn off adenosine. This leads to the accumulation of sleep like compounding interest on a debt.
Sleep debt has been linked to reduced memory, mood swings, weight gain, increased stress and anxiety, heart attacks and more.
A structured sleep and wake-up schedule helps to set a consistent circadian rhythm.
Avoiding caffeine at least eight hours before bedtime and eating food at least three hours prior can lead to quality sleep.
“The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep,” said Matthew Walker.
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