Joe Rogan had a 2 hour discussion with Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep. Listen on Overcast. Below are my key takeaways.
Key takeaways:
- Sleep 7-9 hours a night.
- Effects of sleeping less than 7 hours:
- Time to physical exhaustion drops by 30%
- Lactic acid builds up faster
- Lungs take in less oxygen and let out less CO2
- Lower peak muscle strength, lower vertical jump, lower peak running speed
- Higher injury risk
- Serious side effects of extended lack of sleep:
- Men have testosterone level of someone 6-10 years older
- Cognitive performance suffers greatly
- A study with one night of 4 hours of sleep saw participants have a 70% reduction in cancer fighting cells (!)
- We can’t regain lost sleep with naps.
- Our brain demands sleep to replenish our bodies.
- Alcohol (and other drugs) keeps your brain from entering REM sleep.
- The DTs (Delirium Tremens) an alcoholic experiences are the brain hijacking the waking consciousness and forcing the brain to dream while awake (!)
- If we don’t get REM sleep, our brain keeps a record of how much we should have gotten and will cause intense dreams in order to catch up.
- When sleeping in an unfamiliar environment (a hotel) only half our brain sleeps, so we don’t sleep as well, this is a defense mechanism.
- Many children diagnosed with ADHD may be simply under slept.
- Our bodies become resistant to fat loss when we are under slept.
- If you’re getting elective surgery, ask your surgeon how much sleep they’ve gotten in the last 24 hours. If they’ve had 6 hours or less, you have a 170% increased risk of a major surgical error (!)
LongHedge 