Did you know that a 1 hour difference in sleep can either lead to a 24% increase in heart attacks or a decrease by 21%?
Or that not getting enough sleep can turn on genes that produce cancerous tumors?
You probably already know just how important sleep is.
But, my guess is you didn’t realize the true reality of the situation.
As you’ll see today, sleep is a much bigger contributing factor to your health than most people realize.
Not only does it have the power to cut your life short, it can also cause a decrease in the quality of your life, both in the short and long term.
Because of this, I’m diving into some mind-blowing notes from Joe Rogan’s podcast with Matthew Walker, a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
The podcast is close to 2 hours long and took me about 5+ hours to research but it’s a topic that’s that important to me.
I want to make sure you and your family know the full gravity of the situation when it comes to getting enough sleep each night.
I’m fairly certain you’ll be surprised by what you read today, which is another reason why I wanted to get this information out.
Not everyone has time for a 2 hour podcast. But, for your health’s sake, you should make it to the end of this guide since it’s the condensed Cliff notes of the real thing.
I’ve also created this free resource to give you some strategies to help you fall asleep. 7 are from today’s guide while the other 13 are a bonus for grabbing your copy:
With that out of the way, it’s time to jump right in:
A Lack of Sleep Changes Your DNA & Predicts Mortality
Matthew Walker boldly states, “the shorter your sleep, the shorter your life.”
And he backs this up with incredible research.
One study found that, with just 6 hours of sleep for 1 week:
- 711 genes were distorted
- Half of those genes were increased while the other half was suppressed
The ones that were turned off had to do with immunity and shutting off a person’s immune response.
As for the genes that were increased, those had to do with:
- Tumor production
- Inflammation
- Cardiovascular disease
- Stress
Sleeping for just 6 hours or less has the power to mess with your DNA code, according to Walker.
It also has brain damaging effects connected to Alzheimer’s too.
Here’s how Walker explained it:
- During deep sleep, your brain acts like a sewage system that filters out metabolic toxins that accumulate throughout your day
- But if you don’t make it to deep sleep, this sewage backs up and builds up
- And it continues to do so the more you consistently miss getting enough sleep
Do this long enough and over your entire life and you’ll be setting yourself for Alzheimer’s, among other things.
Another interesting point that Matthew Walker made was: “Men who sleep 5-6 hours each night will have a level of testosterone that is 10 years their senior.”
Not getting enough sleep literally “ages you by a decade.”
He also points out that, with a lack of sleep, you’ll be “dead sooner and with a quality of life that’s significantly worse.”
The next two points were also hard to digest.
A 1 Hour Time Change Can Increase Heart Attacks by 24%
You know that whole time change thing that everyone hates?
Turns out, it has the power to increase or decrease heart attacks by 21-24%.
One study found that when people spring forward and lose an hour of sleep, there was a 24% increase in heart attacks.
Yet, in the fall, when just the opposite happens and you get to add that extra hour of sleep in, heart attacks decreased by 21%.
Think about that for a second.
This means you’re “vulnerable with just 1 hour of change,” according to Walker.
And this is only the beginning unfortunately.
Further studies found that when study participants were given 4 hours of sleep for just one night, there was a 70% reduction in cancer fighting cells known as natural killer cells.
Not getting enough sleep compromises your immune system so much so that it predicts both your mortality and cancer rates, as I learned in the podcast.
And it can also put you at risk for this next issue:
Being Sleep Deprived is Equivalent to Being Legally Drunk
If you’ve ever had to pull an all-nighter, or you’ve just had a realllly long day, fair warning: 20 hours of being awake makes you as impaired as being legally drunk.
And the problem is unfortunately really scary:
- A car accident connected to sleep deprivation happens every 30 seconds
- These accidents are worse than alcohol and drugs combined
But that’s not even the scariest part.
Here’s what Matthew Walker says happens when you’re running on 20 hours of wakefulness:
- Your body experiences microsleeps
- When this happens, your brain randomly goes to sleep for a few seconds or minutes
- But your eyes may not even close all the way
These are those terrifying moments where people say they closed their eyes for just a second and don’t know what happened.
The reality is that their eyes may never have closed but their brain did and it shut off for a brief moment.
And, as Matthew puts it: “At that moment, you have a 1-2 ton missile traveling at 60 miles with no one in control.”
I also found this really interesting with regards to that:
With drugs or alcohol, people have a delayed reaction. So they may not be able to stop in time.
But with a lack of sleep, there’s no reaction.
So people aren’t braking at all.
And they’re not slowing down.
They’re barrelling head first into whatever is in their path. YIKES
And teenagers are the most susceptible to experiencing this.
So much so that it’s the leading cause of death in first world nations, with suicide coming in second, according to Walker.
But, through research, scientists have discovered that this problem can be drastically reduced.
In one study, researchers pushed back school start times from 7:35 to 8:55 am.
They found a 70% drop in car crashes among teen drivers.
Matthew Walker so cleverly points out that anti lock braking systems, known as ABS, reduced accidents by 20% in comparison.
So getting more sleep has a 50% increase in saving lives than the actual braking system on a car…hmm.
Before I move on, there’s one more positive benefit to moving school start times: improved SAT scores.
This time, scientists moved a 7:25 am school start time to 8:30 am instead.
The result: SAT scores went from 1,288 to 1,500.
That’s a 212 point increase.
And it’s not just teens who can benefit from this.
Medical professionals and shift-workers are also in trouble here too.
Fatigue Related Mistakes Are Literally Killing People
If you have any friends or family in the medical field, then you’re probably well aware of just how insane their shifts are.
Not only are the schedules sometimes all over the place, but the shifts themselves are incredibly long.
The problem is research is quickly learning that this is beyond detrimental to people’s health.
So much so that it’s being dubbed (I believe it was in the UK) a “probable carcinogen,” which is any substance that has the power to cause cancer.
And, once again, that’s just the beginning here.
Consider these awful stats:
- “Residents working a 30 hour shift are 460% more likely to make diagnostic errors”
- Surgeons who get less than 6 hours of sleep see a 170% increase in errors leading to things like organ damage or hemorrhaging
- “1 in 5 medical residents will make a serious error due to insufficient sleep”
- “1 in 20 will kill someone (on accident) because of fatigue related errors”
And it’s not just their patients who are at risk. There’s also a 168% chance that they’ll be involved in a car accident after their shift due to this lack of sleep.
Think about how many lives could be saved if healthcare companies started looking at how important and necessary it is for medical professionals to get enough sleep each night.
And it doesn’t matter if you work in the healthcare field or not. Everyone is prone to this next issue.
Lack of Sleep Increases Physical Exhaustion by 30%
“If you’re getting 6 hours of sleep or less each night, your time to physical exhaustion drops by 30%,” according to Walker.
Think about that for a second.
Matthew also mentions that lactic acid starts to build up faster, which can surface in that holy crap, my legs are on fire feeling.
You know, where they hurt so bad you just want to quit moving them…like forever.
Getting this little sleep also ups your chances of getting injured, which makes sense.
But here’s the startling part: if you get 5 hours of sleep instead of 9, your chances of injury go up by almost 60%.
It’s time to stop playing around with sleep and start taking it seriously. The minimum goal is 7 hours and 9 hours is ideal.
Anything less and you may also risk getting yourself into this next problem.
Being Sleep Deprived Increases Delusional Thinking
The part of your brain known for creating rational, logical thoughts is the Prefrontal Cortex.
It’s also the first thing that’s turned off when people are sleep deprived.
And the more your body lacks sleep, the more emotional buildup you’ll see, which could eventually boil over.
So while something small may not have bothered you before, it could have the power to make you go ballistic if you’re sleep deprived.
As for this next problem, I’d bet that most of you reading this knew a lack of sleep can lead to weight gain, but, did you think it was this bad?
A Lack of Sleep Can Cause 10-15 Pounds in Weight Gain Each Year
When you don’t get enough sleep, your body’s hormones that tell it when you’re full and when to eat more move in opposite directions.
So leptin, the one that sends a signal saying you’re full, is suppressed, meaning the next day you’ll have a hard time not overeating.
And the hormone ghrelin gets “ramped up” as Walker puts it.
This one causes you to eat more without ever becoming satisfied. Hello bottomless pit.
At this point, you’re not just fighting willpower. You’re going against an unnatural shift in your hormones. Good luck trying to win that battle with 4-5 hours of sleep each night –it’s just not possible.
And if you’re still not convinced, consider this:
- People who sleep between 5-6 hours of sleep consume, on average, 200 to 300 more calories each day
- This adds up to 70,000 extra calories each year, which adds 10-15 pounds of weight
What’s worse, sleep deprived people also reach for junk food, and it makes sense.
Your body is craving energy and it wants it in the fastest form it can get, hello sugar high.
So you’re more likely to crave sweets, sugary coffees, and processed foods packed with carbs instead of healthier options.
And these poor choices can add up to as many as 450 extra calories each time.
If you’re wondering why you keep gaining weight and you’re not sure why, be honest with yourself and ask: how much sleep am I really getting?
The reality is: Sleep is a critical factor in obesity, as Walker mentioned.
It’s also a huge problem in kids with ADHD.
Kids with ADHD May Have Sleeping Issues
One of the more mind-blowing things that came out of this podcast was when Matthew said “there’s a portion of kids who may be underslept or have sleep disordered breathing,” which is causing them to show signs similar to ADHD.
So they’re being diagnosed without uncovering the real root of the issue.
Not only that, children with ADHD already struggle with sleep yet doctors are prescribing stimulants to these same exact kids.
Let me ask you: would you take a stimulant if you’re struggling to sleep?
The answer is an obvious no yet that’s exactly what’s going on here.
Matthew Walker also found, through other research, if you can treat the sleep disorder, the ADHD starts to disappear.
So his recommendation is that, “a strategic approach is needed, especially with dosing of ADHD medications.”
And the goal really should be to help kids get more sleep, along with their parents.
Before I dive into how to do just that, I wanted to share a few more interesting points from the podcast, starting with this next one.
Sleeping on a Problem is Actually a Good Idea
Have you ever heard of the phrase just sleep on it?
It turns out, that’s actually a really smart thing to do.
So if you’re not familiar, the idea is to sleep on any difficult problems.
Instead of fixing them right away, get a good night’s rest on them.
Matthew discussed how this was beneficial because, “during dream sleep, your brain combines previous information with the new info it takes in each day.”
And by doing this, it may be able to connect the dots for you on a difficult problem.
The key is to not let your brain stay up all night overthinking it. You have to actually sleep on it for this to work.
Up next, I’m diving into a few more crazy sleep facts.
7 Sleep Facts that Will Blow Your Mind
These statements are in no particular order and apply to everyone so they’re all worth reading.
#1: “1 hour of iPad reading vs reading a traditional book with a dimmed light, delayed the release of a crucial sleep hormone, melatonin, by 3 hrs. It also caused a 50% drop in its peak.”
“You also don’t get the same amount of deep sleep, which means you don’t wake up feeling refreshed.”
So if you’re guilty of reading your phone before bed, it’s time to ditch this bad habit.
It’s also a good idea to turn off the blue light as your night winds down.
If you have an iPhone, you can do this right in settings.
So I turn my blue light off around 7pm so that whenever I look at it after that, I’m staring at a yellow screen.
And I absolutely make it a habit to read an old school book every night before bed instead of using my phone or watching TV.
#2: If you’re in the 6 hours a night camp, read: “6 hrs is detrimental, minimum you need is 7.”
And, “a drop in sleep quality is just as detrimental as a reduction in quantity.”
#3: There’s a small percentage (<1%) of people who actually carry a special gene where they can successfully survive on 5 hours of sleep.
But, “you’re more likely to be struck by lightning, than to carry this gene.”
It’s that rare.
#4: Walker also calls sleep the “best legal performance enhancing drug” on the market.
Athletes who got a full night’s rest after a grueling practice did 20-30% better during their next practice session.
Imagine what that could do for you.
#5: Wakefulness is low level brain damage.
You might need to read that again: wakefulness is low level brain damage.
Think about it: your mind is constantly being bombarded throughout the day.
Any given second, it’s sending and receiving signals, taking in sensory input, and making split second decisions.
All of these are taxing and damaging on your brain and the only way to recover from this is to recharge your brain just like you would your phone except using sleep this time instead of a cord.
Sleep gives your body that chance to repair and if you’re not giving it enough time to do that, you’re going to have both short term and long term health damage.
#6: “Sleep should not be viewed as the third pillar of health behind eating healthy and exercising; rather, it’s the foundation.”
Even if you watch your diet and exercise but you’re not sleeping enough, you’ll still pack on the pounds and cause harm to your health.
Without sleep, your body thinks it’s under a constant threat and reacts by storing food and craving quick energy fixes, all of which are going to negate your hard work at the gym.
Start looking at sleep as the foundation to a healthy life and don’t let it take a backseat to eating healthy and exercising.
#7: “A lack of sleep also makes people less productive. Employees who are underslept”:
- “Take on fewer work challenges”
- “Prefer tackling simple ones instead of deep projects”
- “Produce fewer creative solutions”
- “Are more likely to slack off in group projects, use social loafing”
And “bosses who are underslept are seen as less charismatic to employees, even though their team has no idea how much sleep they’ve had.”
You’re also going to notice that it takes you twice as long to absorb information when you’re sleep deprived. So you may need to reread things several times and may still struggle with understanding it.
Here in the US, all of this costs around 411 billion dollars just from insufficient sleep. YIKES AGAIN
Some of Dr. Walker’s best advice is, “we need to prescribe more sleep, not pills,” and I couldn’t agree more.
I’ve always been in the #TeamMoreSleep camp and will routinely turn down commitments that go past my bedtime.
It may seem insane given that I’m not 85 yet but I prefer my health over anything else, even being social.
And if it means that I can’t go out to late night social events, so be it. I know I’m making the right choice for my health.
I usually get 7-8.5 hours each night and tend to get around 9 hours a night on the weekends and without using an alarm.
My new goal is to figure out how to get 9 hours in every night so that I can get the recommended amount everyday, not just on the weekends.
And to help you get more sleep, here are some tips from the podcast on this:
What to Do Instead
Keep these tips in mind so you can consistently get a good night’s sleep:
- Get to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time. Do this every.single.day. Including on weekends
- Steer clear of the screens and blue lights at least 1 hour before bed
- As your night winds down, start switching off at least half of your lights to get your body to start transitioning to nighttime, so it can release things like melatonin
- Consider dropping the temperature in your bedroom by 2-3 degrees to help initiate sleep. Keep in mind, you don’t want to go further than this or you’ll end up too cold to rest
- Don’t go to bed too hungry or too stuffed either. Either one can disrupt your sleep
- Figure out what time you need to go to bed each night, in order to get 7-9 hours and start winding down at least 30 minutes beforehand. No excuses
- Melatonin is helpful for transitioning between time zones and during time changes. Otherwise, it may just act as a placebo. If you take it and it helps, keep taking it
Walker is also a huge fan (as am I) of using visualization.
He mentioned that this was “50% as effective in chasing plastic connections within the brain. It can also cause a rewiring of brain.”
To learn more about my take on visualization, check out this guide.
Start Getting More Sleep Today. Your Life Depends On It
As you saw in today’s guide, getting enough sleep is not optional.
Don’t take this seriously and you could be jeopardizing your health.
Just like with eating healthy and working out, it takes effort to go to bed each night so that you can clock in enough hours.
And for any readers who are also shift workers, don’t forget about how important your health is. If you don’t get enough sleep, you won’t be able to help others.
Keep an eye on how long you’ve been awake and try not to get to the 20 hour mark, especially if you’re driving.
If you take away only one thing today it’s how important getting 7-9 hours each night is.
For both your health and the quality of your life, don’t keep shorting yourself when it comes to sleep.
Don’t forget to grab your free copy of my 20 strategies to help you fall asleep faster:
And if you need my help here, I’m only an email away (devan@behappynothangry.com).
Sending you the gift of getting enough quality sleep each night,
Devan
P.S. If you feel like listening to the full podcast to see what else Joe Rogan and Matthew Walker uncovered, be sure to check it out.