We are in the middle of a health crisis, according to Matthew Walker, PhD, a neuroscientist, UC Berkeley professor, and founder and director of the Center for Human Sleep Science. That health crisis as a burgeoning epidemic that unfortunately doctors are all too familiar with: insufficient sleep. With sleep deprivation so ingrained in physician culture and training that it’s practically a bragging right or badge of honor, American doctors may be at risk to a myriad of chronic health conditions and diseases, research shows. Walker, who gained popularity with his bestseller Why We Sleep, is having a bit of a pop culture moment. His recent appearances on popular podcasts hosted by Joe Rogan, Dr. Peter Attia, and Dr. Rhonda Patrick have further propelled him, his work, and sleep research into the spotlight. Walker also recently gave a TED talk, which was covered in a widely circulated WIRED magazine article. With all of the attention, Walker has a platform to spread the gospel of sleep. And doctors, here’s why you need to hear the good news. Increasingly, research is pointing toward a link between disrupted sleep and various diseases. What sleep research tells us A preliminary study presented this week at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting shows that people with sleep apnea tend to have higher accumulations of tau — a dementia biomarker — in their brains. In a 2015 study of his own, Walker and his research team established a link between disrupted deep and the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaque in the brain. “Sleep is helping wash away toxic proteins at night, preventing them from building up and from potentially destroying brain cells,” Walker said in a UC Berkeley news release. “It’s providing a power cleanse for the brain.” Even if sleep doesn’t turn out to be the missing dementia link, poor sleep is associated with three of our biggest killers, according to this recent literature review: hypertension, coronary heart disease, and diabetes. The same review points out that western societies are sleeping about 1.5 hours less than they were a century ago. Think physician residencies are skewing the data? If you’re serious about getting your own health back on track, start with building some good sleep habits. How to get better sleep Limit exposure to blue light at night. While this part of the spectrum is great at waking you up, it suppresses melatonin levels in the evening. Put your smartphone and other devices away at night, or buy blue-blocking glasses. Get sunshine during the day. Exposure to natural light helps with sleep hormone regulation. Be sure to get some sunlight in the morning and throughout the day — just don’t get burned. Limit or eliminate caffeine — especially later in the day. Caffeine has a 5-6 hour half life for most people. An 8 oz cup of coffee has about 95 mg of caffeine. Guzzle that java at 3 p.m. to power through your afternoon, and by 9 p.m., you still have about 45 mg left to metabolize. Avoid alcohol. You might fall asleep faster because of its sedative effects, but alcohol will also disrupt your circadian rhythm, interrupt REM sleep, and exacerbate sleep-disordered breathing, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Be consistent. The goal here is to maintain a steady circadian rhythm by getting up and going to bed at the same time — even on weekends. Keep it cool. Obviously, you want your bedroom to be dark, quiet, and comfortable. But perhaps not so obviously, you also may want it to be cool. Aim for somewhere between 60-67 degrees. Avoid eating close to bedtime. Avoid late meals and heavy late-night snacks. If it’s enough to spike your blood sugar, it’s enough to disrupt your sleep. TL;DR Sleep expert Matthew Walker has a clear message for us: Lack of sleep is a health crisis. And doctors are perhaps some of the most well-versed professionals in sleep deprivation. If you’re trying to amend the poor sleep habits you developed in residency, limit blue light exposure at night, expose yourself to sunlight during the day, restrict caffeine and alcohol intake, set a consistent sleep schedule, keep your bedroom cool, and avoid eating close to bedtime. Source
