422: The Sleep Episode

The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life, says neuroscientist and sleep expert, Matthew Walker. Think you can survive on less than 7 or 8 hours of sleep per night? Think again. You're more likely to be struck by lightning in your lifetime than to possess the ultra rare gene that allows you to sleep fewer than 7 hours without mental impairment, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and cancer. You can't cheat your body on sleep. You're only taking years off the end of your life. Studies show you also can't make up for lost sleep. If you're shorting yourself on sleep in anticipation of "making it up on the weekend", you're doing irreparable damage. You can't pay back sleep debts by getting extra hours in later. Studies also show those who sleep five to six hours a night will on average eat between 200 to 300 extra calories each day, That's 10 to 15 pounds of obese mass each year. It also tends to be more of the wrong kind of food, which we'll talk more about in the show. As a chronically under slept person, who for most of my 20s believed he could get by just fine on 5 or 6 hours of sleep, I am now adamant about sleeping no fewer than 8 hours each night. It's practically become my religion. You will never think about sleep the same way again after this episode.