Dr. Matthew Walker

Now, if you look at the data on average, Americans are sleeping about six hours and 40 minutes. Now don't forget, That's the average. That means that there's a good proportion of people who sit to the left side of that distribution, who are getting even less than that. America is not the worst culprit, by the way, Japan, we're all at each other's throats and not thinking clearly.

We think about that and we giggle about it. But I don't think it's a factor to be discounted in our emotional dysfunction. Your empathy, for example, we did a great study and we were looking at how empathetically sensitive a human being is. And boy, do you just simply start to ignore other people's pain and their needs. No, you feel like crap, so it's hard to care, right?

We think about that and we giggle about it. But I don't think it's a factor to be discounted in our emotional dysfunction. Your empathy, for example, we did a great study and we were looking at how empathetically sensitive a human being is. And boy, do you just simply start to ignore other people's pain and their needs. No, you feel like crap, so it's hard to care, right?

We think about that and we giggle about it. But I don't think it's a factor to be discounted in our emotional dysfunction. Your empathy, for example, we did a great study and we were looking at how empathetically sensitive a human being is. And boy, do you just simply start to ignore other people's pain and their needs. No, you feel like crap, so it's hard to care, right?

You feel so bad yourself. Why? Because you've got to take care of... You know that your brain... Well, let me put it this way. Human beings are the only species that will deliberately deprive themselves of sleep for no apparent good reason. Like doctors, you mean? Like doctors, exactly. But what does that tell us? That tells us is that mother nature has never had to face

You feel so bad yourself. Why? Because you've got to take care of... You know that your brain... Well, let me put it this way. Human beings are the only species that will deliberately deprive themselves of sleep for no apparent good reason. Like doctors, you mean? Like doctors, exactly. But what does that tell us? That tells us is that mother nature has never had to face

You feel so bad yourself. Why? Because you've got to take care of... You know that your brain... Well, let me put it this way. Human beings are the only species that will deliberately deprive themselves of sleep for no apparent good reason. Like doctors, you mean? Like doctors, exactly. But what does that tell us? That tells us is that mother nature has never had to face

this challenge of sleep deprivation. So no wonder there are no safety nets in place. So no wonder that we firstly go down very quickly biologically in terms of our health, but also don't forget that that is such a rare circumstance that when it happens, when the brain starts to sense I'm not sleeping enough, now it doesn't know why because we're watching Netflix.

this challenge of sleep deprivation. So no wonder there are no safety nets in place. So no wonder that we firstly go down very quickly biologically in terms of our health, but also don't forget that that is such a rare circumstance that when it happens, when the brain starts to sense I'm not sleeping enough, now it doesn't know why because we're watching Netflix.

this challenge of sleep deprivation. So no wonder there are no safety nets in place. So no wonder that we firstly go down very quickly biologically in terms of our health, but also don't forget that that is such a rare circumstance that when it happens, when the brain starts to sense I'm not sleeping enough, now it doesn't know why because we're watching Netflix.

It just says, red alert, break glass in case of emergency. I'm not going to care about you, the people that I love. I've got to go into essentially low battery status and take care of myself. So you lose your empathetic sensitivity. We looked at doctors. And there's great study from a team in Israel too.

It just says, red alert, break glass in case of emergency. I'm not going to care about you, the people that I love. I've got to go into essentially low battery status and take care of myself. So you lose your empathetic sensitivity. We looked at doctors. And there's great study from a team in Israel too.

It just says, red alert, break glass in case of emergency. I'm not going to care about you, the people that I love. I've got to go into essentially low battery status and take care of myself. So you lose your empathetic sensitivity. We looked at doctors. And there's great study from a team in Israel too.

And what they found was that they started to prescribe less, and it was necessary, less pain medication for their patients the more sleep deprived they were. Why? Because they lost their empathy. They did not care. And so patients are suffering. They are more sort of ensconced in nociceptive, you know, drench of pain because the doctors just don't see it.

And what they found was that they started to prescribe less, and it was necessary, less pain medication for their patients the more sleep deprived they were. Why? Because they lost their empathy. They did not care. And so patients are suffering. They are more sort of ensconced in nociceptive, you know, drench of pain because the doctors just don't see it.

And what they found was that they started to prescribe less, and it was necessary, less pain medication for their patients the more sleep deprived they were. Why? Because they lost their empathy. They did not care. And so patients are suffering. They are more sort of ensconced in nociceptive, you know, drench of pain because the doctors just don't see it.

Yeah. It's almost like a hazing that we went through it and you're going to have to go through it. But it's horrible.

Yeah. It's almost like a hazing that we went through it and you're going to have to go through it. But it's horrible.

Yeah. It's almost like a hazing that we went through it and you're going to have to go through it. But it's horrible.

And if you look at the curve, the decline in sleep over the past really 70 years, for which we have good data, and if you look, for example, at the rise in obesity over the same duration of time, those two things go in opposite directions. As sleeping is coming down, obesity is going up. And we know that a lack of sleep changes your appetite hormones.