Why we sleep

Allow me to ask you a question: Can you recall the last time you woke up without an alarm clock feeling refreshed, not needing caffeine? If the answer is “no,” you are not alone. Two-thirds of adults fail to obtain the recommended 8 hours of nightly sleep. I doubt you are surprised by the answer to this question, but you may be surprised by the consequences. Routinely sleeping less than 6 or 7 hours a night is a risk factor for, or cause of, every major disease killing individuals in first world countries, including cancer, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, congestive heart failure, suicide and Alzheimer’s disease. This talk will provide the hard science underlying the link between insufficient sleep and ill health.

Speaker: Matthew Walker, Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab, UC Berkeley