Matthew Walker

At a glance

• Matthew Walker is a British neuroscientist and professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, where he directs the Center for Human Sleep Science.
• His research covers the role of sleep in memory, learning and emotion. Among other things, his team showed that sleep deprivation sharply increases the response of the amygdala, an emotional centre in the brain.
• He has also studied how deep sleep declines in older adults and how that relates to memory and the build-up of the protein beta-amyloid.
• His book Why We Sleep (2017) became an international bestseller and made sleep a major health topic. Critics did point to some exaggerated or inaccurate claims in the book.
• He can be heard on his own Matthew Walker Podcast and on many other podcasts.
• For longevity, his work matters because sleep is linked to brain health, metabolism and immunity.
• Takeaway: keep regular bed and wake times, weekends included, and a cool, dark bedroom.