Neuroscientist Matthew Walker believes that lack of sleep is the greatest public health challenge we face in the 21st century. He says the lack of sleep is making us sick, making us fat and making us dumb.
In 1942, the average American adult was sleeping 7.9 hours. A recent survey shows that they are are now sleeping about six hours and 31 minutes.
"It took mother nature 3.6 million years to put this thing called eight hours of sleep for human beings in place," Walker said. "And then we come along and lop off maybe 25 percent of that within the space of just 75 or 80 years."
And that trend has had a serious effect on our health.
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Deadly diseases, obesity and suicide rates all have a connection to how much sleep we are getting, Walker said.
In the case of obesity, lack of sleep leads to over-eating because the hormone that usually tells your body when you are full and signals to stop eating is blunted by lack of sleep, he said.
If that wasn't bad enough, the hormone that tells us when we're hungry is amplified by lack of sleep.
"You could say, 'Well if I'm not sleeping as much it must mean I'm awake longer, so maybe I'm just topping off the extra energy that I'm burning,'" Walker said. "Not true."
You only burn about an extra 140 calories laying on a couch staying awake for 8 hours than you would losing consciousness there.
You're also more likely to go for junk-food when you're sleep deprived. Reward centers in the brain light up when you're tired, while the rational control regions of the brain shut down.
Obesity is dependent on a lot of other factors, but sleep does have a notable impact.
"If you fight against biology, usually you lose," Walker said.
Walker is the author of "Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams." He's a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley and the director of the Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory. Previously he was a sleep researcher and professor at Harvard University and the founder of the Center for Human Sleep Science.
He spoke Oct. 26, 2017 at the Commonwealth Club of California. The moderator is Alison van Diggelen of the BBC.
To listen to his speech, click the audio player above.
More on the importance of sleep
• Sleep scientist: A warning against walking through 'in an underslept state'
"Mtaalamu wa akili na akili Matthew Walker anasema ""Kukosa usingizi ni tatizo kubwa zaidi la afya ya umma tunalo kukabili katika karne ya 21.""" """Kukosa usingizi kunatufanya tuwe wagonjwa, tunazidi kunona na tunakuwa bubu.""" Mwaka 1942, wastani wa watu wazima wa Marekani walikuwa wanalala saa 7.9 kwa siku. Uchunguzi wa hivi karibuni unaonyesha kwamba watu wengi wanalala kwa muda wa saa sita na dakika 31. "Ilichukua asili mama miaka milioni 3.6 kuweka kitu hiki kinachoitwa masaa nane ya usingizi kwa wanadamu mahali pake, ""Walker alisema." "Na kisha sisi kuja pamoja na kukata labda asilimia 25 ya kwamba ndani ya nafasi ya miaka 75 au 80 tu. """ Mwelekeo huo umekuwa na athari kubwa kwa afya yetu. Kuendeleza Utamaduni wa Habari za Umma (MPR) ni mradi wa umma. Zawadi kutoka kwa watu binafsi huwezesha kila kitu unachokipata hapa. Fanya zawadi ya kiasi chochote leo kuwa mwanachama! "Ugonjwa mbaya, unene wa kupita kiasi na viwango vya kujiua vyote vina uhusiano na kiasi cha usingizi tunachopata,"" Walker alisema." Katika kesi ya unene wa kupita kiasi, ukosefu wa usingizi husababisha kula kupita kiasi kwa sababu homoni ambayo kwa kawaida huambia mwili wako wakati umejaa na ishara ya kuacha kula imefutwa na ukosefu wa usingizi. Kama hiyo haikuwa mbaya kutosha, homoni ambayo inatuambia wakati tuna njaa inaimarishwa na ukosefu wa usingizi. "Unaweza kusema, ""Naam, ikiwa si kulala sana lazima inamaanisha mimi ni macho kwa muda mrefu, kwa hivyo labda mimi tu topping nje ya nishati ya ziada kwamba mimi nina kuchoma, ""Walker alisema." "Si kweli". Unatumia kalori 140 zaidi ukilala kwenye sofa kwa masaa 8 kuliko unapoteza fahamu. Pia, ni rahisi zaidi kula vyakula visivyofaa unapokosa usingizi. Vituo vya thawabu katika ubongo huwaka wakati unapochoka, wakati maeneo ya udhibiti wa busara ya ubongo hufungwa. Uzito unategemea mambo mengine mengi, lakini usingizi una athari kubwa. "Ikiwa unapigana na biolojia, kwa kawaida unashindwa", Walker akasema. Walker ni mwandishi wa "Kwa nini Tunalala: Kufungua Nguvu ya Usingizi na Ndoto". Yeye ni profesa wa sayansi ya neva na saikolojia katika Chuo Kikuu cha California, Berkeley na mkurugenzi wa Lab ya usingizi na Neuroimaging. Kabla ya hapo alikuwa mtafiti wa usingizi na profesa katika Chuo Kikuu cha Harvard na mwanzilishi wa Kituo cha Sayansi ya usingizi wa Binadamu. Mkutano huo ulifanyika tarehe 26 Oktoba 2017 katika klabu ya Commonwealth Club of California. Msimamizi ni Alison van Diggelen wa BBC. Ili kusikiliza hotuba yake, bonyeza kicheza-sauti kilicho hapo juu. Zaidi juu ya umuhimu wa usingizi • Mwanasayansi wa usingizi: Onyo dhidi ya kutembea kupitia 'katika hali ya usingizi'