SLEEP STATUS

Matthew Walker, neuroscientist and author of international bestseller Why We Sleep, discusses Asia's sleep crisis, the fundamental importance of shut-eye and how we all can– and must–reclaim our ZZZs

- RACHEL DUFFELL

Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia are just a few of the Asian locations whose populations demonstrate some of the greatest sleep deficiencies in the world, according to a recent YouGov survey.

That's nothing to be proud of.

In fact, if you ask sleep expert Matthew Walker, who calls sleep the “fundamental bedrock of life”, today’s global sleep deprivation epidemic has concerning repercussions for individuals and societies, from mental health implications and compromised immunity to increased risk of disease and lower life expectancy. The epidemic is particularly acute in Asia due to social and cultural factors, including longer workdays, family obligations, “face” culture and later bedtimes.

I'm speaking to the British neuroscientist and author of the bestselling book Why We Sleep on a video call scheduled for 8pm his time, an interview slot approved for falling sufficiently outside Walker's strict sleep window. His approach to sleep is particularly disciplined, and includes limited international travel from his base in the US, where he is a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley—crossing timezones has been proven to take a toll on your circadian rhythm and memory-related centres in your brain.