Ideas change everything

How caffeine and alcohol affect your sleep

2,043,601 plays|

Matt Walker |

Sleeping with Science

• July 2020

Caffeine wakes you up, and alcohol makes you nod off, right? It's not that simple. Sleep scientist Matt Walker takes us into the eye-opening ways that these drinks affect the quantity and quality of our sleep.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

Caffeine wakes you up, and alcohol makes you nod off, right? It's not that simple. Sleep scientist Matt Walker takes us into the eye-opening ways that these drinks affect the quantity and quality of our sleep.

Want to use TED Talks in your organization?

About the speaker

Sleep scientist, professor, author

See speaker profile

Matt Walker is a brain scientist trying to understand why we sleep.

Learn more

A TED ORIGINAL SERIES

Sleeping with Science

Sleep — we spend one-third of our lives doing it, but what exactly do we get out of it? And how can we do it better? In this TED series, sleep scientist Matt Walker uncovers the facts and secrets behind our nightly slumber.

null - *Sleeping with Science*

Why We Sleep

Why We Sleep explains how caffeine and alcohol affect your sleep. What really happens during dreaming? Why do our sleep patterns change across a lifetime? How do sleeping pills affect us and can they do long-term damage? The book goes on to describe how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood and energy levels; slow the effects of aging while lowering the risk of Alzheimer's, obesity and diabetes; enhance the education and lifespan of our children; and boost the efficiency, success and productivity of our businesses.

Matt Walker: How caffeine and alcohol affect your sleep | TED Talk