Matthew Walker

Research Expertise and Interest

sleep, neuroscience

Research Description

Matthew Walker is a professor of neuroscience and psychology in the Department of Psychology and with the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute. Professor Walker is also the founder and director of the Center for Human Sleep Science.  He has received numerous funding awards from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, and is a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences. His research examines the impact of sleep on human brain function in healthy and disease populations. To date, he has published over 100 scientific research studies

In the News

Sleepless and Selfish: Lack of Sleep Makes Us Less Generous

Humans help each other — it’s one of the foundations of civilized society. But a new study by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, reveals that a lack of sleep blunts this fundamental human attribute, with real-world consequences.

How we sleep today may forecast when Alzheimer’s disease begins

What would you do if you knew how long you had until Alzheimer’s disease set in? Don’t despair. New UC Berkeley research suggests one defense against this virulent form of dementia — for which no treatment currently exists — is deep, restorative sleep, and plenty of it.

Brain noise contains unique signature of dream sleep

When we dream, our brains are filled with noisy electrical activity that looks nearly identical to that of the awake brain. But UC Berkeley researchers have pulled a signal out of the noise that uniquely defines dreaming, or REM sleep, potentially making it easier to monitor people with sleep disorders, as well as unconscious coma patients or those under anesthesia.

Stressed to the max? Deep sleep can rewire the anxious brain

When it comes to managing anxiety disorders, William Shakespeare’s Macbeth had it right when he referred to sleep as the “balm of hurt minds.” While a full night of slumber stabilizes emotions, a sleepless night can trigger up to a 30% rise in anxiety levels, according to new research from UC Berkeley.

Chronically anxious? Deep sleep may take the edge off

Extreme angst is on the rise nationally and globally, especially among teens and millennials. Among other factors, preliminary findings from UC Berkeley sleep researchers point to a chronic lack of deep restorative sleep.

Poor sleep triggers viral loneliness and social rejection

Poor sleep can literally kill your social life. UC Berkeley researchers have found that sleep-deprived people feel lonelier and less inclined to engage with others, avoiding close contact in much the same way as people with social anxiety.

The Sleep-Deprived Brain Can Mistake Friends for Foes

A new UC Berkeley study shows that sleep deprivation dulls our ability to accurately read facial expressions. This deficit can have serious consequences, such as not noticing that a child is sick or in pain, or that a potential mugger or violent predator is approaching.

Poor sleep in old age prevents the brain from storing memories

The connection between poor sleep, memory loss and brain deterioration as we grow older has been elusive.  But for the first time, scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have found a link between these hallmark maladies of old age. Their discovery opens the door to boosting the quality of sleep in elderly people to improve memory.

Dream sleep takes sting out of painful memories

They say time heals all wounds, and new research from UC Berkeley indicates that time spent in dream sleep can help. UC Berkeley researchers have found that during the dream phase of sleep, also known as REM sleep, our stress chemistry shuts down and the brain processes emotional experiences and takes the painful edge off difficult memories.

Not enough sleep gets in the way of success

Catching z’s can seem overrated when school is demanding, your body is young, and you’re newly on your own. Students, researchers, and health care providers grapple with the whys and hows of sleep.

As we sleep, speedy brain waves boost our ability to learn

Scientists have long puzzled over the many hours we spend in light, dreamless slumber. But a new study from UC Berkeley suggests we’re busy recharging our brain’s learning capacity during this traditionally undervalued phase of sleep, which can take up half the night.

IRLE's conference on "New Deal/No Deal?"

In the midst of forecasts of continuing economic woes and congressional gridlock, experts gathered recently at UC Berkeley to assess what worked and what didn’t during the Great Depression-inspired New Deal, the Obama administration’s still emerging efforts to ease the Great Recession, and prospects for relief, reform and recovery.

An afternoon nap markedly boosts the brain's learning capacity

If you see a student dozing in the library or a co-worker catching 40 winks in her cubicle, don’t roll your eyes. New research from UC Berkeley shows that an hour’s nap can dramatically boost and restore your brainpower. Indeed, the findings suggest that a biphasic sleep schedule not only refreshes the mind, but can make you smarter.

Featured in the Media

Please note: The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or positions of UC Berkeley.
September 9, 2020
Katie Camero
A team of UC Berkeley neuroscience researchers reports that there is a correlation between poor, fragmented sleep and the buildup of toxic plaque in people's brains known to mark the onset of dementia. "We have found that the sleep you're having right now is almost like a crystal ball telling you when and how fast Alzheimer's pathology will develop in your brain," said study senior author Matthew Walker, a University of California, Berkeley professor of psychology and neuroscience. For more on this, see our press release at Berkeley News. Stories on this topic have appeared in several sources, including Zee News, The Tribune (India), and Medical News.
June 8, 2020
Brian Dunleavy
The risk of heart disease increases significantly for those who regularly suffer from fitful sleep, finds a new study by Berkeley researchers. The researchers believe that the key reason could be that fragmented sleep increases inflammation in the body, and inflammation is known to raise a person's risk for atherosclerosis and stroke. "Improving sleep may offer a novel way to reduce inflammation and thus reduce the risk of atherosclerosis," says psychology and neuroscience professor Matthew Walker, director of Berkeley's Center for Human Sleep Science, one of the study's co-authors. The study evaluated the sleep quality of more than 1,600 adults using two common sleep evaluation tools -- lab-based polysomnography and actigraphy, a movement detector worn on the wrist over several nights -- as well as measurements of the blood cell counts of two types of white blood cells known to raise inflammation. "These findings may help inform public health guidelines that seek to increase the continuity of sleep as a way to improve health and decrease the burden of heart disease on society," Professor Walker says. For more on this, see our press release at Berkeley News. Stories on this topic appeared in dozens of sources around the world, including Forbes, Medical News (Australia), Yahoo! Style (UK), Eurasia Review, Medical Dialogues (India)>, Telegraph (UK), and Retail Pharmacy Magazine.
June 27, 2019
Diane Samson

People's sleep patterns can predict Alzheimer's pathology in their brains later in life, finds a new study led by psychology and neuroscience professor Matthew Walker. Using data from the longitudinal Berkeley Aging Cohort Study, the researchers found that people whose sleep quality declined during their 50s and 60s tended to have more protein tangles in their brains, raising their risk for Alzheimer's. "This finding may suggest that decreasing sleep duration in mid to late life is significantly associated with an increased risk of late-life Aβ burden, and that a profile of maintained (or even subtle increase) in sleep duration throughout this time period is statistically associated with a reduced predicted risk of Aβ accumulation in late life," the researchers wrote in their report. "If validated in larger longitudinal studies, these sleep-sensitive windows would have the potential to be included in public health recommendations with the goal shifting from a model of late-stage Alzheimer's disease treatment to earlier-life Alzheimer's disease prevention," they added. For more on this, see our press release at Berkeley News. Stories on this topic appeared in dozens of sources, including Medicine News Line, Daily Mail (UK), and News Live TV.

November 13, 2018
David DiSalvo
Overnight, sleep deprivation triggers anxiety as well as altered brain activity patterns in healthy adults, according to preliminary findings by psychology and neuroscience professor Matthew Walker, director of Berkeley's Center for Human Sleep Science and postdoctoral fellow Eti Ben Simon. It's been known that people with anxiety disorders often have trouble sleeping, but this research reveals that sleep loss can also cause anxiety, suggesting a vicious cycle. "The results [of the research] suggest that sleep therapy could reduce anxiety in non-clinical populations as well as people suffering from panic attacks, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other conditions," Ben-Simon says. "For healthy people, research shows that one night of recovery sleep brings systems back online and brings anxiety levels back to normal." For more on this, see our press release at Berkeley News. Another story on this topic appeared in Washington Post.
November 9, 2018
Laura Sanders
Overnight, sleep deprivation triggers anxiety as well as altered brain activity patterns in healthy adults, according to preliminary findings by psychology and neuroscience professor Matthew Walker, director of Berkeley's Center for Human Sleep Science and postdoctoral fellow Eti Ben Simon. It's been known that people with anxiety disorders often have trouble sleeping, but this research reveals that sleep loss can also cause anxiety, suggesting a vicious cycle. For more on this, see our press release at Berkeley News. Another story citing sleep research by Professor Walker appeared in Artsy.
October 30, 2018
Linda Geddes
Your genes determine your natural sleep times, and according to psychology and neuroscience professor Matthew Walker, founder and director of Berkeley's Center for Human Sleep Science, "It is not a choice and it is very difficult to change." Professor Walker is the author of Why We Sleep, and he says that while there are things that can help night owls become more lark-like by, for example, reducing light exposure at night or seeking bright light upon waking, the key thing is to be consistent throughout the week about the timing of your sleep. "The most important advice I can give people who are struggling with sleep, or want to get good-quality sleep, is to keep it regular," he says.
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