Matthew WalkerPhD · neuroscientist
Optimise, on four measurable dimensions
What it rests onQuantity, quality, regularity and timing are measurable, and regularity in particular tracks hard outcomes
Source: sleepdiplomat.com ↗
Crossfire
Should I optimise my sleep, or stop trying so hard?
What the experts say
Matthew WalkerPhD · neuroscientist
Jade WuPhD, DBSM · behavioural sleep medicine psychologist
Stop engineering it, rebuild the relationship
What it rests onOptimisation framing fails on the inputs you cannot control, on biology that changes with age, and on insomnia, where trying harder is the mechanism of the problem
Source: drjadewu.com ↗
Overview
Walker's optimisation advice is scoped by him to people without clinical insomnia, which he states explicitly in mwp-025. Wu's central case is people with insomnia. A large part of this disagreement is about who is being addressed.
Where they agree
Both put CBT-I first for insomnia, and both reject sleeping pills as a first-line answer. Walker's own wal-orthosomnia and wal-donothing sit closer to Wu's position than his QQRT framing does.
What would settle it
Evidence on whether sleep-optimisation content improves or worsens outcomes in people prone to sleep anxiety. Walker has committed in print to adding an anxiety caution to future editions of his book, which is a concession that the effect is real.
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