The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett No.1 Sleep Expert: Magnesium Isn’t Helping You Sleep! This Sleep Habit Increases Heart Disease 57%
Nov 17, 2025
02:17:38
No.1 Sleep Expert DR. MATTHEW WALKER reveals how to fix insomnia, reset your circadian rhythm, deepen REM sleep, and why magnesium and melatonin may be hurting your sleep.
Dr Matthew Walker is a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and one of the world’s leading experts on sleep science, with over 20 years of research. He is host of The Matt Walker Podcast and bestselling author of ‘Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams’.
He explains:
◼️The shocking link between poor sleep timing and increased cancer risk
◼️How alcohol and caffeine silently sabotage deep sleep and mental performance
◼️Why screen time and light exposure before bed are secretly rewiring your brain
◼️How “sleep banking” before stress, travel, or work sprints can boost resilience
◼️Why parents, professionals, and athletes all need radically different sleep strategies
Enjoyed the episode? Share it using this link and get points for every referral: https://doac-perks.com
(00:00) Intro
(02:33) Sleep Changes Your DNA
(05:01) The Stigma Around Sleep and Laziness
(08:43) What’s Stopping People From Sleeping?
(10:58) The Shocking Link Between Weekend Sleep-Ins and Heart Disease
(14:48) New Research: Sleep Banking for Low-Sleep Periods
(16:25) Boost Cognitive Performance With This Sleep Hack
(19:14) 3 Things That Will Improve Your Sleep Quality Tonight
(20:42) It’s Not Blue Light That’s Keeping You Awake
(22:01) Melatonin Doesn’t Make You Sleep — Here’s What It Does
(24:28) The Right Amount of Melatonin
(25:55) The 1% With Nocturnal Clocks Who Can’t Sleep Until 3 AM
(27:26) Should You Be Concerned About Melatonin as a Sleep Aid?
(30:33) The Trade-Offs in Sleep Medicine
(35:05) The Key to a Digital Detox
(35:46) The 4 Macros of Good Sleep: QQRT
(37:02) The Minimum Amount of Sleep You Need to Stay Alive
(42:49) How Sleep Regularity Predicts Life Expectancy
(46:50) Try This 7-Day Sleep Enhancer Challenge
(53:24) Is Your Room Dark Enough for Optimal Sleep?
(1:01:03) Why Counting Sheep Doesn’t Work
(1:02:58) A Better Alternative to Counting Sheep
(1:04:36) Does Magnesium Really Help With Sleep?
(1:11:47) Ads
(1:13:33) How REM Sleep Works and How to Maximize It
(1:20:30) Why REM Sleep Is So Important
(1:22:07) Entering a ‘Psychotic’ State During Dreams
(1:25:05) Healing Trauma Through Dreams
(1:31:12) Nightmares as a Warning Sign of Mental Health Issues
(1:36:09) REM Sleep Is Like Group Therapy for Memories
(1:39:31) Ads
(1:41:18) The Dystopian Future: Superhumans Who Sleep Only 6 Hours
(1:45:17) Could Humans Be Engineered to Sleep Less?
(1:50:20) Why Undersleeping Triggers Cravings
(1:54:36) A New Drug That Could Help With Insomnia
(2:03:50) What Did Success Bring You?
(2:07:33) I Didn’t Believe in Finding “The One”
(2:28:39) The Future of AI and Sleep
Follow Dr Matthew:
X - https://bit.ly/4oIRpAY
Instagram - https://bit.ly/49OgFB4
Podcast - https://bit.ly/489MJhA
You can purchase Dr Matthew’s book, ‘Why We Sleep’, here: https://amzn.to/3K04IxJ
The Diary Of A CEO:
◼️Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/
◼️Buy The Diary Of A CEO book here - https://smarturl.it/DOACbook
◼️The 1% Diary is back - limited time only: https://bit.ly/3YFbJbt
◼️The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards (Second Edition): https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb
◼️Get email updates - https://bit.ly/diary-of-a-ceo-yt
◼️Follow Steven - https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb
Sponsors:
Linkedin Ads - https://www.linkedin.com/DIARY
Pipedrive - http://pipedrive.com/CEO
KetoneIQ - Visit https://ketone.com/STEVEN for 30% off your subscription order
Last chance to join the waitlist for the limited edition Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards here: https://bit.ly/cardswaitlist
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theexperienceplus.substack.com
Dr Matthew Walker is a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and one of the world’s leading experts on sleep science, with over 20 years of research. He is host of The Matt Walker Podcast and bestselling author of ‘Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams’.
He explains:
◼️The shocking link between poor sleep timing and increased cancer risk
◼️How alcohol and caffeine silently sabotage deep sleep and mental performance
◼️Why screen time and light exposure before bed are secretly rewiring your brain
◼️How “sleep banking” before stress, travel, or work sprints can boost resilience
◼️Why parents, professionals, and athletes all need radically different sleep strategies
Enjoyed the episode? Share it using this link and get points for every referral: https://doac-perks.com
(00:00) Intro
(02:33) Sleep Changes Your DNA
(05:01) The Stigma Around Sleep and Laziness
(08:43) What’s Stopping People From Sleeping?
(10:58) The Shocking Link Between Weekend Sleep-Ins and Heart Disease
(14:48) New Research: Sleep Banking for Low-Sleep Periods
(16:25) Boost Cognitive Performance With This Sleep Hack
(19:14) 3 Things That Will Improve Your Sleep Quality Tonight
(20:42) It’s Not Blue Light That’s Keeping You Awake
(22:01) Melatonin Doesn’t Make You Sleep — Here’s What It Does
(24:28) The Right Amount of Melatonin
(25:55) The 1% With Nocturnal Clocks Who Can’t Sleep Until 3 AM
(27:26) Should You Be Concerned About Melatonin as a Sleep Aid?
(30:33) The Trade-Offs in Sleep Medicine
(35:05) The Key to a Digital Detox
(35:46) The 4 Macros of Good Sleep: QQRT
(37:02) The Minimum Amount of Sleep You Need to Stay Alive
(42:49) How Sleep Regularity Predicts Life Expectancy
(46:50) Try This 7-Day Sleep Enhancer Challenge
(53:24) Is Your Room Dark Enough for Optimal Sleep?
(1:01:03) Why Counting Sheep Doesn’t Work
(1:02:58) A Better Alternative to Counting Sheep
(1:04:36) Does Magnesium Really Help With Sleep?
(1:11:47) Ads
(1:13:33) How REM Sleep Works and How to Maximize It
(1:20:30) Why REM Sleep Is So Important
(1:22:07) Entering a ‘Psychotic’ State During Dreams
(1:25:05) Healing Trauma Through Dreams
(1:31:12) Nightmares as a Warning Sign of Mental Health Issues
(1:36:09) REM Sleep Is Like Group Therapy for Memories
(1:39:31) Ads
(1:41:18) The Dystopian Future: Superhumans Who Sleep Only 6 Hours
(1:45:17) Could Humans Be Engineered to Sleep Less?
(1:50:20) Why Undersleeping Triggers Cravings
(1:54:36) A New Drug That Could Help With Insomnia
(2:03:50) What Did Success Bring You?
(2:07:33) I Didn’t Believe in Finding “The One”
(2:28:39) The Future of AI and Sleep
Follow Dr Matthew:
X - https://bit.ly/4oIRpAY
Instagram - https://bit.ly/49OgFB4
Podcast - https://bit.ly/489MJhA
You can purchase Dr Matthew’s book, ‘Why We Sleep’, here: https://amzn.to/3K04IxJ
The Diary Of A CEO:
◼️Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/
◼️Buy The Diary Of A CEO book here - https://smarturl.it/DOACbook
◼️The 1% Diary is back - limited time only: https://bit.ly/3YFbJbt
◼️The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards (Second Edition): https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb
◼️Get email updates - https://bit.ly/diary-of-a-ceo-yt
◼️Follow Steven - https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb
Sponsors:
Linkedin Ads - https://www.linkedin.com/DIARY
Pipedrive - http://pipedrive.com/CEO
KetoneIQ - Visit https://ketone.com/STEVEN for 30% off your subscription order
Last chance to join the waitlist for the limited edition Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards here: https://bit.ly/cardswaitlist
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theexperienceplus.substack.com