--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Below seven hours of sleep, there are…" description: "\"Below seven hours of sleep, there are objective impairments in the body. Eight hours are recommended.\" — Matthew Walker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc1/matthew-walker-9547_body_below-seven-hours-of-sleep-there-are-obj_1323698.jpg" --- # Below seven hours of sleep, there are objective… ![“Below seven hours of sleep, there are objective impairments in the body. Eight hours are recommended.” quote by Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc1/matthew-walker-9547_body_below-seven-hours-of-sleep-there-are-obj_1323698.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc1/matthew-walker-9547_body_below-seven-hours-of-sleep-there-are-obj_1323698.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc1/matthew-walker-9547_body_below-seven-hours-of-sleep-there-are-obj_1323698.jpg) > “Below seven hours of sleep, there are objective impairments in the body. Eight hours are recommended.” [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Insufficient sleep harms bodily functions; eight hours is optimal for health. **In simple terms:** Lack of sleep damages the body; aim for eight hours. Key Takeaway Prioritize eight hours nightly. Themes health sleep wellbeing Mood concerned informative Type advice scientific When to use this quote - night shift workers - students - parents - athletes - travelers Key Concepts physiology cognitive performance Questions to Reflect On - How many hours do you actually sleep? - Can you improve sleep quality? A Different Perspective Individual needs vary; some thrive on less sleep. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) ## Related quotes > [“Keeping children secure and comfortable at night contributes toward a lifetime of easy sleep for them, an objective worthy of the weariness you may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norma-jane-bumgarner/keeping-children-secure-and-comfortable-at-night-contributes-toward-a/) Norma Jane Bumgarner > [I'll get seven hours sleep a night, but after breakfast, I'll have an hour just resting, to recover. In Spain they all have siestas,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-joshua/i-ll-get-seven-hours-sleep-a-night-but-after-breakfast-i-ll-have-an/) [Anthony Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-joshua/) > [“I needed seven hours of sleep. At least. I've always envied those who don't need much sleep. Those who wake up after five hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maja-lunde/i-needed-seven-hours-of-sleep-at-least-i-ve-always-envied-those-who/) Maja Lunde > [If I manage to get seven hours' sleep, I'm a pretty good parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-stoppard/if-i-manage-to-get-seven-hours-sleep-i-m-a-pretty-good-parent/) [Ed Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-stoppard/) > [I get about seven hours of sleep a night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mirai-nagasu/i-get-about-seven-hours-of-sleep-a-night/) [Mirai Nagasu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mirai-nagasu/) > [I try to get seven hours of sleep every night; I always walk or bike to work; I make a point to eat well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-scorpio/i-try-to-get-seven-hours-of-sleep-every-night-i-always-walk-or-bike/) [Jessica Scorpio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-scorpio/) > [If we didn't need eight hours of sleep and could survive on six, Mother Nature would have done away with 25 percent of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/if-we-didn-t-need-eight-hours-of-sleep-and-could-survive-on-six/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [Based on the science, you can make somewhat clear statements: The number of people who can survive on six hours of sleep without impairment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/based-on-the-science-you-can-make-somewhat-clear-statements-the/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [“everything I understood seven hours ago has already changed, and that I have to learn everything again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/everything-i-understood-seven-hours-ago-has-already-changed-and-that/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [“I think I can live without you," he said, like it was something he'd spent twenty-seven hours thinking about, "but it won't be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/i-think-i-can-live-without-you-he-said-like-it-was-something-he-d/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [“North," said the face beneath the sheet. "I belong to the National Association of Broadcasting Employees and Technicians. If you wake me up before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-klavan/north-said-the-face-beneath-the-sheet-i-belong-to-the-national/) [Andrew Klavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-klavan/) > [In the adverts, I look like I do because 150 people have spent seven hours making me look dazzling. That's not me at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keeley-hawes/in-the-adverts-i-look-like-i-do-because-150-people-have-spent-seven/) [Keeley Hawes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keeley-hawes/) > [“pulling seven people away from their work for an hour is worth seven hours of lost productivity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-fried/pulling-seven-people-away-from-their-work-for-an-hour-is-worth-seven/) [Jason Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-fried/) > [Maybe I wish I could be out there on the big occasions playing like I did at my peak, but I certainly don't miss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hendry/maybe-i-wish-i-could-be-out-there-on-the-big-occasions-playing-like-i/) [Stephen Hendry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hendry/) > [Spending seven to eight hours in the gym every day is not easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danilo-gallinari/spending-seven-to-eight-hours-in-the-gym-every-day-is-not-easy/) [Danilo Gallinari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danilo-gallinari/) ## More by Matthew Walker > [“Routinely sleeping less than six or seven hours a night demolishes your immune system, more than doubling your risk of cancer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/routinely-sleeping-less-than-six-or-seven-hours-a-night-demolishes/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [You're trying to sleep off a debt that you've lumbered your brain and body with during the week, and wouldn't it be lovely if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/you-re-trying-to-sleep-off-a-debt-that-you-ve-lumbered-your-brain-and/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [“The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep.”VII”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/the-best-bridge-between-despair-and-hope-is-a-good-night-s-sleep-vii/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [I think we perhaps are, with sleep, where we were with smoking about 50 years ago, in that we had all of the science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/i-think-we-perhaps-are-with-sleep-where-we-were-with-smoking-about-50/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [It's simply that older adults don't seem to be able to generate sleep efficiently, and that's why they're not getting it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/it-s-simply-that-older-adults-don-t-seem-to-be-able-to-generate-sleep/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [The time of night when you sleep makes a significant difference in terms of the structure and quality of your sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/the-time-of-night-when-you-sleep-makes-a-significant-difference-in/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [Do you tend to sleep in during the weekends? That usually signals that you're trying to sleep off a debt you've accumulated during the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/do-you-tend-to-sleep-in-during-the-weekends-that-usually-signals-that/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [No one wants to give up time with their family or entertainment, so they give up sleep instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/no-one-wants-to-give-up-time-with-their-family-or-entertainment-so/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [If sleep does not provide a remarkable set of benefits, then it's the biggest mistake the evolutionary process has ever made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/if-sleep-does-not-provide-a-remarkable-set-of-benefits-then-it-s-the/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [Your subjective sense of how well you're doing under conditions of sleep deprivation is a miserable predictor of, objectively, how you actually are doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/your-subjective-sense-of-how-well-you-re-doing-under-conditions-of/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [If you were not to set an alarm clock, would you sleep past it? If the answer is yes, then there is clearly more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/if-you-were-not-to-set-an-alarm-clock-would-you-sleep-past-it-if-the/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [Friends say, 'Shall we go out to dinner at 8?' I say, 'I can't, I'm a 10 A.M.-till-6:30 P.M. kind of guy.' I keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/friends-say-shall-we-go-out-to-dinner-at-8-i-say-i-can-t-i-m-a-10-a-m/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [I give myself a non-negotiable eight-hour sleep opportunity every night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/i-give-myself-a-non-negotiable-eight-hour-sleep-opportunity-every/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [We know that efficiency and effectiveness are increased when you're getting sufficient sleep, and it will take you longer to do the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/we-know-that-efficiency-and-effectiveness-are-increased-when-you-re/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [As you try to tweak your sleep one way or the other, you might be, you might be doing great - you might do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/as-you-try-to-tweak-your-sleep-one-way-or-the-other-you-might-be-you/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) [Explore all 72 Matthew Walker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Below seven hours of sleep, there are objective impairments in the body. 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