--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Falling asleep is like landing a plane…" description: "\"Falling asleep is like landing a plane. It takes time. You've got to sort of gradually descend. I think one of the problems with insufficient sleep is ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/matthew-walker-9547_falling_falling-asleep-is-like-landing-a-plane-i_1604842.jpg" --- # Falling asleep is like landing a plane. It takes time… ![“Falling asleep is like landing a plane. It takes time. You've got to sort of gradually descend. I think one of the problems with insufficient sleep is people are not very good at predicting how poorly they are doing when they are under-slept.” quote by Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/matthew-walker-9547_falling_falling-asleep-is-like-landing-a-plane-i_1604842.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/matthew-walker-9547_falling_falling-asleep-is-like-landing-a-plane-i_1604842.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ca/matthew-walker-9547_falling_falling-asleep-is-like-landing-a-plane-i_1604842.jpg) > “Falling asleep is like landing a plane. It takes time. You've got to sort of gradually descend. I think one of the problems with insufficient sleep is people are not very good at predicting how poorly they are doing when they are under-slept.” [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. Sleep deprivation impairs self‑assessment, making it hard to gauge performance, similar to a plane’s gradual descent before landing. **In simple terms:** Lack of sleep clouds judgment of one’s abilities. Key Takeaway Prioritize adequate sleep for accurate self‑evaluation. Themes health performance self‑awareness biology psychology Mood concerned informative pragmatic Type educational advisory scientific When to use this quote - workplace - sports - academic study - night shifts Key Concepts sleep deprivation metacognition physiology Questions to Reflect On - How does sleep loss affect decision‑making? - What strategies improve self‑awareness when fatigued? A Different Perspective Individual differences affect how sleep loss impacts perception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Falling asleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-asleep/) [Problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problems/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“When you add to the picture the common themes of insufficient sleep and overly stressful lifestyle patterns with insufficient downtime, you have a high-stress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-sisson/when-you-add-to-the-picture-the-common-themes-of-insufficient-sleep/) [Mark Sisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-sisson/) > [People who are close to me know, they so know that there were days when I was so tired that I would fall asleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/people-who-are-close-to-me-know-they-so-know-that-there-were-days/) [Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/) > [It was a way of recognizing places of enchantment: people falling asleep like this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/it-was-a-way-of-recognizing-places-of-enchantment-people-falling/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [The gross demonstration of caffeine is that it prevents you from falling asleep. The slightly more nefarious aspect of caffeine is that maybe you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-walker/the-gross-demonstration-of-caffeine-is-that-it-prevents-you-from/) [Matthew Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-walker/) > [She was on the far side, leaving two cold feet of mattress between them. He knew that she'd fall asleep like that... and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/she-was-on-the-far-side-leaving-two-cold-feet-of-mattress-between/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [“You'll stay here with me?" " Yeah " "If I fall asleep like this ... the first thing i'll see when I wake up ... will be you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clamp/you-ll-stay-here-with-me-yeah-if-i-fall-asleep-like-this-the-first/) [CLAMP](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clamp/) > [“It were … she’d fell asleep, and she’d fell asleep on him. Like she trusted him that much she could just sleep, she were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacia-kane/it-were-she-d-fell-asleep-and-she-d-fell-asleep-on-him-like-she/) [Stacia Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacia-kane/) > [Sleeping comes easy to me. As soon as I lay my head down, I fall asleep like flicking a switch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricochet/sleeping-comes-easy-to-me-as-soon-as-i-lay-my-head-down-i-fall-asleep/) [Ricochet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricochet/) > [“And they fell asleep like children.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/and-they-fell-asleep-like-children/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [Reading text messages while half asleep is like looking into the sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/reading-text-messages-while-half-asleep-is-like-looking-into-the-sun/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [I think about you every night before I go to sleep. I imagine you here with me . With one arm around me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prettylilttlevampire/i-think-about-you-every-night-before-i-go-to-sleep-i-imagine-you-here/) Prettylilttlevampire > [“She fell asleep like that, wrapped in warmth. Wrapped in Jay.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-derting/she-fell-asleep-like-that-wrapped-in-warmth-wrapped-in-jay/) [Kimberly Derting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-derting/) > [“To fall asleep like a bird. To have a wing you could stick your head under, a world of branches suspended above the earthly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/to-fall-asleep-like-a-bird-to-have-a-wing-you-could-stick-your-head/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [I like to be in bed by nine and asleep by ten. I like to wake up early, go to the gym at 7am,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-pritchard/i-like-to-be-in-bed-by-nine-and-asleep-by-ten-i-like-to-wake-up-early/) [A. J. Pritchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-pritchard/) > [I think about you every night before I sleep. I imagine you are here with me. With one arm around me and your legs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-about-you-every-night-before-i-sleep-i-imagine-you-are-here/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 Falling quotes > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [What if I tell you I'm falling again? what if I tell you I'm willing to stand there till you notice me again? what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana/what-if-i-tell-you-i-m-falling-again-what-if-i-tell-you-i-m-willing/) [Ana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana/) > [“We will all, at some point in our lives, fall. Every single one of us. We shouldn't spend our time trying to avoid falling.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/we-will-all-at-some-point-in-our-lives-fall-every-single-one-of-us-we/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [When you see how fragile and delicate life can be, all else fades into the background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-morasca/when-you-see-how-fragile-and-delicate-life-can-be-all-else-fades-into/) [Jenna Morasca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-morasca/) > [“If you ever falling but can't see the bottom be glad you can't because at the bottom it's either a soft land or rocks!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelseigh-ashton/if-you-ever-falling-but-can-t-see-the-bottom-be-glad-you-can-t/) Kelseigh Ashton > [They say that if you give your children too much, they don't get the joy out of work. They just want the unearned things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-rinehart/they-say-that-if-you-give-your-children-too-much-they-don-t-get-the/) [Gina Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-rinehart/) > [Falling for someone who will never notice you no matter how hard you try to get their attention...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/falling-for-someone-who-will-never-notice-you-no-matter-how-hard-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Once upon a time, there was a man as great as the gods… But even the great can tremble with fear. Even the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-e-pearson/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-man-as-great-as-the-gods-but-even-the/) [Mary E. Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-e-pearson/) > [“Falling in love is not the problem; hitting your head on the way down is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/falling-in-love-is-not-the-problem-hitting-your-head-on-the-way-down/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [maybe tonight you're scared of falling, and maybe there's somebody here or somewhere else you're thinking about, worrying over, fretting over, trying to figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/maybe-tonight-you-re-scared-of-falling-and-maybe-there-s-somebody/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) > [Sometimes when things seem to be falling apart, they are actually falling into place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-when-things-seem-to-be-falling-apart-they-are-actually/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The tides which flow and lapse in the Bristol Channel are often distained by the freshets of many streams falling through wooded coombes below…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-williamson/the-tides-which-flow-and-lapse-in-the-bristol-channel-are-often/) [Henry Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-williamson/) > [Remember those walls I built? Well, baby they're tumbling down And they didn't even put up a fight They didn't even make a sound.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prettyblueeyes/remember-those-walls-i-built-well-baby-they-re-tumbling-down-and-they/) PrettyBlueEyes > [“When you were young you talked about "falling in love" with such amusing gravity, as if it were an actual recordable event, when what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/when-you-were-young-you-talked-about-falling-in-love-with-such/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) Browse all 2,510 Falling quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Falling asleep is like landing a plane. It takes time. You've got to sort of gradually descend. 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