Nothing new here, and most of the topics get a few paragraphs at most. Very superficial. Especially irritating is that many chapters appear to address a particular aspect of sleep (for example, "I regularly wake at 3am – how can I get back to sleep?"), leading you to think it will go into some depth about the issue, but instead you are told that this is a common problem, so try to relax and think of something pleasant. If that doesn't work, you are advised to find other books that go into greater depth about meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy, hypnotherapy, etc. Some chapters, such as "Are naps harmful or helpful?" conclude that naps can be beneficial for some people but not for others. Really? Not very helpful.
This was a good, easy read book about sleep. I wanted to read it to get a better understanding about sleep hygiene and the importance of optimal sleep, which i indeed got.
There is soooo much in this book. It is absolutely jam packed full of information.
This book is unlike any other book I have read in this genre. It is very dense with scientific information, but the diagrams and illustrations really help with understanding. I like the way the book is structured, it means that you can dip in and out of it when searching for specific information. I also really liked how it focusses on sleep at different ages, looking at babies and the elderly was such a contrast and super interesting. The Q+A sections were a great addition too.
I do not recommend this book. After finishing it, I was really enamoured with it, but more than one week later I can say that it messed with my mind really badly. It gives you this idea of sort of a "good kind of sleep" and I started thinking so much about sleep that I've started having really bad insomnia and intense fear of sleep. When I go to bed I can't stop thinking about the process of sleeping and my anxiety is over the roof. I just wish I could scrap this book from my mind.
I'm such a pessimist when I read non-fiction books about anything where everything is explained by "this study says this" or "a study has shown" and then they reveal a study that shows some wacky results...
But overall the chapters were short, the infographics interesting and I read the whole thing.
Quick read. Very practical and simple to understand. I got a few tips that are probably good enough to make this a worthwhile reading exercise. I would recommend it to my friends
In 2021 DK Penguin Random House published the American edition of Heather Darwell-Smith’s “The Science of Sleep: Stop Chasing a Good Night’s Sleep and Let It Find You." Her book examines the science that underpins how humans experience sleep by foucusing on the mechanics of good sleep, dreaming, sleep hormones and sleep circadian rhythms. She next explains stages of sleep and how these stages affect infant, teenage, middle age, and elderly life experiences. Her discussions also feature how sleep can cause unwanted events like sleep walking and nightmares. Her chapters about how sleep impacts intelligence, alertness, creativity, and lower anxiety levels are full of insights and have many helpful recommendations about how to best manage our caffeine, food intake, and alcohol consumption. Her book ends with chapters on treating restless mind-body sleep events like yawning, snoring, teeth grinding, and body joint pain. Her closing chapters also discuss how to setup sleep environments and how to improve sleep performance to overcome issues associated with Alzheimer’s disease, blindness, and micro sleep impairments (momentary falling asleep) while driving a car or interacting with others. The book’s amazing graphics, cartoon figures, and creative drawings are done by Owen Davey. Heather’s book is a wonderful learning experience and fun to read. (L)
I often hear that people living in a stressed-out society today suffer from insomnia. It is more of an advice on how to find the best sleep for yourself.
Developing the habit of getting a good night's sleep is important for resting the body and brain and for relieving stress.
It's a good idea to get some exercise during the day, and relax in a dimly lit room with indirect lighting for two hours before going to bed, looking away from smartphone screen or TV.
It's true that the optimal amount of sleep for you varies from person to person, and it also changes depending on the temperature, whether you are tired or not.
When you wake up in the morning and are exposed to sunlight, a neurotransmitter called serotonin is secreted in your brain, which naturally makes you feel sleepy at night.
Easy to read for non science based readers, intuitive explanations helped me to understand how to optimize my sleep. The part where food intake right before sleeping really gets me. I have also learnt that consuming milk before sleep is helpful to get me into sleep. As a person sometimes struggles to sleep by rolling back and forth on the bed, I'm surprised that going outside for about 10 mins is helpful for me to get into sleep. Might want to repeat the part on the methods and criteria to track my sleep to keep it between 7-9hrs to ensure the sleep quality. Definitely a good read.
The graphics in this book are gorgeous! They are also informative and helpful. I can remember more of what I learned by thinking of the great graphics.
This book has suggestions for you sleep, backed by science, but explained and illustrated in a more consumable way than Matthew Walkers "Why We Sleep". I recommend reading both books as they reinforce each other.
I really enjoyed this book! It's a Question/Answer type format so you can read a few pages before going to bed at night. I learned a lot. Yes, it's not deep level answers but it's not supposed to be. It's supposed to be a launching off point to find out more on your own. My poor husband probably was sick of me constantly interrupting his own reason with "Listen to this! Did you know..."
Good info! I didn't read every word in the book, but I definitely more than skimmed. I really liked the illustrations throughout the book that broke up the text because it made the book more readable overall.
Adequate information about the mysteries of sleep. Not the most arresting read, but definitely chock-full of information, as I've come to expect from DK Publishing.
The book feels like a literature review. It is does a good job in telling you the academic knowledge of sleep, but I would not call it an entertaining read.
Not what I was looking for. This book is a collection of every question ever Googled about sleep. I wanted to learn about the functions and importance of sleep, not tips of how to sleep better.