Night School: The Life-Changing Science of Sleep

by Richard Wiseman

The life-changing new science of sleep and dreaming

Almost a third of your whole life is spent asleep. Night School uncovers the scientific truth about the sleeping brain - and gives powerful tips on how those hours of apparently 'dead' time in the dark can transform your waking life.

Based on exciting new peer-reviewed research, mass-participation experiments and the world's largest archive of dream reports, Night School will teach you how to:

Learn information and solve problems while you sleep * Find out why nightmares can be good for you, and what your dreams really mean * Unlock the creative power of the six-minute nap * Banish jet-lag, night terrors and snoring * Discover the secrets of the 'super sleepers' - and get the best night's sleep of your life

Studies show that even a small lack of sleep can have a detrimental effect on our health, lifespan and happiness. Professor Richard Wiseman's authoritative, entertaining new book introduces the powerful new science of sleep - and gives us back the missing third of our days. Welcome to Night School.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Science, Health, Audiobook, Self Help, Philosophy

506 pages, ebook

First published March 27, 2013

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Professor Richard Wiseman started his working life as a professional magician, and was one of the youngest members of The Magic Circle. He then obtained a degree in psychology from University College London and a doctorate from the University of Edinburgh.

Richard currently holds Britain’s only Professorship in the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, where he has gained an international reputation for research into psychology of luck, self-help, persuasion, and illusion. He has published over 50 papers in leading peer reviewed academic journals (including Nature and Psychological Bulletin), and his work has been cited in over 20 introductory textbooks.

A passionate advocate for science, his best-selling books have been translated into over 30 languages and he has presented keynote addresses at several organisations, including Microsoft, The Royal Society, Caltech, and Google.

Richard is the most followed British psychologist on Twitter, and has created viral videos that have received over 40 million views. Over 2 million people have taken part in his mass participation experiments and he has acted as a creative consultant to Derren Brown, The MythBusters, CBS’s The Mentalist, and Heston Blumenthal, Nick Cave, and the West End play ‘Ghost Stories’.

Richard is a Member of the Inner Magic Circle, an Honorary Fellow of the British Science Association, and a Fellow of the Rationalist Association. He is one of the most frequently quoted psychologists in the British media and was recently listed in the Independent On Sunday’s top 100 people who make Britain a better place to live.

He likes sushi, is fond of dogs, and finds Arrested Development very funny.

Reviews

[Atila Iamarino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Todo o bom humor e a capacidade de explicação do Richard WisemanRichard Wiseman em uma área que ele domina. Já tinha lido o Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep, que fala muito mais sobre o ato de dormir, cama, quantas horas as pessoas dormem ao redor do mundo e etc. O Wiseman, para a minha sorte, fala bem mais sobre sonhos e o sono em si, justamente o que estava procurando.

Se quiser entender melhor como dormimos, a falta que mesmo 1h a menos de sono faz, como sonhamos ou como escolher um pouco mais os sonhos que temos, este é o livro. Em uma linguagem tranquilamente acessível a todo mundo.

[Siv30 · Rating 4 out of 5]

ספר טוב מאוד, סוקר בשפה פשוטה את מדעי השינה, תופעות והשלכות של שינה או היעדרה על חיינו ובמקביל מציע עקרונות פרקטיים להתמודדות עם חסכי שינה, הפרעות בשינה וכעיקרון התמודדות עם שינה שאיננה איכותית.

הסופר משתמש בדוגמאות ממגוון מחקרים שנערכו בשדה המחקר של השינה ובפרקים מתומצתים מבהיר את ההישגים בתיום ב 100 שנים שעברו.

הוא שובר בלי רחם את המיתוסים סביב שינה ומצביע על האיכויות של השינה לבריאות הנפשית והפיזית של בני אדם.

נהנתי מכל פסקה. הספר קולח וכתוב בגובה העיניים מה שמאפשר לא רק להבין אלא גם להתחבר למסקנות שחו ולהפנימן.

[Ivor Highley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dreams and 100% reality

I have found this book an outstanding insight. There has certainly been a lot to learn, with some minor thing's to improve, which justifies my 4 stars rating.

Throughout my reading of the many featured topics, I have loved the author's real sense of detail and expertise he has managed to convey. The importance of sleep is enhanced from you Wiseman, and there are loads of good references to benefits of finding methods that work for you.

Only a few improvements, like more examples, could have been made! Overall however I really cannot complain as I found myself deeply following the powerful words brought out in the novel.

From this great reading experience, I would recommend 'Night school' to anyone with an interest in the subject of psychology and sciences.

Now I will definitely be on the search for more amazing books like this one.

[Ram · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and important book about our sleep, I was very impressed. I do not consider myself as having sleep problems, however, the book does show me that I have allot to improve.
I listened to it some time ago, and while I found it very interesting, my main conclusion is that I should read it again, actually read, not listen, and try some of the tips that are presented. When I do it, (probably if I do it is the correct phrase), I will update this review.

[Krishna Venkitachalam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book was initially recommended to me about a couple of years back, I read it because it popped up on the list of my book club. Since the initial recommendation, I happened to have read several well-written science (non-fiction) books. I guess this is why I did not enjoy this book too much. I thought the presentation style was borderline-silly, humor weak, and content uninteresting (in the latter half, especially). I have been known to *not dislike* any book that I have read -- this could very well be the closest that I will ever get to disliking a book that is science-based or written by someone like Chetan Bhagat. For people who are completely oblivious of the science of sleep or those who haven't read too much non-fiction, the first few chapters may be worth reading.

[Racheli Zusiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

ספר מעולה שעוסק בכל מה שקשור בשינה, מהנזקים שבחוסר שינה ועד עולם החלומות, סוקר מחקרים שנעשו בתחום ומפריך מיתוסים. כתוב בצורה בהירה וזורמת. ממש נהניתי לקרוא ולמדתי לא מעט. מומלץ ביותר.

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alku oli tosi innostava ja hyvin perusteltu. Sai oikeasti sai ajattelemaan unen merkitystä pitkän ja hyvän elämän kannalta. Lisäksi hyviä vinkkejä mm. heräämiseen virkeänä. Loppu kuitenkin vähän lässähti: paranormaalius ja unien tulkinta ei oikein napannut.

[Seraj Mahdi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just my kind of book. Contains a lot of useful sleep info, but also a lot of fun sleep/dream studies that I enjoyed. Towards the end of the book I realized that the author is the same guy who does the 59S youtube videos that are so interesting.. Maybe thats how I found out about this book, I forgot.

[Sarah Clement · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the fact that, as an insomniac, the first part of the book served only to stress me out about my lack of/poor quality sleep before going to sleep, the rest of the book was great. I particularly liked the information about dreaming, as it's made me look at my dreams differently (and aspire to become a lucid dreamer). As with other Wiseman books, there are activities and quizzes throughout, many of which I didn't do because I was reading it before bed, but it does add an extra dimension to reading the book. If you have trouble sleeping but haven't delved into the various methods to address your insomnia, then you might very well find his recommendations in this regard helpful. I have personally tried them all and none work all that well, even if I do everything 'right' according to the research and CBT routines. For that reason, I wouldn't recommend reading this book (especially right before bed) if you are a seasoned insomniac, but perhaps if it's something you've only just started struggling with, you will get some good tips from the book. Despite the first half not being particularly useful for me, I still found it helpful to confirm that what I had read previously seems to be legit, and I found the rest of the book quite interesting and useful.

[Govinda Parasrampuria · Rating 5 out of 5]

My decision to read this book was a no-brainer. Since, we spend a third of our lives sleeping, we ought to understand it better to enrich our lives. This book is just the thing that you need!

I owe a lot to authors like this who make the complicated (not to mention exceedingly boring) jargon and intricacies of scientific research, available to the general public in a way which is both entertaining and enlightening. You da real MVP!

I learnt so much reading this book - how much to sleep, how to have a rejuvenating sleep, the awesome power of naps, how to avoid jet-lag, how snoring can negatively affect your daily life, how nightmares can be avoided, how to learn while sleeping and how to lucid dream. I also came to know some of the not-too pleasant experiences that I faced in my childhood.

I also had a look at his other books, and they seem interesting af. Will definitely read them.

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good bits: Covers the basics of sleep science, which I knew nothing about previously, lots of historical detail, both enlightening and quirky, and a wide range of modern research. Written in an accessible style although the jokes may not appeal to everyone!

Bad bits: Some sections feel he's simply repeating every eye-catching claim he could find in a research paper without much assessment of how significant or important the results really are.

[Ben Hathaway · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its alright, nothing more. I read 59 Seconds which is a bit better. If you're interested in the history of sleep research and some common sense stuff that you could probably work out for yourself, this is great. If you want some help sleeping which is basically why I bought it then its pretty poor.
Overall Wiseman is a decent writer and its readable, and has some interesting bits - I think I had unrealistic expectations potentially.

Loses its way a bit in the middle, bit waffley in describing a few of the clinical studies and the people who devised them.

If you want a book to help you learn how to sleep better this probably isn't it. If you want to learn more about the last 150 years of research into sleep this probably is the book for you.

[MonicaEmme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complimenti allo scrittore perché nonostante il titolo sembri conciliare il sonno in realtà riesce a tenere la soglia di attenzione sempre molto alta attraverso degli stratagemmi. Ti fa cantare, ti fa compilare i test, insomma ti tiene sveglio in modo dinamico!
Di solito quando leggo delle cose che vorrei tenere a mente, invece di sottolineare attacco dei piccoli post-It. Beh, ne avrò messi duecento e il libro si è ingrossato di almeno un centimetro: ci sono talmente tanti suggerimenti che bisognerebbe fare un quaderno a parte per segnarli!
Purtroppo viviamo in una società in cui l'atto di dormire viene visto come un atto di pigrizia in realtà bisognerebbe cambiare questo atteggiamento, perché dormire bene ci rende più produttivi e più felici.
Oltre a parlarci delle varie fasi del sonno, del modo e del tempo in cui bisognerebbe andare a riposare, di quante ore bisognerebbe dormire, di esporci i vantaggi del sonnellino pomeridiano, Dell'apprendimento notturno, ci sono anche delle istruzioni dettagliatissime su come tenere il diario dei sogni oppure c'è il test per capire se sia il dono della preveggenza attraverso i sogni, per non parlare dell'interpretazione dei sogni! Mi sono divertita tantissimo! Mi sono gasata all'inverosimile e vorrei fare tutto quello che suggerisce!
Se, alla fine del libro non avesse fatto pubblicità alla sua app avrei gradito di più, ma tutto sommato è un bel manuale!

[Ben]

As a former constant traveler and caffeine junky, this is a welcome entry-level review of how to use better sleep to get better days.

[Alfred Nobile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very simplistic book about the science of sleep. Obviously written for the layman. Enjoyable.

[TK · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is effectively a 'primer' on the basics of what science currently understands about sleep. The book is structured into multiple 'lessons' that are essentially a grouping of topics on the subject, such as 'can you learn in your sleep'. What I really liked about the book is that it is based on scientific evidence, though I will admit I don't work in this space and did not review the authors sources, but also looks at the myths around sleep. This consideration of the myths is undertaken in a structured way, rather than just dismissing the myth, Wiseman looks at considering it from multiple angles and then moves to a conclusion based in science. This being said though, Wiseman also points out instances where science has been unable to make headway into sleep and thereby gives an indication of areas either for research or hope.

In the end, the book is a lot of 'common sense'; get 7-9 hours of sleep, you can't really learn while sleeping, what is a nightmare, routines for how to get to sleep. And, a lot of the information you may already know. If you are looking for an in-depth or increase in your understanding of sleep this may not be the book for you. If you are seeking a broad general understanding that allows you to make informed decisions and sort the 'myths from the facts' then this is the book for you.

The end of the book contains a 'myth or fact' quiz. It was at this point that I realised just how much I had absorbed through reading the book and was happier for it.

I listened to the audio version of this book.

[James Dalziel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read that fell short of its promised "transformation of my nigh time world". I did appreciate the humorous, light, easy to read style. His stories and anecdotes were well matched to the scientific content. I have to admit that I am much more conscious of my sleeping patterns, pre-sleep routines and appreciate the importance of a good night's rest. I'm off now for a 90 minute consolidation nap.

[Kevin 007 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was blown away at the detail Richard Wiseman delved into the science of sleep. He used various clinical studies and historical events to not only break down the concepts he presented but to also engage us as his readers. This book delivers concise notions in a fun way, that really made it a very enjoyable read.

Everything but mundane, this book won't disappoint the casual reader who intend to learn more about sleep.

[Dan Grosvenor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea what to expect when I picked this up and really was blown away by just how much I learned. It occupies that highly interesting area of science that you were never taught about in school, and I've found it a great companion to my lucid dreaming exploration.

Considering sleep is something you spend a third of your life doing you probably owe it to yourself to understand it better.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book, I know more about sleep than ever before and it was a pleasurable and easy read. Wiseman does an excellent job of making the scientific research accessible whilst maintaining a fun storyline throughout the book and presenting actual applications and implications for the research. As a social psychologist though, I would have liked a little more research included.

[Sudeep Agarwal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh!
Actually, "meh!" is a little unfair. I am just not the intended audience of the book. It's probably for the completely uninitiated. I knew more than half of the stuff he was saying, partly in med school and partly just because I've been reading about sleep.
And I didn't like the overdose of anecdotes.

[Fernando Cabezas Astorga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una lectura interesante y constructiva para entender los sistemas del sueño, cómo potenciar el buen descanso y hasta cómo provocar sueños lúcidos. Pareció una buena explicación pasando por varios elementos, sin profundizar en uno en concreto. De cualquier forma puede ser un buen resumen que lance líneas para investigar más en alguno de los puntos que trata.

[YHC · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy book to read through....however i thought i would be able to know deeper about how we could use sleeping time to learn, but it didn't really go very deep. I once had a teacher who speaks 8 languages, he said he learned all during his sleeping time..I actually tried but it turned out to make my sleeping not so deep, and yes, weirdly, all these languages became understandable in my dreams even though i actually didn't know what they meant.
I think either i put the volume too loud or i didn't really get used to it.
But I believe sleeping is important to refresh what we learned.


当你进入睡眠的下一阶段，你的心率变缓，体温也会降低。“б波”里将出现一些电流爆发活动，俗称为“睡眠纺锤波”和“K-复合波”。它们的出现对抵抗外部（如街道上的噪音）和内部（如身体略感饥饿）那些可能将你唤醒的刺激因素起到重要作用。现在你已经进入了睡眠的第二阶段。在这一时期，几乎全身的肌肉（包括喉咙里的肌肉）都开始放松，这就使得你会咕哝或者打鼾。大脑这时也能够好好休息，那些与思维、推理、语言、解决问题方面相关的大脑活动逐渐减缓。我们将在稍后的课堂中发现这一阶段对于学习日常文体活动能起到至关重要的影响，比如学会一类乐器、一种舞蹈或一项体育技能。

研究员通常将睡眠的第一阶段和第二阶段合称为浅层睡眠。

--深层睡眠阶段对于人们的心理和生理健康都尤为重要，因为它们与生长激素的产生紧密相关，而生长激素能帮助修复受损组织。如果没有经历这些阶段，那么你醒来后会异常疲惫和暴躁。这些阶段对于巩固白天获取的重要信息也至关重要，并且它们也与梦游、梦话和夜惊症相关。当史蒂维观看我的脑电图时，他可以发现我患有夜惊症倾向的证据。在深层睡眠环节，人们通常不会四处移动，然而红外线摄影器的记录显示，我通常会移动自己的手和胳膊。

----在每做完一个梦后，你可能会经历非常短暂的“微醒”状态，事实上你那时是清醒的，然而由于时间太短致使你第二天醒来时完全记不得。在夜晚，浅层睡眠的时间大约占50%，深层睡眠占20%，REM期占25%，剩余5%的时间人们处于短暂的清醒状态。夜晚的开启由深层睡眠主导，其间伴随些短暂的梦境。然而随着夜的不断深入，梦境变得越来越强势，而深层睡眠的时间则相对变得短暂。事实上，夜的第二部分几乎没有深层睡眠，REM睡眠每次可以持续40分钟。

----贝伦基的研究表明了细微的睡眠缺失都会造成巨大的危害。如果几天时间内每晚只得到7小时甚至是更少的睡眠时间，那么你的大脑就会反应缓慢。更糟糕的是，你仍然自我感觉良好，完全没想为你迟钝的大脑提供足够的休息时间。仅仅几天过后，这种程度的睡眠不足就可能置你于一场潜在的危险事故之中。

--一般而言，随着年龄的增长，我们记忆和快速思维的能力都将相应减弱。基于此项调查，研究者们预测对于中年人而言，少于6小时或多于8小时的睡眠，将使他们的大脑提前衰老大约7年。

睡眠不足正威胁着我们的教育机构，造成数十亿的商业损失，并使大脑过早衰老。最令人担忧的可能在于它能终结你的生命。

---褪黑激素对身体有着积极的作用，其中包括降低血压和降低患上心脏病和中风的可能性。人体内褪黑激素一旦下降，就会导致睡眠不足，从而增加患上其他疾病的风险。这一影响极其严重，发表在专业学术期刊《睡眠》上的一项研究显示，每晚睡眠少于6小时的人患高血压的风险是常人的3倍。睡眠少于4小时的女性，死于心脏病的概率是常人的2倍。

褪黑激素不仅仅使你的血液在血管里奔流，它还会抑制许多与癌症相关的激素的生成。无法生成褪黑激素的影响是巨大的，大规模的研究表明轮班制的女性工人（她们的褪黑激素数量处于低水平），比常人多60%患乳腺癌的风险，多35%患直肠癌的风险。其他研究工作也暗示糟糕的睡眠容易导致糖尿病。研究表明睡眠时间少于5小时的人，患2型糖尿病的概率是常人的3倍。

肥胖亦是如此。超过28%的美国成年人，睡眠时间少于6小时，而其中超过35%的人是肥胖症患者。事实上，成年人和儿童的睡眠不足可能会增加肥胖症的患病率。

----当幼儿3岁时，如果每晚睡眠少于10.5小时，那么当他们7岁时，患上肥胖症的概率就比常人高45%。同样在美国，研究者跟踪了60，000名中年女性长达16年，旨在研究睡眠类型与体重的关系。结果表明睡眠时间少于5小时的女性，患肥胖症的概率比常人高15%。在另一项研究中，来自斯坦福大学的研究者探索了人们的睡眠习惯与体重的关系。从1，000名志愿者身上得来的数据表明，每晚睡眠时间少于8小时的人大多患有肥胖症。

---你的脑细胞无时无刻不在生成一种“有毒垃圾”，如果它不断堆积，将破坏你的思维、举止和心情。为了避免此状况的发生，你的身体定期会产生一种名为“脑脊髓液”（CSF）的特殊清洁液，以清洗你的大脑组织。CSF将有毒垃圾冲到人体的肝脏进行排毒。来自罗切斯特大学医疗中心的神经学家最近做了一项研究，他们发现睡眠在这一垃圾处理环节中扮演了重要角色。
当老鼠睡觉时脑细胞会缩小且细胞间扩大了大约60%的距离。这使得大量的脑脊髓液能快速流入大脑并非常迅速高效地将有毒物质冲刷干净。这一开拓性的实验揭示出，当你入睡后，大脑会更为高效地将白天堆积的有毒物质冲刷干净。反之，如果你睡眠不足，这些有毒物质将残留在大脑中，使你感到头昏脑涨、脾气暴躁。

许多人认为得不到良好的睡眠将导致他们的性格变得乖戾。事实上，睡眠不足所造成的危害远不止如此。即使是微小的睡眠不足都将对大脑产生极大的危害。它可能会增大你发生意外事故、危险驾驶和工作效率低下的概率。

---虽然任何一种光线都将阻碍你感到困倦，但研究表明色彩偏向光谱蓝端的灯光尤其能使你保持清醒状态。不幸的是，电脑屏幕、平板电脑、宽频电视和LED灯都会产生大量的蓝光。你可以采取许多方法来减少在入睡前接触到这些蓝光。

·如果你在晚间必须使用手机、平板电脑，请调低光亮，确保眼睛距离设备至少12英寸。我建议你使用一款能在夜晚调低屏幕光亮度的App（应用程序）软件。

·可以佩戴一副琥珀色的眼镜来阻隔蓝光。虽然这样看起来有些奇怪，但研究显示这种眼镜在提升睡眠质量和心情方面非常有效。

·如果你想使用小夜灯，请选择暗红色的灯泡——红光不太会抑制褪黑激素的生成，所以能帮助你，让你感到困倦。

---特定种类的身体锻炼确实能更好地促进睡眠。然而，为了能让你在夜晚更容易感到困倦，你每周需要进行至少两个半小时的适度有氧运动，或者是一小时又一刻钟的剧烈运动。研究同时表明在入睡前6小时完成这些运动是非常有益的，因为体育锻炼会让你的肌体变热和出汗，所以在你入睡之前需要一段时间让你的肌体降温。最后，如果你不喜欢花时间在健身房运动也没关系，最新的研究证明瑜伽和太极也能助你一夜安眠。

--其他的研究者认为多段式睡眠可能对大脑有益。因为两次睡眠的间歇期正巧是大脑产生大量“催乳激素”的时段。这一化学物质有多种效果，其中之一就是能帮助人的心情变得快乐，如此就能降低每天的生活压力。所以，如果你的确会在午夜醒来也请别担忧。它可能真的是有益的。

---发作性睡病（又称嗜睡症）的英文是narcolepsy，它源自希腊词根“narke”（麻木的）和“lepsis”（攻击）。患者往往在没有任何信号下就突然入睡，其中大约四分之三的人会突然感觉肌肉无力，致使他们的下颌张开、脑袋垂落，甚至双腿发软。这些突发的攻击在一天里能发生好几次，每次持续的时间从几分钟到1小时不等。嗜睡症患者通常在清醒后感觉神清气爽，但是很快他们又会感到困倦。

这种奇特的现象是由于患者未经其余睡眠阶段而直接进入快速眼动期造成的，这使得他们突然就感到很疲惫，并体验到做梦时那种全身麻痹的状态。每2，000人中大约有1人会患有嗜睡症，许多患者对自己的症状感到很难堪。医生们建议患有该症状的人避免酗酒和暴饮暴食，每天勤于锻炼。令人遗憾的是，目前尚无治愈此病的方法，但是许多药物能帮助控制病情。

同样，多动腿综合征（简称“RLS”）也非常古怪。多动腿综合征患者通常躺在床上后有强烈的冲动去移动自己的双腿，并且整晚会感觉双腿刺痛或奇痒难耐。他们往往不得不下床走动直至痛苦得以缓解，然而当他们再次躺下，那种痛苦又会再次出现。10%的人群会患有多动腿综合征，这种症状通常会在家族中遗传，该疾病可能是由大脑中“多巴胺”物质的失衡所导致的。好消息是这类症状可以通过采用固定的睡眠作息，白天进行适度的体育锻炼（过量的锻炼会加重病情），减少咖啡和酒精的摄入，两腿间夹着靠垫睡觉，以及入睡前进行拉伸锻炼等方法得以缓解。此外，许多药物治疗也被证明非常有效.

---简而言之，尽管夜间重复播放的词句无法激发人们的记忆力，但睡眠对于储存人们白天的记忆却起着至关重要的作用。由此得出的重要结论是：不要吝啬睡眠。人们在准备重要的考试或面试时，总喜欢熬夜，想牺牲睡眠的时间让大脑记住更多的信息。大家不要被这种想法诱惑。这本身就是一个谬论。早点休息对你来说会更好。这样你清晨醒来的时候会更加神清气爽，也会记住更多之前学过的知识。

----睡前不要练习、排练或训练

研究表明，锻炼5小时后是入眠的最佳时期。

练习不同技能，至少要间隔4小时

研究表明，练习完第一项技能后接着练习第二项技能，将会导致第一项技能无法取得任何进步。因此，请确保你在练习不同技能的时间间隔至少为4小时，或者在两项技能训练间充分休息一下。

---短睡（10—20分钟）

在此类小睡中，大脑几乎处于浅层睡眠阶段（睡眠周期的第一和第二阶段），但在醒来前也可能进入短暂的深层睡眠（睡眠的第三和第四阶段）。长时间的浅层睡眠会让你醒来后头脑更加清晰，注意力更集中。有证据表明，这种小睡可以提高我们对于新技能的“肌肉记忆力”，并对健康有益，降低血压就是其中一种。

久睡（20—60分钟）

久睡期间，大脑大部分时间会处于浅层和深层睡眠阶段。久睡除了拥有短睡带来的各种好处之外，它还能提高我们记忆事物和数据的能力。此外，大脑在久睡期间还会释放生长激素，让你醒来时感觉精力充沛。刚从深层睡眠中醒来时，我们可能会觉得有点昏沉，但这种感觉半小时后就会消失。

满睡（60—90分钟）

满睡期间，大脑会经历一个完整的睡眠周期。从浅层睡眠、深层睡眠到快速眼动期。满睡除了拥有久睡带来的各种益处之外，快速眼动睡眠状态还能帮助我们提升创造力以及理解抽象概念的能力（详情请见第七章）。此外，你醒来后不会头晕眼花，因为经历快速眼动期后你已经缓过来了。

--如果你想在就寝时感到困倦，帮助自己更快入睡——

请赶走蓝光：试着在就寝前佩戴2—3小时的琥珀色镜片的眼镜。它能阻隔刺激你大脑的蓝光，并使你感到困倦。
如果你想在睡眠中学习——

睡眠学习真正的秘密：睡眠能增加记忆力，所以不必熬夜到很晚，试图强塞信息到你的大脑中。相反，请在白天学习，入睡前提醒自己重要的知识点，然后在夜晚尽情地睡觉吧。

如果你想克服时差——

预订航班请遵循简单的谚语：“向东飞，早点飞。向西飞，晚点飞。”

如果你想在白天增强脑动力——

神经小憩：小憩能帮助你变得更警觉、更具创造力和更高产。神经小憩包括当你学习或头脑风暴时听会儿音乐，随后当你小憩时播放相同的音乐。小憩大约能提升60%的记忆力和创造力。

如果你重复经历一个梦魇或噩梦——

想象操练治疗：白天花些时间描述自己的噩梦，为这个噩梦创造一个不同的结尾，随后想象这个新的改良版的结局。研究表明，这一简单的方法能减少90%的噩梦。

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical self-help fare: there's some useful stuff here but it's mixed with an assortment of far-fetched theories, shonky science and the bleeding obvious.

[zbindenap · Rating 5 out of 5]

although i had to jump at times (Americans can be a bit verbose) i found this book very interesting and absolutely worth the investment, time and price.

[Steven Hayward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and very educational with a lot of practical advice and humorous anecdotes.

[bladenomics · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact that I read this book at 2 a.m. would tell you how much I need to read a book like this.

When it comes to non-fiction, I dislike reading several chapters dedicated to "why" there is a need for the book. I know there is a good reason "why", that's why I picked up the book!
I like it when they get to the point about "how" sooner and the quality of good learning for me in that section.

For example, In one of my recent reading on "investing with impact", there were 5 chapters on why we needed to consider sustainability in our investment choices. The final chapter has six point model explaining the how does one "invest with impact", which is all I was looking for.

I've begun a few other books on "sleep" and I feel the same way about them too. Too many chapters dedicated to why sleep is important and little on the how. I can, however, see the point on why this is needed. Most of these books do a great job at scaring you so much that it will reinforce your interest in the topic and then they'll finally tell you a little about the "how".

I'm sure many people stay up by choice, but many times I do due to my inability to sleep at the time of my choice. I do get 6-8 hours sleep somehow but it's not of good quality. I really needed more on the "how" to get good sleep.

I really enjoyed the whole "why" section in this book. Especially the part where he goes into the history of how humans as a whole species started to become "poor sleepers".

The invention of the bulb has completely changed our relationship with sleep. Ever since, the entire human race has just .....slept less! We began doing more things at night - from work to socialising and sleep deprivation has only gotten worse.

If some people can function on less sleep on a regular basis, scientific studies have been done these people and the conclusion is that they have a genetic mutation called "DEC2". Some of these people have managed to use this to their advantage and succeed in business as CEOs, etc. So, dont take life advice from these mutated creatures. They aren't normal, I guess. Telling a DEC2 mutated CEO to shut up about his productivity with less sleep is impossible so maybe the only option is to try to work with "normal" CEOs and leaders who have "normal" sleep and living styles that are sustainable and relatable to us.

So if the invention of light bulbs has ruined our sleep discipline, it's natural that reducing lights is the best way to induce sleep naturally. I've had this theory myself. Most people use "white" tube lights where I live. I've swapped that out for "yellow"/golden light for the entire house except study room or home office. Richard Wiseman says even a hour of bright lights reduces our body's ability to produce melatonin.
Post 8 PM , the house should be dim. Not well lit unless one is working. The ideal scenario would be to switch to night lamps/floor lamps for the last hour before going to bed than ceiling lights. But I've failed derive the effects of this by taking my phone to bed obviously.

There is a wonderful chapter on "sleep learning". I think I've used this unknowingly in the past. During difficult times, I love listening to guided meditations that are like auto suggestions. This book speaks about how it does actually work basis an experiment on using "sleep auto suggestions" to make kids stop their nail biting habits and also on prisoners for their behavioural reform. That was a bit validating to know.

On dreams, wiseman says how dreams, especially bad dreams are almost like therapy. It helps people deal with negative memories that they consciously avoid when awake but the unconscious mind has the ability to recall bad incidents or fears and make the mind deal with it. I'm not sure if I can buy this idea but if its true, I think that this would imply forcing ourselves to deep sleep using medicines will probably harm the possibility of giving our minds a chance to heal during dreaming. Wiseman agrees how bad memories and dreams may ruin the quality of sleep and thereby impact overall health due to lack of good quality sleep, but it's worth letting dreams heal us post traumatic events. It's almost like hypnotic therapy.

Again, there was little on "how" to get good sleep apart from the lighting and reducing noise before sleep. Listening to "white noise" would also be helpful. I have to probably try some of those "lucid dreaming" youtube videos and put some of the ideas in this book to test.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ironically , this book is so well written it kept me up at night! Wiseman writes in a very accessible way about the science of sleep and presents a number of practical ways to become a 'super sleeper' (my favourite being to set your bed time and alarm for waking up based on 90 minute circadian rhythms). Also, simple ways to optimise sleep time for learning (this appealed to my 'do more more efficiently' nature), preparing yourself for the day ahead (managing anxiety), and ways to manage poor sleep patterns (negative dreams etc) .

The key takeaway for me - I purchased this book with a view to self-improvement - was to take sleeping seriously if you want to be happy, healthy, productive human being. Wiseman has actually made me want to take sleeping as seriously as I take my job and competitive sport. For years I have believed that successful people sleep less and subsequently I have slept sub 7 hours a night for years. Studies show those people that get by on this and function well cognitively are probably genetic freaks. Armed with knowledge and my Fit Bit Charger 2 (which does nightly sleep quality analysis) I am enthused about making sleep a bigger part of my life; even if through incorporating naps. The downside being my reading time may suffer...well something will have to give.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking to improve their sleep quality and/or that of a close family member/partner/friend and/or looking to understand how they can utilize their sleep in a way that actually supports other elements of their life, such as managing anxiety and facilitating an improved rate of learning. At the very least, your health will improve.

[Swords & Spectres · Rating 5 out of 5]

I shan't go into massive amounts of detail in this review, as I will most likely just end up repeating myself numerous times; but this is one of those few books that has actually changed my life. Well, it's changed the portion of it I spend asleep.

'Night School' banishes the myths about sleep we hold to be true and smacks us right in the subconscious with the facts we never expected. For instance, the oft heard phrase of 'I'll catch up on my sleep at the weekend' is something that's impossible. Sleep deprivation is a deficit you can't overcome. Now I know that (and I probably should have known it before, but I didn't), I go out of my way to make the sleep I am able to get as good a quality rest as is possible under whatever circumstances I find myself in.

This book has handy tips for avoiding jet lag, shows the benefits (and absolute necessity) of napping and hammers a lot of sobering realisations home that have not only changed the way I sleep, but the way I approach my waking hours.

It's written in a way that is incredibly easy to take in and isn't spoiled by copious amount of scientific language. Literally, anyone, with any level of scientific understanding' can pick this book up and take something away from it.

To anyone who feels as though they're not getting a good night's sleep, or to anyone who wants to maximise the rest they are getting, this is the book for you.

[Phil Whittall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still learning how to listen to audiobooks well (especially non-fiction) where I'm hoping to retain the information. My early feeling is I think the format fits fiction better than non-fiction.

Yet a good narrator makes all the difference and this was an entertaining listen. I found the first half about the health benefits of sleep more interesting than the second half because I'm not that focused on dreams and their meaning. However nearly every chapter was full of fascinating anecdotes from sleep science that ranged from the ridiculous to the remarkable.

I think the book is a little bloated and would have been better by being 20% leaner but considering how much time we spend asleep learning to make sure you sleep well and sleep enough is crucial. In an age with always on entertainment and mobile devices learning the importance of a good night's sleep is one of the key wisdom skills to teach our kids and to cut our teenagers some slack when their circadian rhythm changes.

There were definitely some practical 'take homes' for me (about the amount of sleep, the perfect time to take a nap, the key to learning etc) that are the sort of insights that make a non-fiction book like this worth the read.