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Sleepfaring: The Secrets and Science of a Good Night's Sleep
Why do we sleep? Are we sleeping enough? Do we suffer stress from "sleep debt"? Why do some of us struggle with sleep disorders? And how can we tackle sleep problems? These are the kinds of questions that make many of us toss and turn all night.
Jim Horne finds answers to these questions and many more in Sleepfaring, a journey through the science and the secrets of sleep. He reveals what goes on in our brains behind the veil of sleep, looks at body clocks, the values of napping, and the controversial question of "sleep debt," and also gives some hints from the latest sleep research that may just help you get a better night's rest. In recent years, the nature of sleep, our sleeping patterns, how much sleep we need, and the dangers of lack of sleep have become increasingly important, as people work longer hours, styles of working have altered, and the separation between workplace and home has been eroded by cell phones and the internet. From drowsiness at the wheel, to stress and insomnia, this is a subject that truly matters to people. Horne draws on the latest research in brain physiology, psychology, medicine, and the many social factors that contribute to sleep problems to reveal what science has discovered about sleep,
and problems related to sleep-from snoring to sleep apnea. Nor does Horne shy away from controversy, challenging, for example, the conventional wisdom on the amount of sleep we actually need.
For anyone wishing to know more about the many mysterious processes that begin when we close our eyes each night, Sleepfaring offers a wealth of insight and information.
Jim Horne finds answers to these questions and many more in Sleepfaring, a journey through the science and the secrets of sleep. He reveals what goes on in our brains behind the veil of sleep, looks at body clocks, the values of napping, and the controversial question of "sleep debt," and also gives some hints from the latest sleep research that may just help you get a better night's rest. In recent years, the nature of sleep, our sleeping patterns, how much sleep we need, and the dangers of lack of sleep have become increasingly important, as people work longer hours, styles of working have altered, and the separation between workplace and home has been eroded by cell phones and the internet. From drowsiness at the wheel, to stress and insomnia, this is a subject that truly matters to people. Horne draws on the latest research in brain physiology, psychology, medicine, and the many social factors that contribute to sleep problems to reveal what science has discovered about sleep,
and problems related to sleep-from snoring to sleep apnea. Nor does Horne shy away from controversy, challenging, for example, the conventional wisdom on the amount of sleep we actually need.
For anyone wishing to know more about the many mysterious processes that begin when we close our eyes each night, Sleepfaring offers a wealth of insight and information.
- GenresNonfictionScienceHealth
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
6 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 6, 2012
Sometimes I seriously question whether or not I should be as open on here as I am about depression and OCD and therapy and all the crazy that is me. I wonder if people I know in real life will find it and think differently of me or if I ought to be reminding myself that the internet never forgets and this could come back to haunt me one day. But last week I was reminded why I'm open when an in real life friend came and told me she had read about my depression on here and wondered if she could tell me about hers. Totally worth the risk.
And by now you're wondering what that has to do with a book about sleep. Sleep has always had a huge impact on my depression, or maybe depression has had a huge impact on my sleep. Either way, I have had periods of insomnia where I would only sleep one of every three nights and I've had periods of hypersomnia (not sure that's a word) where I slept for sixteen hours a day. It's always been a trouble spot for me emotionally. I get really worked up over sleeping conditions and knowing exactly where and what conditions I'll be sleeping in each night. I also have several time consuming/inconvenient rituals that center around going to bed and being in the "right" mood for sleep. I tend to become obsessed with how much I'm sleeping or not sleeping.
So one of my assignments recently in therapy was to do some sleep research and find out what exactly is happening in my body while I sleep and what "normal" sleep patterns look like. So after researching all of my options via Goodreads, this is the book that seemed to best adress various issues regarding sleep from an accessible and scientific standpoint.
Writing
The writing fit my criteria of accessible for a non-scientist, but still academic. I have to say though that it was fairly dry. A lot of the information was interesting, but the author's writing made it less palatable. It just came across very much like a textbook. I found myself picking up anything and everything else. It probably took me a good three weeks to finish and I typically read non-fiction of the same length in 3-4 days.
Entertainment Value
I feel like I learned a lot. I wasn't really reading it to be entertained, I was reading it to learn whether or not I fit in with normal sleep patterns and whether or not my brain will explode if I get more or less sleep than "normal" (Spoiler alert: your brain will not explode due to over or under-sleeping). The author spends a good portion of the book talking about how dangerous sleep deprivation can be while driving. Which is true, but even chapters that were unrelated seemed to somehow come back to the topic. I wanted to hear more about exactly how crazy I am compared to the rest of the world. Apparently a lot of people drive while sleepy, but I don't, so it bored me. And let's face it people, it's all about me.
Overall
Meh. If you're really interested in the topic of sleep and want a fairly wide range of information/fun facts, I'd say give it a try. I'd recommend getting it from the library though. It was rather pricey, even in paperback, and not as interesting as I had hoped.
And by now you're wondering what that has to do with a book about sleep. Sleep has always had a huge impact on my depression, or maybe depression has had a huge impact on my sleep. Either way, I have had periods of insomnia where I would only sleep one of every three nights and I've had periods of hypersomnia (not sure that's a word) where I slept for sixteen hours a day. It's always been a trouble spot for me emotionally. I get really worked up over sleeping conditions and knowing exactly where and what conditions I'll be sleeping in each night. I also have several time consuming/inconvenient rituals that center around going to bed and being in the "right" mood for sleep. I tend to become obsessed with how much I'm sleeping or not sleeping.
So one of my assignments recently in therapy was to do some sleep research and find out what exactly is happening in my body while I sleep and what "normal" sleep patterns look like. So after researching all of my options via Goodreads, this is the book that seemed to best adress various issues regarding sleep from an accessible and scientific standpoint.
Writing
The writing fit my criteria of accessible for a non-scientist, but still academic. I have to say though that it was fairly dry. A lot of the information was interesting, but the author's writing made it less palatable. It just came across very much like a textbook. I found myself picking up anything and everything else. It probably took me a good three weeks to finish and I typically read non-fiction of the same length in 3-4 days.
Entertainment Value
I feel like I learned a lot. I wasn't really reading it to be entertained, I was reading it to learn whether or not I fit in with normal sleep patterns and whether or not my brain will explode if I get more or less sleep than "normal" (Spoiler alert: your brain will not explode due to over or under-sleeping). The author spends a good portion of the book talking about how dangerous sleep deprivation can be while driving. Which is true, but even chapters that were unrelated seemed to somehow come back to the topic. I wanted to hear more about exactly how crazy I am compared to the rest of the world. Apparently a lot of people drive while sleepy, but I don't, so it bored me. And let's face it people, it's all about me.
Overall
Meh. If you're really interested in the topic of sleep and want a fairly wide range of information/fun facts, I'd say give it a try. I'd recommend getting it from the library though. It was rather pricey, even in paperback, and not as interesting as I had hoped.
February 2, 2019
It's exactly what the title implies, an overview of the science of sleep. If you want to learn more about sleep, this is a good resource. I wasn't very impressed with it though. The book felt poorly organized, it jumped randomly in subjects from chapter to chapter. It has 23 different chapters, with barely anything connecting them.
It also wasn't super practical, it has a lot of theorical content. Not something you can judge too heavily, since the book never claimed to be a practical guide to begin with, but worth mentioning nevertheless. Something that I did like, however, was that it honoured its claim to be a science look. It aims to be unbiased, references a lot of literature, and has plenty of useful graphs about sleep surveys or sleep data.
I think it could have been better written, but I think it's still a good book overall, and useful if one wants to dive deeper into the science of sleep.
It also wasn't super practical, it has a lot of theorical content. Not something you can judge too heavily, since the book never claimed to be a practical guide to begin with, but worth mentioning nevertheless. Something that I did like, however, was that it honoured its claim to be a science look. It aims to be unbiased, references a lot of literature, and has plenty of useful graphs about sleep surveys or sleep data.
I think it could have been better written, but I think it's still a good book overall, and useful if one wants to dive deeper into the science of sleep.
March 15, 2019
I technically didn't read this book as I gave up after 16 pages! I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE SLEEPING PATTERNS OF MICE OR CHIMPS! Maybe it gets more relevant and informative as it goes on but nothing about the style or content in those 16 pages made me want to find out.
December 1, 2011
I found this book to be very true to its title's claim: A journey through the science of sleep.
The book is really easy to read and is written in quite a conversational manner.
While it is clear that the author feels strongly about all the topics covered in the book, the `discussions' are non-biased in the sense that he provides thorough information on each topic without trying to tell his audience to believe in specific conclusions.
It is a great introduction to the broad subject of sleep in general. The science in the book is aimed at genral audience. If you know alot about sleep science already then you probably know most of the facts covered in the book. Because I came to it without a sleep science background I found that it gave me a more rounded understanding of the role sleep plays in our everyday life and also exposed some of the myths surrounding the subject of sleep, which have actually helped me sleep better as a consequence!
I read the book for general interest and as a precursor to beginning my studies in sleep science, not for therapeutic reasons.
Though, after reading the book, I feel that readers searching for tips on how to sleep better will definitely benefit from reading it.
While the book is not a sleep science text book, I learned a lot of useful info about sleep from reading it and recommend it to others.
The book is really easy to read and is written in quite a conversational manner.
While it is clear that the author feels strongly about all the topics covered in the book, the `discussions' are non-biased in the sense that he provides thorough information on each topic without trying to tell his audience to believe in specific conclusions.
It is a great introduction to the broad subject of sleep in general. The science in the book is aimed at genral audience. If you know alot about sleep science already then you probably know most of the facts covered in the book. Because I came to it without a sleep science background I found that it gave me a more rounded understanding of the role sleep plays in our everyday life and also exposed some of the myths surrounding the subject of sleep, which have actually helped me sleep better as a consequence!
I read the book for general interest and as a precursor to beginning my studies in sleep science, not for therapeutic reasons.
Though, after reading the book, I feel that readers searching for tips on how to sleep better will definitely benefit from reading it.
While the book is not a sleep science text book, I learned a lot of useful info about sleep from reading it and recommend it to others.
March 26, 2009
A fascinating look at the latest thoughts on sleep, why we spend so much time doing it, what happens when we don't, how much do we need, what to do when we can't, why do we dream, etc etc. Written by one of the UK's foremost sleep researchers, Professor Jim Horne from Loughborough University (my alma mater) writes well for the interested layman, and provides a thoughtful look at both the science and practical aspects to sleep. I was expecting more depth to the science, but was satisfied with the 250 pages exploring a wealth of information about sleep. What still fascinates me is how little we understand about our 8 hours of daily unconsciousness..... So then, are you a lark or an owl, an insomniac or a long sleeper?
June 5, 2013
Read it as a textbook in my Psychology of Sleep class. It's a nice, readable summary of research findings. A little bit boring for me.
February 20, 2014
A great book for those wanting to learn a variety of facts on the science and world of sleep.
An enjoyable read!
An enjoyable read!
April 23, 2017
I haven't quite this kind of book on the topic of sleeping until now. This one is dealing with the phenomenon of sleep strictly from the biological standpoint, completely excluding the standard psychological approach. It is sometimes very "dry" when you read it, but that is because it tends to present itself like an approachable compedium of scientific and biological knowledge that we have on the topic of sleep. The scientific terminology is kept on a minimum level which is a plus, but it is still very professional book. Also, it brings up many of interesting aspects of sleep about which many of us never really thought about.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews