Why Can't We Sleep?: Understanding Our Sleeping and Sleepless Minds

by Darian Leader

From the brilliant psychoanalyst behind Strictly Bipolar and What is Madness, a short and fascinating guide to the history of human sleep - and why we can't seem to sleep any more

One in four adults sleeps badly.
Sleeping pill prescriptions have increased dramatically over the last three decades, as have the incidence of sleep clinics.
Sleep used to be a natural state, easy as breathing, but increasingly it is an insecure commodity.
...Isn't it?

Our relationship to sleep surfaces and resurfaces throughout human history, each time telling us something new about our indivudual and collective psychology. From the industrial revolution to blue-light on our phones, from the ancient art of dream interpretation to the modern science of Freud, sleep is connected to wider social patterns, to shifting norms and expectations. Weaving together cultural, social, economic and psychoanalytic influences, Darian Leader delves into the truth about this universal human experience.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Science, Psychoanalysis, Audiobook, Reference, Adult

214 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2019

About the author

Darian Leader is a British psychoanalyst and author. He is a founding member of the Centre for Freudian Analysis and Research (CFAR).

Darian Leader is President of the College of Psychoanalysts, a Trustee of the Freud Museum, and Honorary Visiting Professor in Psychoanalysis at Roehampton University.

From Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darian_L...

Reviews

[Liam Keogh · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very short book, yet still manages to tell you very little in answer to its title.

A little bit of science early on, a look at why we sleep (answer: don't know), why we dream (answer: don't know) and what some notable people in history thought about sleep (my answer: who cares - their thoughts are based on assumptions and not scientific studies).

Not that well written and at times quite rambling. It's as if, having started on a book about why we can't sleep, Leader just goes on to put down thoughts he's had about other things loosely related to sleep.

Other than the fact that the capitalist world is cashing in on our perceived sleep problems (he even manages to suggest that "memory foam" mattresses are so called because of the association of memory with sleep. Hence you will see them as a necessary sleep aid. Yeah, me neither), there isn't much else to conclude.

Oh, other than to posit a question about whether we have sleep problems at all - it's either all in our modern perception (we don't actually need that much sleep) or our bodies regressing to a type of sleep we used to have pre-industrial revolution (wake up at night, mill about for a bit, go back to sleep)

[Monika · Rating 3 out of 5]

„... Avis skaičiuoti verta tik norint patikrinti, ar kurios netrūksta.“

[Babis Kokovidis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting reading but most of the times I felt that the topic was being subverted. It was like the author find the opportunity to talk about everything besides sleep! I would recommend it but with a grain of salt concerning his psychoanalytic theories and arguments.

[Eliška Švarná · Rating 1 out of 5]

Z mého pohledu bohužel zbytečná kniha, pokud tedy čtenář v průběhu nekonečných 224 stran stále opovážlivě očekává odpověď na otázku v titulu knihy. Spokojíte-li se se závěrem, že spánek je ryze individuální záležitost (tj. někomu stačí méně, jiný potřebuje více), a není tedy třeba podléhat "tlaku současné kapitalistické společnosti" na výkon ve všech oblastech života (včetně spánku), pak doporučuji ještě v knihkupectví přelouskat krátký, leč výstižný závěr knihy. Vyhnete se tak polemikám, které jsou atraktivní, avšak zcela mimo téma (kritika vlády Donalda Trumpa), systematické obhajobě práce a díla Sigmunda Freuda a násilným freudovským interpretacím nespavosti, neumělým a pokulhávajícím pokusům o dokládání těchto interpretací prostřednictvím úryvků z oblasti popkultury a marketingu...

Jeden příklad za všechny: reklamy na "paměťové matrace", resp. "paměťovou výplň" matrací interpretuje autor knihy jako snahu prodejců přesvědčit zákazníka o tom, že dosažení kvalitního spánku souvisí s naší schopností/nutností si "pamatovat" (tlak na výkon jednotlivce), resp. "zapomenout" (útěk z pocitů viny, které nám "nedávají spát").

Je vtipným paradoxem, nakolik se autor sám dokázal svézt na soudobé vlně zájmu o spánek a jeho poruchy, kterou do určité míry kritizuje - aniž by jakkoliv uspokojivě odpovídal na otázky, jež si sám klade, jeho kniha si pro svůj atraktivní a slibný titul jistě najde cestu k celé řadě čtenářů - nespavců.

Kdyby mě autor alespoň svým hutným a těžkopádným stylem dokázal uspat, dala bych knize dvě hvězdičky. Avšak nespavost byla před Leaderem, s ním a nijak nezměněná přetrvává i po něm.

[Shulamith Farhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful overview of the state of affairs with respect to current sleep science. Especially helpful are the critiques of dominant approaches to sleep; the analysis of pictures of brains lighting up is especially illuminating. After a discussion of the fantasies preventing sleep, Leader floats an even more terrifying possibility than the Althusserian nightmare of being called into being: "We have succeeded in turning off interpellation, but we have gone from thoughts to something that feels worse: now, there is nothing calling us." Also worth noting is Leader's respectful approach to Marxist theory - the work is exemplary of the kinship Lacan suggested between Marxism and the method of a sensitive analyst.

[Eirimė|Pusvalandis tylos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knyga turi idomių įžvalgų apie nemigą ir vaistus gydyti sutrikimui. Autorius ne tik parodo teigiamas tyrimų apie miegą naudas, bet ir netikslumus praleidant itin svarbius kriterijus.

[Tammam Aloudat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sleep, the thing we do every day of our lives, is still one of the mysteries most of us do not properly understand or appreciate. We are told to sleep more, sleep well, and have "quality" to our sleep but only a few of us will take any amount of time to appreciate and study the thing that occupies more than a quarter of our lives.

This book amends this problem even if it doesn't solve it all together. Darian Leader talks about sleep in a psychological and physiological sense and weaves in philosophy, politics, and literature. The text is not very readable but still interesting and intriguing. The titles of the chapters are confusing as the text in them does not clearly correspond. What I miss in the book is a more biomedical understanding to balance the psychology.

The parts about dreams I found most intriguing and the very concise chapter that explains Freud's Interpretation of Dreams is very useful for someone who doesn't dare read the master work itself.

This book tackles a few big questions in our lives, it goes a long way in exploring them even if it doesn't entirely put them to sleep, so to say.

[Piritta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't say I enjoyed reading this book, as this goes to the category of "it's important to read things you don't agree with". I would've hoped that the author would have positioned himself clearly from the beginning as a Freudian psychoanalytic and established where he stands; now I as a reader had to debunk things as I turned pages. It became clear that this book is written as a kinda-sorta-answer to Matthew Walker's excellent Why we sleep, but Leader's book is highly un-scientific, full of basic argumentative errors and far fetched (but of course in the Freudian framework probably spot on) interpretations of folk tales and movies.

[Eza Piyasena · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first few chapters were great. Basically a series of conspiracy theories about how 8 hours of sleep is basically a marketing technique by mattress companies etc. to convince you if you’re not getting 8 hours of sleep, something is up.

Enjoyed the use of patient examples and movies throughout the book.

The middle section of the book was slightly dry however the sections about dreaming, parental influence and guilt were great. Essentially the last few chapters really gave me what I was looking for from this book.

[Andrew Foote · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up on a whim while at Waterstones without carefully examining what it was about, and so I didn't realize its author was a practicing Lacanian psychoanalyst. If I had known that, I probably wouldn't have bought it---in my social circles psychoanalysis is generally regarded with scorn, and the ideas of Jacque Lacan are especially scorn-worthy. However, I am glad that I did buy it, because it was actually a fairly interesting read which introduced me to some fairly reasonable-seeming ideas and maybe opened my mind a little.

[Aneri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apie miegą kitu kampu. Patiko. Visai priešingas variantas knygai "Kodėl mes miegame".
Po kurios man išsivystė blogas požiūris į miegą, nes jis tapo siekiamybe :(

[Saeid soheili · Rating 3 out of 5]

If only the psychoanalytic theories of the book are interesting to you, I suggest you read only the second half of the book.

[Gloria Wu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled to finish it. I've read better books on sleep that did the job in half the number of the pages.

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is not so much that AIs will turn into humans; it is more that humans risk to turn into (the kind of things) AIs (can interact with). And other great political insights.

[Mey Aybar · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Cati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super nice and introspective book. Definitely recommend!

[Cristina C · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have struggled to finish this book. I feel like the author gives lots of ideas sleep related or not in a very chaotic manner. At times it was hard for me to follow and I would find my mind wandering. Maybe it's just me and what proved to be my low interest in the topic, but when I first decided to buy the book I thought it would be an interesting idea to know why can't we sleep. I did find out a few things by reading this book:
- the original, primitive rhythm of sleep was is two phases: 3-4 hours till midnight, 1 hour awake and again sleep till morning
- the study of sleep or insomnia has gone from biased, individual related to something general, applied to everyone
- sleep is divided into REM(rapid eye movement) and NREM(non rapid eye movement); we dream mostly in REM and we tend to remember the dreams if woken from REM, unlike NREM
- if somethings happens while we are dreaming, our brain tends to incorporate that into a dream
There are probably other, more interesting facts but I can't really recall them now as this book didn't quite get to me.
Overall, information was interesting but the way it was delivered was a bit bland for my taste.

[Boris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes an overall convincing point against the marketing of good sleeping as the hallmark of a sound and efficient mind, and how, over the last decades, insomnia has been monetised into a whole sleep industry (expensive mattresses, prescription drugs)

Leader also puts into question the biochemical approach of sleep research, and makes a case for a more psychological approach, which in his case means psychoanalytical. Thereby this book also serves as a nice introduction in Freudian dream analysis, for instance.

I found this a really nice read and even though this is absolutely no self help book, some of Leader's ideas brought me some interesting insights into my own bouts of insomnia.

[Sam Ranabhat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A big brain knowledge drop. Turns out sleep is insanely complex, multifaceted, and a more energy-intensive than I ever knew. This book offers no solutions, just context and history. A LOT of it. Psychoanalytic/psychological dimensions, sleep's relationship to modernity/industry/capitalism, mother/child relationships, and so on. This book, like sleep itself, is about many more things that just sleep!

[Aisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ironically, I kept sleeping almost every time I picked up this book. It’s quite interesting but the author organizes his thoughts in such complexity that I find them hard to understand at some instances, perhaps it’s because I’m not familiar with the field of psychology or perhaps the topic is so dense. On the other hand this book was actually really insightful and I learned new things but I don’t think I’ll pick it up again, simply not my cup of tea.

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an odd little book! Starts out well, but then gets into weird, sexual, mother-related Freudian theories about the origins of modern sleep problems.

[Yeliz Ö. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Orijinali 2019 yılında basılmış. Yazarı bir psikanalist. Kitapta uykunun yüzyıllar içinde geçirdiği değişim (bir zamanlar günde iki kere uyumak normalmiş), uykunun tam olarak ne olduğu ve ne işe yaradığı, rüyaların işlevleri, uykuyu etkileyebilecek psikolojik faktörler anlatılıyor. Kitabın kurgulanışı da, yazarın dili de biraz akademik. Başlığı görünce uyku hakkında popüler bilgiler olan bir kitap bekleyenleri şaşırtabilir bu yüzden.

Çeviri iyi, rahat okunuyor. Gerekli görülen yerlerde hem çevirmen hem yayına hazırlayan tarafından notlar düşülmüş. Yazım ve noktalama yanlışları için tekrar gözden geçirilebilir.

“Sosyal tarihçi E. P. Thompson’ın öne sürdüğü gibi, Sanayi Devrimi sırasında zaman, geçirilecek bir şey olmaktan ziyade harcanacak bir şeye dönüştü: Para birimi haline geldi.” (27)

Zeitgeber (Alm.)- “Zamanı veren” anlamındaki bu kelime fizyolojide, canlının biyolojik saatini ayarlayacak uyarıyı sağlayan çevresel etmen anlamında kullanılan bir terimdir.” (29)

“Tarihçiler, biyolojik saatlerin on dokuzuncu yüzyılda kısmen yapay aydınlatmanın her yerde kullanılmaya başlanmasının etkisiyle hafifçe kaydığını iddia ediyor.” (30)

“Uyku da tıpkı dil gibi, öğrenmemiz gereken bir şey olabilir. Zira çocukluğumuzda uyumuyor, daha ziyade “uyutuluyoruz” ve daha sonraları yetişkinliğimizde de giderek daha karmaşık şekillerde “kendimizi uyutmak” zorunda kalıyoruz.” (35)

“…Günümüz piyasasında ve aslında kişisel yaşamlarımızda artık gerçek bir dinlenme durumu kalmamıştır, duraklamaların yapay olarak oluşturulması ve bedelinin ödenmesi gerekir.” (39)

İnemuri- (Jap.) İşyeri, okul veya kamuya açık alanda kestirme. Başkasının alanına girmemek, geçişe engel olmamak, genel huzuru bozmamak şartıyla kabul gören bir adettir. (41)

“”Uyku,” diyor Walker, “çevremizdeki toplumsal dünyayı okuyan sağduyulu bir yetenek” geliştirebilelim diye “duygusal beyin devrelerimizi yeniden ayarlayarak ertesi günün sosyal ve psikolojik zorlukları arasında soğukkanlı ve dengeli bir biçimde yön bulmamıza yardım eder.”” (51)

“Piyasa temelli toplumlar, sosyal grubu giderek artan bir şekilde atomlarına ayırdıkça, “vatandaşlar” böylece maş ve hizmetler için birbirleriyle rekabet halindeki izole ekonomik birimler sayılarak “bireyler”e dönüştükçe…” (54)

“…uykunun en etkili ve güçlü açıklamalarından birinin işlevinin insan belleğine yardım etmek ve onu geliştirmek olmasıdır.” (74)

“Bu noktada, insanların sürekli televizyon izlemesinin nedenlerinden birinin gerçekte bu tür bir süreç olup olmadığını merak edebiliriz: Kaygıyı uzak tutmak için görsel ekrana odaklanmak.” (98)

“Rüyaların nedenlerini anlayabilirsek, uykumuzu neyin böldüğünü veya engellediğini daha net görebiliriz.” (105)

“…her zaman bir çeşit uyanıklık durumunda olduğumuz fikri tamamen mantıksız değildir.” (117)

“Anne ile bebek ne kadar çok bir şeylerin üzerinde birlikte dururlarsa, uyku o denli iyi oturtulabiliyordu.” (132)

“Spitz’e göre uyku, aslında tüm savunmaların şablonu, acı ve ıstırap durumlarında gerçekleşen arkaik bir fizyolojik ve psikolojik geri çekilmedir.” (144)

“…uyanmak da ilişkisel bir süreç olarak anlaşılabilir.” (144)

“…ebeveynler çoğu zaman birbirleri olmadan uyuyamazken, bebeğin kendi başına uyumasının beklenmesi ne kadar tuhaf.” (148)

“Çocuk, Öteki için ne olduğu -ve dolayısıyla Öteki’nin kendisini terk edip edemeyeceği- sorusuna ne kadar az takılırsa o kadar iyi uyur.” (156)

“Anne aile toplantısında, laf arasında “Çocuklar doğduktan sonra yıllarca uyumadım,” demişti. Tamamen masum ve sıradan bir yorumdu, ama kızı için “O zaman çocukların uyumaya ne hakkı var?” anlamına gelmişti.” (169)

“Hartmann’ın ifade ettiği gibi, bir doktordan uyku ilacı reçetesi almak, “Uyuman sorun değil” diyen ve böylece ihlaller için bağışlanma sağlayan bir ebeveyn figüründen izin almak anlamına gelebilir.” (172)

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a nightmare of a book to complete, but I felt I needed to in order to be able to say it was terrible legitimately. I thought the book's subject by Darian Leader would be interesting, I've always sought to learn more about sleep and dreams. Although, I must say that my alarm bells were initially ringing after a few pages of drivel when I determined to find out who Darian Leader was, and then the puzzle came together. A lot of my questions were answered when his bio page described him as one of the last Lacanian Psychoanalysts. Having read Lacan I knew what to anticipate in the writing but Leader really took it to another level by having nothing to add to an exciting field of study. He accurately recited past research that others have completed but he himself added nothing to the conversation. In true Lacanian style, Leader jumped from idea to idea without any apparent reason to and without having completed his original thought making the book seem like a fever dream of disconnected ideas read to me by an extremely excited 4-year-old who was reciting their favourite dinosaurs and then remarking that certain dinosaur names sounded a lot like something completely irrelevant to what they were just talking to me about a few seconds ago. To say this book left a bad taste in my mouth would be an understatement: Darian Leader is an author to stay clear of.

[Martin Kollouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Dnešní tlak na věčné přesvědčování a zastírání skutečností lidského života, společně s cyklickým efektem, který popsal Goffman, vedou k tomu, že jsme nuceni neustále mluvit o tom, jak se cítíme dobře, a dávat najevo pozitivní náladu s nadšení. Kdo nemá všudypřítomný úsměv na tváři, s tím nejspíš není něco v pořádku,..."

Kniha zaprvé upozorňuje na zjednodušování problému a často mylné interpretace nemožnosti spánku, jejichž řešení je pak pomocí prášků na spaní. Autor velmi zajímavě upozorňuje na proměnu vnímání nespavosti v posledních sto letech. V jedné chvíli se autor dopouští trochu přešlapu, alespoň z mého pohledu, když do knihy vkládá politiku a své antipatie k Trumpovi, což je absolutně mimo téma knihy. Je zde vytyčen jeden důvod, který je označován za hlavní příčinu nespavosti, což mi přijde trochu zjednodušující a ztrácí se tam pak možnost jiných příčin. (Spoiler: tou příčinou je dle autora vina, kterou cítíme na různých rovinách. Za sebe však mohu říci, že mou nespavost téměř vždy působí aktuální emocionální vypětí a strach z nadcházejících událostí a vina je až jako druhotná, jestli je tam vůbec.)
I přes své nedostatky je však kniha zajímavým čtením a rozhodně mě dokázala obohatit.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is rather a psychoanalytical and philosophical book than a typical self-help text.
I would've probably never bought it if I had read the blurb and become warned about the Freudian perspective. But I am glad that instead, I read the book as a whole.
The chapters that are questioning the current sleep research and its conclusions were quite thought-provoking. I will surely be warier the next time I come across any sleep recommendations. It is a good response to the famous "Why we Sleep" by Matthew Walker, which I liked, but over time I must admit it put even more pressure on me for not being a good sleeper. This was a good way of saying hey, it's ok. Relax! I am thankful for that.

[Prathamesh Kharole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read for any student of psychoanalysis or a reader alike. Leader confronts the contemporary notions about the 'efficacy' of sleep and sleep pathology, by tracing our understanding of sleep from the nascent stages of its research.

I personally found the work on the psychoanalytic engagement of sleep as a commodity in a postcapitalist world. The pressures of a 'modern' life only make it more difficult to sleep soundly. The aim of the research going forward, therefore, should be shedding light on getting closer to the construction of sleep as symptomatic, rather than proposing miracle drugs, cushy mattresses and a promise of a 'productive' morning.

[Τοβίας Χάος · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible sh*! Absolutely no continuity, no novel thoughts. Jumps from here to here, incoherent as f**. Badly written on top of it ("here"). Probably the worst book I've ever read.
I don't know why this was written in the first place. It seems Leader had a fit and hated on all of science, pharma, progress in general, and everything that is not Freud. Total nonsense in most parts. No own thoughts and ideas, just a concatenation of weird quotes and stories from others. There is no point, no aim, no meaning. The book ends on questions and "perhaps". What a BAD BAD BAD pile of sh**.

[Manuel José Castañeda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tiene un aproximación inicialmente de fácil comprensión acerca del sueño,y los fenómenos alrededor del mismo. Pero a medida que avanza profundiza de manera interesante sobre las posibles causas del insomnio y la comprensión de algunos términos psiquiátricos no resulta sencilla, haciéndose una lectura pesada durante los últimos dos capítulos. En realidad esperaba una lactara más enfocada a los que sucede en el organismo durante el sueño, sobretodo a nivel cerebral o neuronal, pero me parece que el libro se queda corto en ese sentido.

[Ufuk Ataş · Rating 3 out of 5]

A purely psychoanalytic approach to interpreting sleep with a bunch of discourses surrounding sleeping, dreaming, and waking (which is not really obvious from the title unless you are familiar with the author). There are frequent references to Freud and Lacan among many others that make it both challenging and easy to understand. It was an interesting and informative read, I have to admit, but the title is pretty much misleading.

[Tara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read this following Matthew Walker's 'Why we sleep' and had to give up part way through (extremely rare for me). This is nothing but an unstructured and poorly evidenced rant about non-core aspects of Walker's ideas, with no offer of constructive alternative approaches or frameworks. If, like me, you were looking for an alternative scientific perspective to Walker to further explore the topic, you will be disappointed.