The Expert Guide to Sleeping Well: Everything you Need to Know to get a Good Night's Sleep

by Chris Idzikowski, John Voce (Reading)

Lack of sleep is not just a matter of feeling tired. Recent research has shown that it is associated with serious illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and even cancer. The big question is, what can we do to get more sleep? Who can we turn to for a sympathetic and knowledgeable one-to-one consultation? The answer is, to one of the world's leading sleep experts: Professor Chris Idzikowski, who here reveals his wisdom in a down-to-earth and reassuring way.

The Introduction answers four basic questions: What is sleep? What is dreaming? What is tiredness? What is fatigue?

Chapter One takes a fascinating look at the history of sleep, showing how social and environmental factors have affected human experience.

Chapter Two tells us what science has made of sleep, in a friendly, easy-to-follow style.

Chapter Three gives extensive advice on how to manage your sleep, whatever your particular circumstances or needs, with specific advice for workers, parents, drivers and flyers, as well as for dreamers and problem-solvers; also covered is our changing requirements as we age.

Chapter Four gives the same number of pages to sleep problems, including insomnia, breathing disorders, circadian clock disorders, nightmares and movement disorders.

Finally, Chapter Five is a collection of concise practical tips and guidelines, including a directory of sleeping pills and potions, from pharmaceutical stand-bys to home-brewed herbal teas.

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Self Help, Audiobook

Audio CD

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Etienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very complete book in the way that it cover almost every aspect related to sleep, which is great, but the problem is that it never get really deep in any aspect, it always stay on the surface. If you just start to develop an interest in the subject I guess this could be a good introduction to it and then targeted a bit more where you want to go from there, but if you already read a lot about it, like I did, then you might think that this book just doesn’t bring nothing really new and the fact that it didn’t go deep enough anywhere probably will let you disappointed.

[shannon✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review

3.5 stars
It was an interesting and well-explained story. There were quite some things that I recognized as well as some tips that I applied in my life. The few downsides that I experienced were the text boxes that "interrupted" my reading, and I found some explanations to be too elaborate.

[Vanya Prodanova · Rating 2 out of 5]

Не проверих кога тази книга е издадена, но се усещаше като да е минало известно време, откакто е била написана. Много от нещата звучаха старички.

Обмислях да дам три звездички, но тъй като за пореден път не можах да се наспа след като я слушах, стигнах до мнението, че мога спокойно да обвинявам книгата. Обикновено книгите за сън ми действат чудесно, тази - не точно.

Беше наистина странна книга. Горе-долу може да бъде описана в едно изречение - имай добра хигиена на съня с позитивно отношение. Туйто! Въпреки че книжката е малка, едва 7 часа, пак се чувстваше, че не е знаел какво да сложи в книгата и е трупал доста безсмислена информация. Уж, трябваше да е информативна, структурирана и директна, но беше просто blaah и предизвикваща тревожност с всичките тези половинчати описания на видовете инсомния и свързани проблеми със съня.

[Barbie N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful

I found some helpful hints in this book, like promoting good sleep hygiene. Immediately went out and bought a nightlight for the bathroom so that I wouldn't have to turn the light on to go to the bathroom. That one thing has been very helpful. I didn't read every word of the book because some of it didn't apply to me. But still, I learned alot.

[Dawn Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never get enough sleep and reading this book actually helped. It wasn’t new ideas or concepts for me but maybe more of conditioning and reminders of past advice

[Jodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

AB

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good look into the how to get a better nights sleep, from sleep hygiene to self help. Different somnias are discussed from snoring to sleep paralysis and much more. A useful guide.

[Kari Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative but the ebook needs to be reformatted. I never did finish it because of the formatting issues. I did like what I read though.

3 stars for information, would have been higher if it wasn't for the formatting issue.

[Emily Mellow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I *did* get some useful information from this, but somehow it just doesn't seem like it's put together very well. Surprisingly, the author seems to really value lucid dreaming, and goes on at length as to how we can become lucid dreamers. Without actually explaining why that might benefit us in any way.
What I learned is that short term, situational stress-based insomnia can lead to chronic insomnia through association and habit, and can be overcome through new associations and better habits. And that any sleep aids should only be taken in the short term, in order to get sleep issues in control through therapy or lifestyle changes

[Sunshine Biskaps · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good book. It’s pretty thorough. I have learned to pay closer attention to my bruxism and have ordered a custom occlusal splint. Ear plugs also help lots, but a simple nudge to my partner in the ribs will also stop him from snoring. Melatonin has been prescribed to me by my fertility expert every night before bed, so it’s good the author considers this hormone natural and not quite a sleeping aid.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating read full of tips and tools to help you sleep better. A lot of this is common sense but sometimes we need to think about the way we sleep and where and how in a different light. I won’t be removing my dog from my bed however as cuddling my little girl when she’s snoring is the greatest thing in the world.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve dipped in and out of this book and I’m impressed. I wanted to see if the ideas work rather than simply say it was a good read, and I can say that it has certainly helped me. It is spilt into different sections depending on why you can’t sleep rather than just giving general tips. I’d recommend this book to anyone who has difficulty sleeping.

[Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very useful for me. There was quite a lot of in depth background about sleep science, but this was presented in a very readable way. Good advice on sleep hygiene and how to sleep better too.

[Vaughan · Rating 3 out of 5]

From an outsiders point of view this seems to be a thorough summary of the academic and scientific research on sleep. However, as a normal person who wanted to learn better practices to get better sleep this book is more likely to send you too sleep before you get to those nuggets.

[Kathleen Duffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straight forward. An easy, helpful read about sleep problems.

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good tips, especially about sleep hygiene. Also pretty interesting stuff about the purpose of dreaming.
But most of this book either didn't apply to me or was really dry and boring lmao

[Meng · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Cate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not all relevant, but some really interesting background info and specific useful tips to help in many different situations.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Covers all the basics. Worth a read if you want to understand and improve your sleep.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not what I was really looking for as it went into all areas of sleep that did not apply to me. So found a lot of the book irrelevant.

[Antonella Gramola-Sands · Rating 2 out of 5]

Partly interesting but it was not exactly what I expected or needed. Although the audiobook was so tedious that helped me to fall asleep. Job done after all!

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as audiobook

[Liz Bechy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Put me to sleep

[Isabel (kittiwake) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew there was a sleep disorder called exploding head syndrome?

Don't worry, your head doesn't actually explode. I think a drama queen must have named it.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Net Galley and Watkins Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This guide to sleeping well, is a bit dry.
It offers a wealth of information about sleep disorders, insomnia, and healthy habits for falling asleep and staying asleep, as well as getting a good night's sleep on s regular basis.

Favorite quote:
"...in order to perform multiple, complex tasks simultaneously,women use more of their brains than men do, so they have increased need for consolidation time-and that means a greater need for sleep."

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book helped me sleep better! I was able to take notes and put some of the suggestions to practice and improve my sleep.

This book also almost put me to sleep. If you want to read about every sleep disorder and sleep medication make sure you have a few cups of coffee around.

I got what I wanted out of the book. I wanted tips to help me sleep better and got them. I knew the book was dry when I got into it but I took the time anyway. It’s worth the read if you think about it that way.

[Ramona Mead · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an extremely thorough guide to all thing related to sleep! It goes from very basic explanations of why we sleep and how to improve our own, all the way to scientific explanations of brain waves. As somehow who is already in tune with my body and sleep needs, I found it validating to see that I am on the right track with my self care. However I found the content at times to be redundant and there was SO MUCH information, it was tough to find what's relevant to me. I blame the e-book formatting for this, and hope that would change before publication. Without the formatting issues, this book will be a great resource for anyone wanting to learn about how sleep is connected to all other facets of our life.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Irida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to thank the publisher, Watkins Publishing, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the most comprehensive book I have read on the subject of sleep. This book covers way more than just recommendations of how to sleep well, it goes into the science of sleep. What makes this book very attractive is that it has sleeping guides for different people, such as sleep guide for parents. students, athletes and frequent flyers , drivers and shift workers. This allows you to read specifically what applies to you.

This book, may be too detailed for the average reader, but you can read this book over time and learn a lot.

I have enjoyed the book and have taken a couple of weeks to get through it.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great resource for anyone who has trouble sleeping. The book covers a variety of sleep topics from the difference of being tired and fatigue to sleep issues such as insomnia. There are a number of tips to help you get to sleep and stay asleep. Being a person who experiences problems staying asleep and being tired, I am looking forward to trying some of these tips.

I voluntarily agreed to read a copy of this book supplied by NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced.

[KayLynn Zollinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This actually was a very informative and helpful book. I haven't slept well for years. I was getting some good tips to try but being pregnant messes up a lot. I'll have to try them another time. Anyways...if you have a sleep disorder or struggle with sleep in any way, this is a great starter book for information and tips.