The Book of Sleep: 75 Strategies to Relieve Insomnia

by Nicole Moshfegh

Fall asleep, stay asleep, wake up rested—proven strategies for beating insomnia.

Make your bed and actually sleep in it. The Book of Sleep provides dozens of quick, easy, and evidence-based strategies that are more effective and sustainable than sleep medication for people who suffer from insomnia.

Based in CBT-I (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia), the techniques in this book were developed by a clinical psychologist who specializes in insomnia treatment. Find the relief you need and wake up feeling truly restored. A good night's sleep isn't just a dream anymore.

The Book of Sleep

Rise and truly shine. Follow the 75 effective sleep methods in this book and get out of bed feeling your best.

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

232 pages, Paperback

Published October 22, 2019

Reviews

[Tom Law]

Sleep can sometimes seem as elusive as the Abominable Snow Man. It seems just out of reach, lurking in the shadows, but never completely comes into view. Try as we may, we never seem to get enough of it and we always seem to be tired. In our world of hyper-stress and constant screen, time sleep can be a dream which never becomes reality. But Nicole Moshfegh has crafted a book which might just give you hope that the elusive can become real.

The Book of Sleep in some regards is a real eye-opener. Some of the things which seem to help the sleep process are actually counterproductive as explained by the author. Those proverbial sleep aids, like alcohol or pills might actually be sedating you without the benefits of real sleep. You’ve once again settled for the illusion while the real restfulness of a full night’s sleep continues to elude you.

Not only is the book full of useful information on what to and not do in order to achieve the goal of sleep, but she also coaches the reader through a variety of processes which might help if used appropriately. Not only that, but she continually points the reader to other resources which might prove useful should those she mentions in the book not work.

Although Moshfegh has tried to craft a comprehensive book of sleep strategies the book is easy to read. Each of the sections is short and to the point, not wrapped in a lot of mumbo jumbo. Not only is the book a easy read, but she has crafted it in such a way that those in need of help can come back to it time and again as they focus in on one or another strategy to get them to their goal – a restful night’s sleep.

Upon request the publisher sent me a copy of the book to review.

[Heather]

I have read several books on sleep and insomnia as it has been a challenge for me for the past 10 years or more. This book has the best one for practical strategies to battle insomnia. The Getting Started section lays the ground work for the book; exploring about the different types of insomnia, how the book can help, and how best use the book.
I found the strategy section the most helpful and felt each one built on the previous one. If you can’t take the time to read the book cover to cover, the Table of Contents has each strategy listed so you can get quick help if needed.
As a health coach and as someone who suffers with insomnia occasionally, I would recommend this easy-to-follow and encouraging book.

[Brianna Martin]

For anyone who struggles with insomnia — I recommend this read

[Catrinel Bianca]

Great tips even if you have a good sleep it helps to get everything in order and learn more about the sleep good practices
Very practical!

[Melanie]

The Book of Sleep was an okay read. To me it seemed like several of the strategies were repetitive or very similar. I personally didn't like the meditation or similar aspects... just not something for me.

I did like learning more about how the body works. It was very interesting to know the different sleep cycles and about the circadian rhythm.

All in all, this was an okay read. I enjoyed aspects, but overall didn't find it that helpful.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention/review it on my blog. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own and I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

[Cris]

I had high hopes for this book but was disappointed.

Pros: She writes it in tiny chapters, each chapter dedicated to a different “solution “.

Con: Each solution is not a strategy for everyone. Very misleading.

[Claire Flieder]

I thought it had really great tips that I can try to implement. I am buying the book so I can use it as a continual reference.

[Pramod]

A reasonably good book about improving your sleep. Many techniques and many interesting things that most of us may subconsciously know but don't follow.

[Susan Summers]

This book provided a clear and concise description of what insomnia is and how to fix it. Although some of the strategies were challenging to follow, once I began to implement them I started to see a major change in my sleep. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is currently experiencing sleep issues and wants a variety of solutions to help them get better sleep.

[Alyxandra]

More repetitive than anticipated

Given the gimmicky title, I went into it expecting some repeated tips, i.e. cleverly reworded phrases. But this book could have been condensed into 25 tips. It was still a quick read, as I started to skim. But it was very annoying to waste the time that I had. Just glad this was available for free on Kindle Unlimited.

[Humza Khan]

Very useful book, with some great background information, a good amount of practical strategies which are clearly laid out and important reminders to let us know it may take a while to see any true benefits in our sleep quality.

[Michael W. Singer]

There are techniques here for everybody.

I have read 6 sleep books. This by far the best. It is simple to implement and has many ideas to help get better sleep.

[Becky]

Didn't necessarily learn anything new, but good reminders about how to get a good nights sleep. It's a good reference book.

[Kayley Steele]

Content – Focused on exploring about the different types of insomnia, discusses how the book can help, and how best use the book at the beginning. The book includes stand-alone strategies—Each helpful strategy is complete by itself so you can pick this book up anywhere and find help. From kicking caffeine to keeping cool, get pointers on how to properly set the stage for restful sleep. The book consists of 75 effective sleep methods to try all in their own little chapters so easy to go back to and ideas/methods are clearly identified to the reader.

Audio Quality - Audio quality was Good

Overall - Book is good, the short chapters make this book readable and are full of ideas. It was a short listen on audible. I enjoyed listening to this while at work, each idea/method was clearly outlined and easy to follow.

Recommendation - To those who want some ideas/methods on gaining better sleep patterns. It goes through the understanding of insomnia and they clinical symptoms of both acute and chronic forms. This book is perfect for people who want a book that chapters are overly big or packed with junk, each chapter and method is clearly accessible if you needed to just flick back to read a method again.

[Amber Sema]

I would recommend this book to anyone I know suffering from insomnia or general sleep issues. Written in a user-friendly and straight to the point manner, the author provides enough tips that anyone is bound to find a few that would work for them. Her advice doesn’t require overwhelming, large changes, but rather small tweaks here and there that can be easily applied to your life. She helps you understand what could be causing your insomnia and sorts the seventy-five tips into categories based on the causal mechanisms, making it easier for you to understand which tips may help you most. Even for someone without insomnia, it’s interesting to read this book, learn about the science of sleep, and enhance your knowledge on what can be done to maximize sleep quality.

[Rebecca]

This book was a game changer for me. Insomnia can feel so hopeless and overwhelming and Dr. Moshfegh wrote from a place of immense empathy and kindness and made me feel so much less alone and anxious about my insomnia. The book was written in a way that was so easy to understand and has been excellent to go back and reference. I found it super helpful to read the book through and then go back and try the methods that resonated most with me. Once I found the methods that worked best for me, I go back from time to time for a refresher. Highly, highly recommend for anyone who is feeling overwhelmed or struggling with insomnia.

[Erich]

I enjoyed this. I borrowed the audiobook from the library and then had the physical copy. It felt like a big menu of options, so listening to it was like listening to the radio. Each strategy is about 1-2 pages. There's a lot of good stuff laced with tid bits of sleep pedagogy. I wanted a strategy on how to pick from the menu. 75 is a little overwhelming and I felt like I gravitated toward some but there wasn't much of an approach on how to start. I'm reading this alongside Say Goodnight to Insomnia by Dr Gregg D. Jacobs. I would recommend reading that too if you are looking for more research and guidance. I think these two books pair well together.

[Tina Ramen]

Listened to this as an audiobook as it was suggested on the libby app. As someone who has good sleep hygiene and a good sleep I thought this would be good to listen to so I can relate to friends and family who struggle with insomnia (hey, look at that previous empathy short book making an impact already, lulz). This book is organized well and very to the point and jumps into giving advice and strategies immediately. Love how Dr Moshfegh explores both the importance of having a good physical environment but also practicing mindfulness, gratitude, and overall mental wellness to achieve a good sleep.

[Nikki Deeley]

The Book of Sleep is a ‘how to’ book giving actionable steps to overcome insomnia.

I thought this book was quite useful and simple to digest. Each of the 75 strategies were well defined with actionable steps given and the reasons why. I especially liked that she did acknowledge chronic pain within the book and how chronic pain and insomnia are a viscous cycle. Some parts were slightly repetitive but it helps to get the messages across.

[Stan Sorensen]

A book full of ideas to help someone think right about sleep with a variety of techniques. Short chapters make this book readable and are full of ideas. This book helped me not only with controlling thoughts during waking times at night but in life in general, to take a positive outlook on every situation, dwell on the good things, and be thankful.

[Jules_3PO]

I read this through audiobooks on the the Libby app; a quick and easy read (*or listen to). Life changing! I immediately implemented strategies from this book to improve my sleep quality and I believe that they have helped me. I immediately recommended this book to two people.

Thanks for the great read, Nicole Moshfegh!

[Jen]

Includes the basics we all know about sleeping in the dark and avoiding blue light devices.....but also offers charts and suggestions to help you track and evaluate your quality of sleep with evaluations to make sure you get the sleep you need.

[Shannon Binegar-Foster]

I found this book very helpful. It has so many options and suggestions. I find myself referring to it again from time to time when I slip back into the dreaded insomnia roller coaster.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

[Stephani Jahn, PhD]

Solid practical manual for sleep tips, with so many options it would be hard not to find something new worth trying. (If you want the scientific background to buff up your understanding of sleep, "Why We Sleep" is a good one, too, but much longer and much more sciencey.)

[Eric]

Pretty good guidance on improving your sleep habits.

[Ronald J. Pauleus]

Very good and practical strategies anyone can implement. I am looking forward to sleeping better.

[Alyssa Boxer]

This book had many good ideas but none that I hadn’t already heard before. That being said it was informative and I do look forward to trying to implement some of these ideas.

[Edd]

لا يخلو من النصائح المفيدة.
اذا كنت تعاني من الأرق استغل ليلك بالتقرب الى الله، من الصلاة، قرأة والاستماع الى القرآن، الدعاء، الاستغفار ، الحوقلة والذكر 🤲🏻🌻

[Liza Hood]

1.5 -I picked up this book to get some tips on sleeping better/more soundly. This book didn’t really dive deep enough in any topic to bring clarity or more understanding.

[Rianna Thompson]

I feel like 7 or 5 would have been a more accurate number than 75. Nice refresher. 2.5 really