I should warn you: if you already tend towards anxiety about your health and resentment that wage labour forces you to defy your circadian rhythms, this book will worsen both. It’s a fascinating read, though, and I learned a lot about the mechanisms of sleep. Walker’s perspective is that of a research scientist, explaining with engaging enthusiasm and clarity how different aspects of sleep work, or don’t work. At the end, he presents a sort of manifesto for wider recognition of sleep’s importance. What he doesn’t do is commit to blaming neoliberal capitalism for stealing our sleep, as in [b:24/7: Late Capitalism and the Ends of Sleep|16284965|24/7 Late Capitalism and the Ends of Sleep|Jonathan Crary|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1373997570s/16284965.jpg|22399975], a book I highly recommend. Walker’s final chapter argues that sleep-deprived workers are less productive, so there are financial benefits to encouraging better sleep. Unfortunately that isn't the logic of neoliberal capitalism. If profit can be extracted from sleep deprivation, and it definitely can, then it’s likely to continue. While researchers often emphasise the financial benefits of some health improvement (more sleep, exercise, vegetables, etc, etc), I can’t help feeling that these arguments are never going to have much impact. Who would these financial benefits accrue to? Mostly individual workers, who’ll have better quality of life. Who would lose out? Purveyors of junk food, sleeping pills, cars, alcohol, caffeinated drinks, diet books, and so on. Aggregate figures for ‘health savings’ are meaningless unless you consider the vested interests involved. In the case of lost sleep, there are many direct and indirect opportunities for profit. To his credit, Walker does acknowledge that individual lifestyle changes alone are hardly sufficient to deal with a global pandemic of lost sleep; the problem is systemic.

Personally, I am a total owl and this book firmly reminded me that there’s nothing to be done about that genetic legacy. Throughout my working life, I’ve depended on caffeine to function in a 9 to 5 routine. By contrast, during my PhD nobody except me cared when (or indeed if) I worked. I wrote my thesis on a midday to 8pm working routine, without caffeine or an alarm clock. As an undergraduate, I used to write essays between 8pm and 4am. Even now, I’m often wide awake at 1am, writing book reviews. Yet getting up at any time before 10am requires an alarm and coffee (the only acceptable caffeinated beverage). That said, I’ve always had a deep respect for sleep and its importance. I simply can’t get away with only six hours a night, and barely with seven. When I drag myself into work on less than six, I look and feel so awful that people comment on it. How anyone copes with that on a regular basis, I simply cannot understand. Given the chance, I sleep for nine hours or more, partially because I get so much enjoyment from dreaming. I have vivid, sometimes lucid, dreams that I usually remember. Sleep and dreaming are great pleasures of life, so its fitting that they have such importance to health and wellbeing, as Walker describes.

I must admit, ‘Why We Sleep’ did shame me into resolving to go to bed earlier (...at midnight). While I didn’t find it life-changing, there is at least one friend with a cavalier attitude to sleep that I wish to press it upon. Apparently people consistently underestimate the impact that sleep deprivation has on them. The sections on sleep’s links with brain development in babies and Alzhemer’s disease in the elderly were particularly interesting, as was the discussion of insomnia. The latter certainly made me grateful not to have genuine insomnia, which sounds hellish. It’s very rare that my brain actually forgets how to sleep. Also notable is the comment that the most ‘natural’ sleep rhythm currently known consists of one long sleep at night and a short afternoon nap. Sounds good to me, although my naps tend to take place in the early evening. Maybe one day I’ll get a job that I can do between midday and 8pm. Until then, my top tip for getting more sleep is to compress your morning routine into fifteen minutes so you can set your alarm for as late as possible. If you shower in the evenings and eat breakfast once you get to work, all you need to do before leaving the house is get dressed, comb your hair, and brush your teeth. ( )

Along with the brain, sleep remains as one of the frontiers of biomedical science. Over a century ago, Sigmund Freud attempted to explore the nature of dreams, but his first attempts seem generally off mark to modern science. Current work has much more evidence to inform it, but few have the time to learn about it. Fortunately, Matthew Walker, a research scientist (notably not a physician), presents a summary of contemporary scientific insights about sleep. He also offers numerous practical applications that can help us all get better quality sleep to live a better quality life.

I have a sleep disability whereby necessary medication causes me to sleep 11-12 hours per night. That change was a tough pill for me to accept, but over two decades later, I have come to accept it as a necessary part of my life. At the same time, I begun to have more vivid dreams. I remain very interested in this topic, and that interest led me to this book. I’m glad I found it.

Walker takes on a variety of topics around sleep and hardly leaves any one untouched. He talks about sleeping pills, dream interpretation, the length of sleep, early waking for schools, and medical residency training, among many others. His reasoning appears balanced and sound. He does not come across as overly preachy, but he does recognize the real, practical, human value of sleep science. He addresses current cultural controversies through science but, as you’d expect from a scientist, does not engage in culture wars.

I’ve learned a thing or two about recent sleep science that will help me along. Most people have a relationship with sleep that’s unique to them, and I suspect most people possess some degree of emotional feelings towards sleep. This book can address both of those life segments in a way that makes their lives better. The author’s words are directed towards a general audience, not just scientists. While heavy on the science, it provides a good reminder that the hours that we’re least active can be the most productive in our lives. ( )

Wirklich interessant! Allerdings nicht ganz einfach zu lesen. ( )

This remarkable book should be on the syllabus of every high school health class on the planet. It never occurred to me how pervasive and easily preventable sleep deprivation could be across our civilization nor how costly it is to our children’s wellbeing and the workplace. The science in this book is stunning. ( )

Read if you want to increase your anxiety about sleep. ( )