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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
Great non-fic; this changed the way I thought about sleep!!! A fair deal of the content is common sense (sleep is important to health, caffeine/alcohol can make it harder to sleep, etc.) but he expands on these facts and introduces new data/theories/tips I am going to try to implement in my life.
informative
medium-paced
There were a lot of interesting things presented here, but so much hypothesis is mixed with fact, it gets tiring. It is a hard thing, because sleep doesn't seem to be a "hard" science yet. What is true for one isn't necessarily true for another, so I like the trends that are pointed out, but don't like that they are presented as cold hard facts.
If these were indisputable facts, which they one day may be, there would be massive societal change.
If these were indisputable facts, which they one day may be, there would be massive societal change.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Required reading for anyone who wants to live a healthy, happy life. Some truly astounding tidbits:
- ADHD and sleep deprivation present very similar and some people estimate that as many as 50% of child diagnoses of ADHD is actually sleep deprivation. Worse, ADHD drugs are stimulants that may make it harder for sleep-deprived children to fall asleep at night.
- Teenagers have a biologically shifted sleep schedule and High Schools that have shifted start time later have seen a dramatic decrease in teen car accidents (one shifted from 7:35 to 8:55 saw a 70% decrease).
- The doctor who first required residents to pull insanely long shifts was a cocaine addict. Ask your doctor how long they’ve been on shift before undergoing elective surgery!
- Drowsy driving is more fatal than drunk driving because alcohol delays response time, but people who are in a micro-sleep don’t respond at all.
- Wakefulness is destructive on the body and sleep is reparative: making high-quality sleep the best “drug” for getting healthy in many cases.
- It’s almost impossible to loose fat if you’re not getting sufficient sleep, you may loose weight, but your body will pull from your lean muscle mass instead of from fat.
- Siestas improve performance and health: there are significantly higher levels of cardiovascular disease and other health issues for people who stop napping mid-day.
- ADHD and sleep deprivation present very similar and some people estimate that as many as 50% of child diagnoses of ADHD is actually sleep deprivation. Worse, ADHD drugs are stimulants that may make it harder for sleep-deprived children to fall asleep at night.
- Teenagers have a biologically shifted sleep schedule and High Schools that have shifted start time later have seen a dramatic decrease in teen car accidents (one shifted from 7:35 to 8:55 saw a 70% decrease).
- The doctor who first required residents to pull insanely long shifts was a cocaine addict. Ask your doctor how long they’ve been on shift before undergoing elective surgery!
- Drowsy driving is more fatal than drunk driving because alcohol delays response time, but people who are in a micro-sleep don’t respond at all.
- Wakefulness is destructive on the body and sleep is reparative: making high-quality sleep the best “drug” for getting healthy in many cases.
- It’s almost impossible to loose fat if you’re not getting sufficient sleep, you may loose weight, but your body will pull from your lean muscle mass instead of from fat.
- Siestas improve performance and health: there are significantly higher levels of cardiovascular disease and other health issues for people who stop napping mid-day.
This is a truly fantastic book about Sleep. Not only does it provide answers to the questions many of us will have ("What happens when we sleep?", "How do we get sleepy?", "How much sleep do we need?", "How to improve sleep?", "What is dreaming?", ...). There is a dark side to sleep deprivation that I wasn't aware of.
The author describes in detail why getting not enough sleep is bad - and with not enough he means less than 7.5 to 9 hours. Experiments have been done to prove exactly the impact on your immune system (efficiency of flue shots), memory (how much do you remember depending on sleep), recognition of emotions in other people, addictions and much more. Very impressive and I can ensure you that you will look at Sleep with different eyes!
If you look for ways to improve your sleep then you are covered as well. At the end of the book is a short list with rules that one should follow. Some things are obvious (no coffeine, cool bedroom), others have become popular (blue light), another one is a myth (alcohol is not good for your sleep) and the most important one (going to bed and getting up at the same time) was a bit surprising.
In the last chapters the author looks at the society as a whole and how it causes sleep deprivation e.g. by early school begin, working long shifts and even sleep deprivation as an interrogation tool. The scientific and ethical view point was very convincing.
I got myself a sleep tracker and could already verify some of the points, especially the impact of alcohol on deep sleep or an elevated body core temperature after late exercise. The next months will tell which changes work best.
5 of 5 stars, an outstanding book that will change the way you look at Sleep.
The author describes in detail why getting not enough sleep is bad - and with not enough he means less than 7.5 to 9 hours. Experiments have been done to prove exactly the impact on your immune system (efficiency of flue shots), memory (how much do you remember depending on sleep), recognition of emotions in other people, addictions and much more. Very impressive and I can ensure you that you will look at Sleep with different eyes!
If you look for ways to improve your sleep then you are covered as well. At the end of the book is a short list with rules that one should follow. Some things are obvious (no coffeine, cool bedroom), others have become popular (blue light), another one is a myth (alcohol is not good for your sleep) and the most important one (going to bed and getting up at the same time) was a bit surprising.
In the last chapters the author looks at the society as a whole and how it causes sleep deprivation e.g. by early school begin, working long shifts and even sleep deprivation as an interrogation tool. The scientific and ethical view point was very convincing.
I got myself a sleep tracker and could already verify some of the points, especially the impact of alcohol on deep sleep or an elevated body core temperature after late exercise. The next months will tell which changes work best.
5 of 5 stars, an outstanding book that will change the way you look at Sleep.
informative
medium-paced
medium-paced
Highly recommend. The information and research supporting this book was incredible and eye opening.