Absolutely fascinating book, so many gems. I've always struggled with poor sleep so I wanted to understand more about this topic. I can't say my sleep is now amazing but it is better through understanding the how's and whys.

This book is fascinating and should not have been left on the shelf for so long. It’s packed filled with information to do with so many different branches of sleep. Well worth reading with a highlighter. Kinda scary at times and insightful at others. A really insightful book!

An informative and educational read. Pitched at the right level to be both interesting and engaging, I very much enjoyed reading this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity.

What a fantastic read. Informative, engaging and very well written and researched. With practical advice and extensive evidence, a worthwhile read for everyone.

This book has entirely changed the way I view sleep. As Dr Walker is an expert in his field, this book is quite heavy on science, but that makes it more helpful to understand why sleep is so important and how it impacts our day-to-day functioning. As a person who is not big on technical jargon, I found this book relatively easy to read. Dr Walker is particularly gifted in creating analogies that communicates ideas in a way anyone can understand.

The author makes recommendations throughout the book as to how one can improve their ‘sleep hygiene’, including limiting the use of electronics before bed (which I did not succeed in, having read this book mostly before bed on my Kindle). The author makes recommendations for changes to school hours to help teenagers get the most out of their education, and also makes suggestions for improving efficiency at work by adjusting work hours and encouraging flexibility.

Why We Sleep is a must-read for humans everywhere. I frequently found myself talking about this book to others while I was reading it, in the hope of impressing on them the important things I learnt from this book. I take some parts with a pinch of salt, e.g. while the author suggests a healthy sleep pattern can reduce the risk of cancer, that does not necessarily mean it will prevent cancer as the synopsis suggests. But this book will open your eyes to the detrimental impact of sleep deprivation, and I would strongly recommend this book for everyone everywhere.

This was an interesting book on the science of why we need sleep but unfortunately wasn't for me. I couldn't seem to get into it.

Really informative book. I learnt a lot and would really recommend to anyone who has ever put off going to bed for another hour.

Readable, interesting and thought-provoking, I did feel at times that this book drifted away from science into something less precise and accurate - however, that's probably what made this book so readable.

This book made quite an impact on me and it deserves wide recognition. The author sheds light on the importance of sleep and points out the dangers of too much alcohol, caffeine and screen time which can combine to deprive the body of this most important feature.
It gives practical tips on improving the quality of one's sleep. An important book.

This was a very interesting and informative book about the importance of sleep. Not sure I can say I enjoyed it however! I certainly didn’t feel better after gaining all the knowledge about sleep that I did through reading this. But to be that’s not the books fault - I don’t sleep very well as a rule and now that I know about all the potential damage my lack of sleep is doing to me I’ll probably never sleep well again ☺️☺️☺️

I don't know if this just wasn't the right time for me to read or the book it's self just wasnt up to scratch but I just could not get into it at all

An incredibly eye opening read (no pun intended). I have always been someone who thought that I could get by on minimal sleep as I've always been a morning person, but this really made me question some of my habits and those of my partner too. Since reading we have adjusted our sleeping patterns and feel much better for it!

I thought this book was great. I am someone who loves to sleep and who happily makes time to get those 8hrs a night. My partner (until I read this book and bombarded him with information and stats) was convinced he only needed 6. The last few weeks he's slept more and actually noticed some positive changes!

I don't know what I found most mind-blowing, the fact that more people have heart attacks on the day after the clocks go forward than any other day of the year because people miss an hour of sleep; that people who don't sleep for x amount of hours (I can't remember what the number was, I remember if you wake up in the morning to go to work, then go out in the evening and drive back in the early hours of the morning, you're past that threshold), you drive like someone who is legally drunk; or that if you study for a test on Monday and Tuesday but go out drinking on Wednesday, you won't remember half of the things in your exam on Friday!

Also, the author has given me an excuse to nap during the day, which is definitely a plus!

The book is full of useful information but it is the anecdotes that catch and keep the reader's attention and, for me at least, makes the content more memorable.

A fascinating and really important read for the busy 21st century person who may think he/she doesn't have time for sleep. You should, sleep is everything and this well researched book will convince you of it's importance.

A very intense read. It opened my eyes to a lot of things and had to read some of the things a few times to fully understand the depth. It isnt a quick read or something to pick up quite freely. If you want to know more of sleep read this

An absolutely fascinating deep dive into the Science of sleep. This book covers so much; from what is sleep and how our sleep patterns changes over our lifetime, to the sometimes damaging effect of current societal education and work norms.

I really enjoyed reading this, and it completely opened my eyes to the importance of sleep and good sleep hygiene. I read this slowly over a number of weeks and definitely found myself thinking about, and altering, my own habits. Some of the research in this book is pretty shocking and at times terrifying, and I think we should all know it.

This is the kind of book that you'll want to highlight, make notes on or re-read and refer back to. Very enjoyable and accessible Science non-fiction that's applicable to all. Highly recommended.

Why we Sleep by Sleep Scientist, Matthew Walker was totally BRILLIANT!

Matthew Walker is a British Sleep Scientist and Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at Berkeley – and it shows. Essentially everything Professor Walker asserts is backed up by evidence. More often than not, he not only states the source but will explain the details of the studies in question to explain his statements. It is just so well done – all easy to read, all so well explained.

But this is all very well. It wouldn’t matter a Tinker’s Cuss if the message wasn’t so compelling.

We need 8 hours of sleep per night.

His introduction of why we sleep and how others in the animal kingdom sleep is fascinating. Facts like, some animals can sleep with only half their brains – WHAT?? – yes, half their brains, so the other half can keep the ‘body’ functioning. So, some aquatic mammals sleep with one half while the other is alert and keeping the animal swimming, otherwise they’d sink I suppose. The most interesting fact in this part for me was the line of birds whereby the bird on the left edge would have its left eye half of its brain awake and open for business. All the other birds in line would be fast asleep, and the bird on the end of the line to the right would have its right eye open and alert and half of its brain awake. How amazing is that? We humans think we’re clever!

We need 8 hours of sleep per night.

One other repeated message in this book is, we spend the first half of our night in light nREM and deep nREM sleep and then the second half in REM sleep. (REM = Rapid Eye Movement, as many of us know). In nREM sleep our brainwaves are slow, steady and predictable and in REM sleep our brainwaves are all over the shop like when we are awake. This REM period is when we dream, in my case pretending I am playing football for England or starring in the latest Series of Fleabag as the dishy Priest or being chased by Magpies. Both nREM and REM periods serve essential functions, for example, REM sleep helps with setting our memories from the previous day, re-igniting synapse connections, amongst so many other things – without which we can become sick. Yep sick.

We need 8 hours of sleep per night.

Regarding the amount of sleep we must have; the author says ”….humans (and all other species) can never ‘sleep back’ the sleep we have previously lost”. He later goes on to explain the sad consequences of this, especially if it’s chronic – and it is frightening and true.

We need 8 hours of sleep per night.
It was also interesting to learn that those countries who gave up their regular siestas (something I love to do on the weekend) went on to suffer a 37 percent increase risk of death from heart disease, relative to those who maintained afternoon naps.

We need 8 hours of sleep a night.

I really don’t want to keep sprouting facts and passages from this book, otherwise there’s no point in you reading it. But if you’re interesting in being convinced about the importance of getting a solid 8 hours sleep a night (have I mentioned that?), and the effects substances like alcohol (this is frightening), sleeping tablets, other substances and the results of sleep deprivation (it can be lethal) and the myriad of conditions that ensue from lack of sleep. I highly recommend this book.

We need 8 hours sleep a night.

I am fortunate enough to read papers, studies and various journals in my line of work, and am always on the look out for outlandish, evidence-absent conclusions. But this book has sold me, look. During the time I have read this – I have made a point of sleeping by 11pm (with a book of course) and waking at around 7am – and each day I have felt as BRIGHT AS A BUTTON!! Still feel buggered late afternoon thought – that’s because I’m not getting any younger.

I have become a born-again sleeper and will tell everyone I know – and I can tell it’s wearing thin. But it is SO important.

Love this book, massive fan of this guy.

5 Stars

Many, many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this wonderful book in return for an honest and objective review.

Isn’t it ironic that I read this book about importance of sleep while sleep deprived?
That’s just how it is when you have to take care of new born baby – you don’t have much time for anything, including sleep. It is also the reason why it took me 19 days to finish this 360
pages long book – reading became luxury for me (let’s hope that will change for better soon).

Like the author has mentioned at the very beginning of this non-fiction, you can read Why We Sleep as a whole, or each part of it separately.
I read every word, including acknowledges (like I always do) and, to me, the most interesting part was the third one, which talks about REM seep and dreams.
I always knew dreams were important, and having read about it makes me appreciate them even more.

I also want to stress out how surprised I was to learn how sleep deprivation takes it’s toll on society.

I wish more people would be educated about importance of sleeping, because in our society time we spend on sleep is looked as time that we could use better, when in reality it is the time we spend well.
Because of that reason, I wish more people would read this book.

This has been a slow read as there is so much to take in. I didn't want to rush it and miss the wealth of information there is to be gleaned from this wonderfully researched book.
I've seen the simple act of sleep in a whole new light and have implemented changes in my lifestyle to safeguard its importance in maintaining my health and wellbeing.
I have gifted this book to a friend and think that its a valuable book for everyone to read - after all, we all sleep!

I have long wanted to read this book and so was thrilled to be recently granted a review copy. I was not disappointed in the slightest as this is a riveting, eye-opening, accessible read to help everyone understand the science underpinning something many of us need, enjoy and sometimes battle with every night: sleep. Walker expertly explains the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation (without being alarmist he helps the reader to understand the vital need to achieve eight hours of restful slumber). One thing which would have improved this book is a chapter guiding readers through a range of sleep strategies and recommendations for improving the quality of our sleep. This does not detract from the fact that this is a fascinating and insightful read which will provoke much thought long after I turned the final page.