I have suffered from poor sleep on and off for most of my adult life. I’ve tried all the usual things – less caffeine, less alcohol, more alcohol, warm baths, no screen time after 8 p.m. – the list goes on and on and none of those things have worked. So I was keen to read this book and see if it could offer any help.
It does so much more than that. This book goes into real depth about how and why we sleep. It’s scientific, research-based and full of sometimes quite startling information. But it does all this in a very readable and reader-friendly way. It isn’t confusing or dense, and it certainly isn’t boring. It’s informative and fascinating and very, very well-written.
It’s eye-opening and concerning to discover just how much of an impact on health – both mental and physical – poor sleep has. And it’s a real concern in a culture that is based on work, work, work with little time for relaxation. It’s a reminder that sleeping and resting and caring for yourself isn’t a luxury or an indulgence but is something that is vital and necessary. A real wake-up call.
I still don’t sleep all that well, but I have more good nights than bad. And I understand now how important that is.
I can’t recommend this book enough.

This is a book that I am finding it better to dip in and out of than reading it all at once. Having said that, I should explain. I am choosing this way to read it because I am enjoying absorbing it in "chunks". It is certainly worth a read and I am happy I was offered the chance to do so.

After finishing this book I realised just how little I had known about sleep and just how little thought I actually gave it considering how utterly vital it is to us. I'm not a terrible sleeper but this book made me realise that just as with diet and exercise there are always things you can do to give yourself the opportunity to sleep even better. This is such an important book at a time when the modern world is making it more challenging for us to get the sleep we need. It highlights exactly why sleep is important, explains away many of the myths surrounding sleep, explains what amazing and awesome things happen whilst we sleep, and encourages everyone to take a good hard look at our sleep behaviour and consider just how we can improve it. I would urge anyone, whether you sleep well or not, to read this book to gain a greater understanding of the role of sleep in our lives. It's isn't a 'how to' book, although there are some useful tips, but it will make you aware that we all need to be playing more attention to our night time habits and finding solutions to problems.

Reading non-fiction is something I'm only just coming into. I've found some topics in science intrigue me enough that I enjoy them (and I'm a person who stopped all science as soon as possible, except for psychology in my last years of high school that weren't counted as literal sciences because that's just how education works) and so, that was a reason I requested this book.

The study of sleep was one of my favourite topics in my psychology class, and I get the information is pretty limited to what we already know but honestly, I already knew most of what I was being told and I just couldn't, for the life of me, focus on the words after realising that.

Also, I think the fact that informative books are a lot easier for me to read and comprehend when I'm holding a physical book so maybe if I see this in the bookstore I'll pick it up and try again. But for now, this is not for me.

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1/5

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This was an ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

“Among animals, humans are the only ones who purposely delay sleep.” In a world in which up to a third of the Western world’s population gets insufficient sleep, this book is not only important, but necessary. The resulting economic loss of productivity and efficiency, but especially the connection between physical and mental illness and lack of good quality sleep is worrying and should be a wake-up call for all.
I particularly liked Chapter 13, which details the copious amount of everyday things that prevent us from getting adequate sleep. Who knew decaf isn't caffeine free, why isn't chocolate? Change is necessary, but hard to implement. I had to sit through most of my high school exams, including my IB exams, early in the morning. It seems unreasonable that despite scientific evidence, important tests are conducted at times of the day when half the people’s brains are not able to function properly. Different circadian rhythms should be taken into account and neither nigh owls nor early birds should be punished for their difference in performance peak times. Having said that, we should all take responsibility for our sleep and health.

This book was both insightful and confronting because I haven't been taking my sleep that seriously. This was an easy read, full of great scientific facts that didn't bore.

Interesting, well researched and no doubt technically accurate, 'Why We Sleep' will doubtlessly be of interest to countless people. Information is well presented in readable and organised format. What I felt was lacking, however, was a certain empathy from the author - particularly to those equally countless people who simply cannot - are simply unable to - follow the advice he gives.

I have read a few books focused on sleep and I'm always looking out for new ones. Why We Sleep had got a lot of buzz and I knew I had to read it. I found it harder to read than the other books on the topic but I think this was down to it being more informative and research-intensive.

I am a massive proponent of sleep - I feel most people really don't understand the consequences of a lack of sleep on your body and mental state. This book was definitely the most alarming out of everything I have read before. Some of the studies references are truly terrifying. However I think it should be a wake up call (ironically) for people to start getting the recommended amount of sleep. It's no wonder I noticed it had been referenced a lot in Matt Haig's new book about mental health!

I highly recommend this to anyone interested in sleep and mental and physical health.

Why We Sleep is a genuinely interesting and accessible read about what sleep is and why it is so important. It highlights the paradox that getting ahead in modern life seems to involve a lifestyle that minimises sleep, even though doing do is absolutely deleterious to both performance and health. There are interesting chapters on how sleep can be helped and hindered, and lessons drawn from sleep disorders. There is plent in this book that I can use - and have used - to improve my personal and professional life.

But, and it is a big but, Why We Sleep falls into the same trap as many popular books written by scientists - of being verbose and repetitive. Sure, it is easily understandable and even the big words are carefully explained. But looking through any paragraph, half of the content is padding. And looking at the text as a whole, there is so much repetition and overlap between chapters. In my estimation, this rather long book could have been condensed into something between a third and a half as long with no loss of content or sense.

Why We Sleep is a worthwhile read - the strength of content outweighs the shortcomings (longcomings?) in delivery - but Matthew Walker has managed to create a 3.5 star book from 5 star material.

This is essential reading for everybody who has an interest in their bodies and how they work. It should be taught in schools.

As I've gotten older, I've gradually realised the importance of sleep. If I have a good night's sleep, as in 8 hours uninterrupted, I feel fantastic. If I have 6 or less, or my sleep is broken, I feel dreadful. Having children has really brought this home to me and has made me curious about sleep in general.. Every morning I wake up thinking "I'm going to get an early night tonight because I don't want to feel this tired again tomorrow", but every night I get sucked into watching something or mindlessly scrolling through social media. Why is this? It's so difficult to get enough sleep these days due to family commitments and ever-increasing screens emitting blue light.

This book addresses the process of sleep, the different phases of sleep we go through and why, our circadian rhythms and how at different ages we have different rhythms, the effect on our health of not having enough of those sleep phases, and how modern technology disrupts our ability to fall and stay asleep. Scientific studies on mice and rats are cited throughout the book to reveal the shocking effect of lack of sleep on the animals tested.

Dr Walker, the author of the book talks about a lot of statistics, including how many more motor accidents happen the day after the clocks go forwards for daylight saving hours and how your natural killer cancer cells (the cells that occur in your body to combat cancer cells) drop by 70% after just one night of less than five hours' sleep. It really is alarming to read those kinds of statistics.

I finished the book quite quickly as it's not very long but the points made in the book have stayed with me. It has made me realise that sleep is more important than anything else, more important than diet or exercise, and most certainly more important than the latest TV box-set or happenings on social media. If you struggle to get 8 hours of sleep each night, I strongly recommend you give this a whirl.

Why We Sleep or alternatively: Go to Sleep Now or You'll Die Pretty Damn Soon.

This is a fascinating book that essentially reveals one key fact: we sleep to fix our brains and bodies and if you don't get enough then you are just screwing yourself over. Okay, there's a lot more to it than that, from what makes us tired (the two key pressures that get us to sleep each night) through to disease and hormones, but you can sum it up that way quite easily.

I remember reading the first few chapters and gravely announcing to my husband that 'we would all be getting a lot more sleep from now on'. I was genuinely scared at how we were negatively impacting our lives with our view that sleep is just stealing 'doing time' away from us.

Of course tonight I finally get around to writing this review and it's almost midnight, I was tired enough for bed ages ago, and what have I actually learned?

I'd say I've learned a lot - this book is definitely worth a read - but it's a lot harder to put good information into practice than it is to merely read it and raise an eyebrow.

Never have I read a book that both opened my eyes whilst at the same time making me want to close them.
Even if you take a few pages worth of knowledge away, this read would warrant a 5 star rating. I for one know that the repercussions will be seriously considered when posed with a necessity/requirement to forfeit quality sleeping time in the future, be it my own time or my families.

Nearer the end I did feel like some of the studies and analogies were a bit one sided. For example the correlation between creativity and the lack of quality NREM time. I obviously agree with the basis of this, but surely it’s enough to say that if one is tired, they are not as creative. I for one know that if I am tired I am lazy, which in turn means that I am going to be less creative when carrying out tasks. I am going to opt for a repetitive and trusted solution to a task, even if it may be more tedious, rather than try and engage my creativity.

Coincidentally I just read a short story by JT Lawrence, set in the year 2054, where (and yes it does get abused). Let’s hope the technology isn’t that far away though

Sleep is one of the best remedies humans (and not only....) have at their disposal. This book clearly illustrates the above idea and gives clear answers on many questions.

A fascinating and in depth exploration of sleep and why it is essential for our well-being and health. So many of us have sleep problems at some point in our lives, and many of our heath problems, both physical and mental, may well have at least part of their basis in sleep deprivation. Definitely a book worth reading, or dipping into instead of tossing and turning when you can't sleep!

This is a fascinating topic and a very helpful book. Although a friend of mine found that finally understanding how crucial sleep is actually made him more anxious about his sleep than ever, and his insomnia worse

I was drawn to this title as I am a person who does not sleep for as long as most other people do during the night (I'm up late writing this!), I simply have never done so, though I am the mistress of the catnap!

Having spent years worrying about my night-sleeplessness, I reached a point where I realised that this is simply how I am (a night owl) - and having accepted that, began to worry less and sleep a little more soundly.

Having read a review on this book, which said it was a terrifying warning about the dreadful effects of losing even a single hour of sleep - I approached it with trepidation!! However it's actually a fascinating read - sleep science has come a long way in the last few years, and continues to do so.

Well worth a read.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

Excellent reading. Have always been interested in sleep, and what it does for the body and mind. Written in an understandable way, not too technical, and although from an American perspective, is just as relevant for a UK market. Delving into why we need sleep, it really should make the medical establishment sit up and listen

Hugely interesting insight written in a really accessible and well-researched readable style. I’m a little bit obsessed with sleep at the moment (and not getting enough of it!) Would recommend!

I can see why this book was rated so highly as there is loads of useful information in it. It is a heavy read so I had to be in the right frame of mind when reading it, however, I'm not sure how else the reader would have packed in so much useful information. The author goes into detail about sleep deprivation, the history of why med students and doctors are pressured to work long hours with little sleep and the usual info about the best methods for getting off to sleep. Some of the information is reminders for the reader such as impressing how important it is not to drive when sleepy and emphasizes the reasons why. Definitely recommend. #WhyWeSleep #NetGalley