Dr. Buddharaju, or Dr. Buddha, as his patients like to call him, has written this book to help people understand the basics of what helps with sleep. He also makes the connection between good sleep and a happier life because of reduced stress, weight gain, etc. that happens when we don’t sleep.

Why am I reviewing a sleep book on a therapy/self-help book site? Well, over the years I have had many clients who have depression and other mental ailments, and those conditions have vastly improved when they get better sleep. And conversely, just working on sleep alone can help improve mental conditions. I know for myself, I have very little emotional regulation if I do not get good sleep. Sleep comes up on a regular basis in my counseling sessions, and I always ask people about the quality of their sleep.

I personally did not really learn anything new in this book – mostly because I have had terrible insomnia and have a sleep apnea diagnosis, so I have spent many years researching ways to get better sleep. But a person who knows very little about this topic or “sleep hygiene” would benefit from the information in a really readable format. Even though I didn’t learn a lot, I would love to sit down and chat with Dr. Buddha because he just seems so cool!

In this book Dr. Buddha covers: Exercise and it’s positive effect on sleep, especially if done in the morning; Diet and how foods high in tryptophan (berries, nuts) can help you sleep and how caffeine and alcohol prevent sleep; Worry and Stress and how rumination and bad work/life balance negatively affects sleep; Light and how natural light rhythms help our sleep and bright artificial light prevents sleep; Music and it’s positive effects on sleep; and Nature, and how exposure to nature helps reduce stress and positively impacts sleep. He also goes over basic sleep hygiene, such as going to bed and waking at the same time every day, getting out of bed if you are tossing and turning and so forth.

The one thing that I did learn in this book is that strengthening your vocal cords by singing a lot helps you not snore as much and therefore helps you sleep! An excuse to sing at the top of your lungs!

Again, much of this is pretty common knowledge, at least in my world – but it’s a very accessible book to read and might be a good one to have on your shelf!

This book provides some “sleep basics” and looks at sleep in relation to exercise, diet, stress, music, and nature. The book also explores sleep disorders and provides time management techniques to increase sleep time. An appendix provides a thorough recap of the book, which makes a nice reference tool. A bibliography and suggest reading list are also included.

My favorite chapter is the one on stress and sleep. I appreciate the information about the role of sleep to help remove toxins from the brain and the list of sleep deprivation related health issues. I found it fascinating that flu and pneumonia vaccines have been proven to be more effective when delivered to a well-rested individual.

While this book includes some solid advice, I found the content to be sparse and repetitive. The one thing that made the biggest difference in the quality of my own sleep has been following the advice from my doctor to supplement with magnesium prior to bedtime. (Be sure to discuss magnesium supplementation with your doctor before giving it a try.)The book mentions tryptophan, cassia cinnamon, turmeric, and others, but not valerian, melatonin, or other holistic treatment options. To be fair, the author encourages a drug-free approach to better sleep, but I find it odd that the doctor didn’t spend a whole chapter discussing such natural aids.

I really enjoyed the beautiful nature photography provided throughout the book.

The author’s goal is stated as providing a simple guidance to help readers find balance to improve their sleep and happiness. While I feel they succeeded, I wanted more especially after seeing so many five star ratings.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bublish, Inc. for providing an Advance Reader Copy.

A goal for 2021 is to get better sleep, and I am so happy that I was given the opportunity to read this book. I am learning so much more about the many varied ways that sleep impacts your life, and I am taking steps towards cleaning up my sleeping habits and making better choices. There is much value in this resource, and I will definitely recommend it to those struggling to achieve healthy sleep patterns.

Statistics show that most people don't get their required 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Ubiquitous technology has made this problem much worse, with people tied to social media and their mobile phones for many hours of the night. Lack of sleep causes all sorts of serious health problems. Dr Buddharaju sets out to help people suffering from sleep deprivation, or those worried about their sleep patterns, in this excellent book.

He explains how lack of sleep affects us, the causes for it, and how we can overcome it. Prayer, music, reading - all of these can help. He also suggests food which helps us sleep, and tells us about food which is bad for sleep. The importance of a good routine is also stressed.

Ultimately, this is not just a book about healthy sleeping patterns, however. It is really a self-help book about how we can live healthy and meaningful lives. For example, Dr Buddharaju explains the importance of maintaining a good work/life balance, how to be calmer and control anger, and how to achieve your goals.

This is an interesting and extremely helpful book, which I will look at often.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review

A great guide into the reasons why we need sleep to avoid diabetes, depression and heart attacks and stroke, to name a few, and how to achieve it. I would recommend this book highly.