I slogged through half of this very long and dull book before finally giving up because the author kept saying things with authority that I knew to be false and I finally started questioning whether I could trust much of what he was saying that I hadn’t purposely researched already. For instance, he regurgitates the myth that all praying mantis females bite off the males‘ heads during copulation. We have known for decades that only a fraction do this. He says that timing of intercourse related to ovulation has no bearing on the gender of the baby. It’s pretty well established that that’s not true (the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility is older but fascinating to start). When he started talking about PMS and menopause I was just out. There’s only so much that a man who has no life experience or work experience should spout off about, and looking up studies done by other men is not enough. Same when he said there was no proof that weighted blankets were helpful for autistic kids. Just because someone didn’t publish a study he approves of doesn’t mean he gets to proclaim it untrue. And what does that have to do with circadian rhythms anyway? It felt like he considered himself an expert on literally everything.

The book just felt like it was never going to end and had so little actually helpful advice. I also got tired of him talking about what his crowds of people always ask about. It felt very much like he repeatedly was trying to prove how famous he was or what an expert he was. A miss for me.

I read a digital ARC of this book for review.

Life Time combines thorough research with relatable examples to explain the connection between sleep and circadian rhythms. Some of the information is “common knowledge,” but the author also explains why some of what many people believe about sleep isn’t true. This book contains valuable insights for shift workers, parents, and older adults who worry about the effects of poor sleep on their brains and bodies.

This well researched and focuses on circadian rhythms. A very interesting read. Recommended to those that want more info on the topic.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

This book explains how circadian rhythms affect sleep and other metabolic processes. It’s a treasure trove of information on how to better work with the body to improve health. It’s entertaining and easy to read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Approachable Combination Of Science And Self-Help. This book is exactly what I said in the title - an approachable combination of the hard science (explained in such a way that anyone with a roughly high school education should be able to follow along reasonably well enough) and practical self-help type recommendations showing just how much sleep and the circadian rhythm affect virtually everything about the human mind and body, even down to things we may not associate with them such as cardiovascular troubles or the effectiveness of cancer treatments. It doesn't hurt that includes one of my favorite short jokes at the beginning of one of the chapters as well. :) Clocking in at around 29% bibliography, the narrative here uses a sequential numbering system for its footnotes that I distinctly remember was at least approaching - and may have surpassed - 600 individual citations. It also has an almost "FAQ" section at the end of each chapter, briefly answering common questions the author has encountered about the ideas discussed in that specific chapter. An excellent book for anyone seeking information about this topic, particularly those who may have questions about how sleep and circadian rhythms could potentially be affecting their own health. Very much recommended.

LIFE TIME by Russell Foster, professor of Circadian Neuroscience, at the University of Oxford, offer insights about "Your Body Clock and Its Essential Roles in Good Health and Sleep." Foster has over forty years of experience as a scientist in this field and he explicitly sets out to explain the intertwining of body clocks and sleep in "a format that is fun and easy to read." He has certainly made an effort to group like topics (e.g., when to take drugs or eating times) together and the text is generally more accessible than I had anticipated. However, he has to rely on an alphabet soup of abbreviations and on scientific terms which make the reading difficult in places. There is a helpful glossary and Foster offers some amusing anecdotes in an effort to lighten the load. I also liked the reassuring tone (e.g., "we should stop worrying about our sleep and accept that 'different' is not necessarily worse"). I skimmed several chapters like The Day Within or Seven Ages of Sleep and appreciated that he concluded each with some layperson questions. In addition, the use of bullet points or maybe an outline of "key takeaways" after each chapter could have been a useful improvement. More specific action steps (e.g., get children outside in bright light to reduce the chance of myopia or nearsightedness) and information on implementation (what does bright-light therapy look like at nursing homes?) seemed vague or missing. The connections between sleep and circadian rhythms is an extremely interesting topic and Foster adds to engagement by including an Appendix with suggestions for developing a sleep diary; he also includes a Chronotype Questionnaire to help his readers determine if they are more of a "morning" or "evening" person. LIFE TIME deals with important health-related topics and is worth a look. My favorite quote? "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less." ~Marie Skłodowska-Curie