Released: 3rd October 2017
Genre: Non-Fiction, Science, Society
Matthew Walker is one of the leading minds on sleep, how it works and why a restful night is so important. “Why We Sleep” is a great primer that any reader can get into. It condenses his studies into an easily digestible format.
The recommended guidance for adults today is at least eight hours per night and staying awake no longer than seventeen hours in a day. The author starts with an introduction to these guidelines and splits the book into four parts. Following some early work into understanding sleep, Walker dives into how dreams work and the different sleep stages, making use of some modern examples to illustrate. A lack of sleep is shown to be very dangerous indeed, not something that you can pay back with weekend lie-ins. It also highlights the damage it can cause in the long-term with younger children being especially susceptible.
It’s all very compelling and well presented; stats from traffic accidents, mental health among young people and economic impacts are all woven into the chapters. The most interesting section comes in the latter half when the author considers how our modern lives, especially work and school, don’t really allow for effective sleep. The one area of the book that feels underdeveloped is a brief look at how sleep deprivation is used for torture in the last part. Given the practice is used overseas by hostile states, Matthew’s expertise in this area is more limited.
Recommended?
YES: Why We Sleep delivers a wealth of knowledge that emphasises the importance of getting some shuteye and how the modern world can limit this. Matthew does a great job of breaking down his knowledge into digestible chunks. It will certainly encourage you to take your nightly rest more seriously and instil some good practices.
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