Book Review | Why We Sleep | Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
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Why We Sleep provides a science-based exploration of sleep, examining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being.
The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep.
Matthew Walker
WHY SHOULD YOU READ WHY WE SLEEP?
- You want to learn the science of sleep
- You’re currently neglecting your sleep
DON’T RECOMMEND
IF…
- You’re looking for practical advice on how to improve your sleep routine
- You’re not very interested in scientific research
WHY WE SLEEP BOOK REVIEW IN SHORT
Don’t get me wrong: it is a ground-breaking scientific book. I could tell how valuable and groundbreaking the information provided was. I also loved Matthew Walker’s passion for sleep. But I won’t pretend that I enjoyed this book, because I didn’t.
Unfortunately, this book was not about how to sleep better or have a better sleep routine. This book was about understanding sleep. Despite the name of the book, which should have warned me, I thought I would learn things to improve my nights. I can’t lie: there were only egoist reasons why I picked this book. I love to learn but I didn’t want to learn, I wanted practical this time. And unfortunately this book is a lot -if not only- scientific explanations about sleep.
WHAT YOU CAN LEARN
We spend 1/3 of our life sleeping, don’t you want to know some facts about this strange activity? Don’t forget to take the quiz at the end!
1. “Night owls” people owe it to genetics
We all know people who go to bed very late and can’t (or hate to) wake up early. What most of us ignore though, is that it’s not a choice it’s not laziness: “They are bound to a delayed schedule by unavoidable DNA hardwiring. It is not their conscious fault, but rather their genetic fate.
2. There is no such thing as « sleeping back »
We never get back all the sleep we lose! Remember that.
Inadequate sleep—even moderate reductions for just one week—disrupts blood sugar levels so profoundly that you would be classified as pre-diabetic.
Matthew Walker
3. A kick in your belly is probably due to random bursts of brain activity
Prior to birth, a human infant will spend almost all of its time in a sleep-like state.
Matthew Walker
So… it means that when I touched my cousin’s belly, her baby didn’t kick because he liked me? Probably.
4. Your sleep is lighter when sleeping in a new place
One half of the brain sleeps a little lighter than the other, as if it’s standing guard with just a tad more vigilance due to the potentially less safe context that the conscious brain has registered while awake.
Matthew Walker
QUIZ – Evaluate your sleep fulfilment
Evaluate your sleep fulfilment with these 5 simple questions from the SATED Quiz.
For each question, give 0 points if your answer is Rarely/Never, 1 if Sometimes and 2 if Always. A total score of 0 indicates Poor Sleep Health and 10 indicates Good Sleep Health.
1. Satisfaction – Are you satisfied with your Sleep?
2. Alertness – Do you stay awake all day without dozing?
3. Timing – Are you asleep (or trying to sleep) between 2 am – 4 am?
4. Efficiency – Do you spend less than 30 minutes awake at night?
(This includes the time it takes to fall asleep and awakenings from sleep)
5. Duration – Do you sleep between 6 and 8 hours per day?
WHAT DID I GET OUT OF THIS BOOK?
I already took sleep very seriously -I know that I cannot function normally without it. But this book reveals WHY it is so important.
If you’ve read it, what did YOU get out of this book? Did you enjoy reading this book review? Leave a comment below, or reach me on Instagram @just.another.good.story or by email at justanothergoodstory@gmail.com
I really hope that you enjoyed reading this book review!
Interested in scientific books? Check the other reviews in this category.
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