

Of particular interest to business owners, educators, parents, and government officials, and anyone who has ever suffered from a poor night’s sleep.”

“Walker is a scientist but writes for the layperson, illustrating tricky concepts with easily grasped analogies. Most important, he gives us simple, actionable ways to get better rest-tonight." Walker describes how our resting habits have changed throughout history the connection between sleep, chronic disease, and life span and why the pills and aids we use to sleep longer and deeper are actually making our nights worse. "This is a stimulating and important book which you should read in the knowledge that the author is, as he puts it, 'in love with everything that sleep is and does.' But please do not begin it just before bedtime." It’s probably a little too soon to tell you that Why We Sleep saved my life, but I can tell you that it’s been an eye-opener." "A neuroscientist has found a revolutionary way of being cleverer, more attractive, slimmer, happier, healthier and of warding off cancer - a good night’s shut-eye. Understanding the 'why,' it turns out, just might help you with the 'how to.'" "The director of UC Berkeley's Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab explores the purpose of slumber. It is recommended for night-table reading in the most pragmatic sense.” He makes the argument, persuasively, that we are in the midst of a ‘silent sleep loss epidemic’ that poses ‘the greatest public health challenge we face in the 21st century’ … Why We Sleep mounts a persuasive, exuberant case for addressing our societal sleep deficit and for the virtues of sleep itself. Walker is in love with sleep and wants us to fall in love with sleep, too. “A thoughtful tour through the still dimly understood state of being asleep … Why We Sleep is a book on a mission. Clear-eyed, fascinating, and accessible, Why We Sleep is a crucial and illuminating book. Walker answers important questions about sleep: how do caffeine and alcohol affect sleep? What really happens during REM sleep? Why do our sleep patterns change across a lifetime? How do common sleep aids affect us and can they do long-term damage? Charting cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, and synthesizing decades of research and clinical practice, Walker explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood, and energy levels regulate hormones prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes slow the effects of aging increase longevity enhance the education and lifespan of our children, and boost the efficiency, success, and productivity of our businesses.

Dreaming mollifies painful memories and creates a virtual reality space in which the brain melds past and present knowledge to inspire creativity. It recalibrates our emotions, restocks our immune system, fine-tunes our metabolism, and regulates our appetite. Within the brain, sleep enriches our ability to learn, memorize, and make logical decisions. Now, preeminent neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker gives us a new understanding of the vital importance of sleep and dreaming.

Compared to the other basic drives in life-eating, drinking, and reproducing-the purpose of sleep remained elusive.Īn explosion of scientific discoveries in the last twenty years has shed new light on this fundamental aspect of our lives. Until very recently, science had no answer to the question of why we sleep, or what good it served, or why we suffer such devastating health consequences when we don't sleep. Sleep is one of the most important but least understood aspects of our life, wellness, and longevity. I suspect his book will do the same for you.” -Bill GatesĪ New York Times bestseller and international sensation, this “stimulating and important book” ( Financial Times) is a fascinating dive into the purpose and power of slumber. “ Why We Sleep is an important and fascinating book…Walker taught me a lot about this basic activity that every person on Earth needs.
