Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
Ratings328
Average rating4.3
I have mixed feelings about this book. I finished reading it and it makes you want to change many of your sleep habits, but at the same time I felt he may have overemphasized certain "facts." If you believe everything word for word it is scary...thus my mixed feelings. But incorporating many of his ideas are without a doubt a good thing.
For another point of view see: https://guzey.com/books/why-we-sleep/
There is some controversy around this book surrounding the misinformation - but much of it is harmless, just leaps that Walker took for research. Such as his suggestion that lack of sleep causes cancer - which there is no evidence for that (but the point is that it is bad for your health).
But as an OT student, I knew most of the information already. There was very little new information, except at the end with anecdotes, and perhaps the political messages at the end calling for work reform. It is well written enough that the familiar information is enjoyable to read again, but this book does not go deep enough into the science for my liking. It talks more about the implications and results of the science of sleep rather than the neurological reasons. Too much theory for my liking.
This book is – spoiler – about why we sleep and the importance of sleep. It starts with theories of why we sleep and dream (it is quite interesting that we still don't really know), how other animals sleep, why we need sleep, why we will surely die an early death if we don't sleep, why society is not set up to accommodate our sleep needs, and then, at the very end, literally 12 bullet points about how to improve your sleep.
I won't argue with the importance of sleep, nor that its importance is undervalued in capitalist hustle cultures. But I don't trust any author that claims one thing will radically change your health. Health is a complex myriad of things, only some of which are in our control.
For me, sleep often feels out of my control. Insomnia is barely addressed in this book, and when it is, it's treated flippantly. Just do some CBT and you'll be good!! The author makes it seem like it's so easy to just sleep more. Sleep does not, and probably never will, work that way for me. For over a decade I've sought the answer to consistent quality sleep. I've tried nearly everything (including CBT), and yet still go through periods of days and weeks (and in some very rough patches, months) where sleep eludes me. Despite all best efforts and having read a bunch of books like this. (Why do I keep reading books like this, you ask? In the dwindling hopes that one will eventually have the key to this particular misery.) I'm beginning to think that it's just genetically hard-wired, and like a chronic disease, all I can do is manage it.
If anything, this book should come slapped with a big warning for insomiacs – this book WILL make you panic if you put stock in its alarmist messaging, so maybe just don't!
Fast easy read, nice for its summaries of the existing research of sleep across a broad range of issues by a leading contributor to the field. Includes an appendix with some straightforward tips for sleeping better.
Its more focused on explaining WHY sleep is so important but doesn't really focus on how we help to fix it. So you're left feeling depressed that you're going to get dementia.
Matthew Walker's “Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams” is an absolute masterpiece that transformed the way I think about sleep. The book is a fascinating exploration of the science behind sleep, filled with insights that are both eye-opening and incredibly practical. I was so captivated by the depth and clarity of the information that I devoured it in just three days! Every chapter offered a new “aha” moment, and the advice was so actionable that I began implementing it immediately in my own life. Reading this book was not only a joy but also profoundly empowering—it's rare to find a book that is both immensely interesting and life-changing at the same time. Highly recommend it to everyone!
probably the most important book for my health the coming decades.
now feeling like voluntarily not getting enough sleep is batshit crazy.
Sleep is my religion (I guess it's Dr. Walker's, too). I was an excellent sleeper before I read this book. Now, I lay awake thinking about needing to sleep, and I wake up in the night regularly when before I never once did. Have I gone against the popular adage of “don't fix what ain't broken”? Will this phase pass? Do I need to purchase an air conditioning unit??
Very good book, on the whole. I spend lots of time in academic circles myself, so the clear use of language and the scientific detail was very much appreciated - though I can see why it might be dense for a newcomer to scientific language. I found every morsel of information delicious.
for sure gonna sleep more now
a bit too many anecdotes and length explanations of research studies, but i guess you have to fill up the book somehow
Buon libro che rende benissimo l'importanza del sonno su qualunque aspetto del metabolismo
I believe everyone interested in understanding why we sleep should be reading this book. It helped me change certain perspectives, and while I may still struggle getting enough sleep, at least I have a better understanding of it now and will be striving harder to improving the quality of my sleep.
I also really liked the writing as the author makes an effort in breaking down hard to understand facts into analogies or simpler language
This book has some very important facts on one of the most overlooked bodily functions ‘sleep'. Although the title is a bit misleading and some claims didn't have any proper references, the book itself is quite an info dense on how sleep affects us, how important it is to maintain proper sleep etiquette, and how broad the spectrum is on the effects of low-quality/high-quality sleep. His book essentially debunked most of the claims some people make on how sleep is a waste of time/sleep is for the weak. This book has its critics and I found this follow-up article about it which captured the whole fiasco https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2019/11/18/is-matthew-walkers-why-we-sleep-riddled-with-scientific-and-factual-errors/
3.75 stars/5 stars.
p.s- the last two chapters were unnecessary.
It's remarkable how much we disrespect sleep as a society. We even go so far as to take pride in our ability to sleep less or feel great about our reduced amount of sleep. So often, I hear people say something of the sort, “I sleep only 6 hours so I can work and live more,” which is quite ironic; sleeping less shortens your lifespan, so here's to living longer. Additionally, even if you put in more hours, the work you accomplish after sleeping 6 hours is less effective than the work you'd do with more sleep.
Of course, some people can function on as little as 4-6 hours of sleep, and despite my lifetime belief that I am one of those people, unfortunately, I'm not. And, neither likely are you; your chances of possessing the gene that enables you to feel just as content on less sleep are lower than your chances of being struck by lightning. As a result, we are not special people; we are just sleep-deprived. Although being sleep-deprived is something we are unaware of while we ARE sleep deprived.
Some quick facts:
• Sleeping 6 hours for 10 days impairs you equivalently to not sleeping 24hr in total. This effect progressively deteriorates over time. Instead of being 24hr in total for the next 10 days, it will be more than that.
• Drowsiness causes more accidents than drunk driving — combined (which is the usual), have terribly high odds of car crashes.
• Learning anything and trying to memorize is almost impossible or too difficult if you haven't slept sufficiently.
• REM sleep (which happens in larger quantities later in our sleep) benefits us in so many obvious ways. Still oddly enough, it also benefits us emotionally by helping us let go of even horrific experiences and heartbreaks. We perceive the situation as it is because we process complicated and distressing events while having some portions of the brain that control emotions switched off. The proverb “time heals all wounds” is actually “sleep heals all wounds,” it seems. And more so: a good night of sleep.
I was aware of the value of sleep, as are most people, but this book will genuinely enlighten you on its true significance. It's more vital than food and exercise. And yet we underestimate its power. Starting with schools and their fucked-up systems. Teenagers seem to have a different circadian rhythm by default — they feel sleepy later in the night, usually past midnight. And unfortunately, some of them have to wake up even to the hours of 5 AM to go to school, which is plainly wrong. I can't believe how shitty the school systems are and how they still keep them in this way with no shred of shame. But it's not just schools. The entire architecture of our modern societies is poorly designed for sleep. Sadly, I think it'll get worse. Or it could get better if, by chance, we follow the pieces of advice of people that life's purpose is studying sleep! Matthew has hopeful prospects at the end of his book regarding what we could do to improve sleep as a society (surprisingly, the ideas include technology too).
Although sadly, we can't change the world, and I'll quote Tolstoy here, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” I've been sleeping horribly for the past few years, averaging just 5 or 6 hours per night, so as I read the book and was introduced to this crucial knowledge — much of which should be taught in school — I began working on improving my sleep. It's just been two weeks, and I still need plenty of sleep to recover. However, it's absolutely incredible how sleep-deprived I was without realizing it until obtaining a sufficient amount of sleep. I feel so much better, healthier, more energetic, etc. My creativity is increasing, my brain processes difficulties more quickly, and I believe my work hours have been more productive. More importantly, I don't feel like someone beat me at night when I wake up in the morning; I also don't feel fatigued throughout the day. All adults need a minimum of 7 hours of sleep — not 7 hours in bed, but SLEEP. When I was talking to my friend about this, he replied, “Eh, we only live once, sleep doesn't really matter that much.” Yes, we may only live once, but we don't have to make ourselves miserable by depriving ourselves of our human necessities. You don't deprive yourself of food, so don't do it for sleep.
This book is beautifully written, organized, and well-researched. It is one of my favorite reads so far. It has lots of science, but it's comprehensible to non-scientific people like myself. I recommend it to everyone, to the point of thinking it is mandatory, as it's so enlightening.
“The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night's sleep.”
What an absolute eye opener regarding all the ways sleep benefits us and why we must establish healthy sleep habits for our own sake.
Soo good. An informative/research-based book. I've learned so much about sleep...fascinating.
There are so many interesting, yet disturbing, facts (all backed by reliable studies) throughout this book that I can't fit into a review without quoting the entire book. It is an absolute must read for everyone. And I mean everyone - parents, teens, CEOs, government officials, artists, anxiety driven people, people with adhd - everyone.
Two things that stuck with me the most is sleep's correlation with autism and the impact of early school start times on crucial adolescent brain development. Although evidence of linkages between sleep and autism is very limited, and mainly correlative, the book provides enough to suggest some correlation and therefore an early diagnosis.
The second, is school timings. The circadian rhythm for early teens runs a few hours behind those of adults, which is they tend to stay up later at night. However, the ridiculously early school start times in most schools in the US disrupt the completion of their sleep cycle causing them to lose their REM sleep, which is crucial in the brain development of teens, particularly the increase in our ability to “recognise and therefore successfully navigate the kaleidoscope of socio=emotional signals that are abundant in human culture”. This topic is one I'm most concerned about considering kids are the future of our society, and our society ain't looking so good right now. It's insane to me to think about what society could've looked like if schools just let kids sleep longer. Maybe there would be more empathy in the world, less violence, less prejudice.
In his last chapter, Walker goes through his vision for sleep on different levels of society: Individual, educational, organisational, government, societal. Each of these areas are so well thought out and thought provoking, by looking into how advancements in technology can serve and improve sleep
on an individual level, how machine learning algorithms can assess an individual's sleep patterns and quality and adjust smart home tech to provide them with the best conditions for optimal sleep.
He further goes to suggest that long term highly accurate sleep tracking can be used predictively to show individuals increasing risk of conditions like Alzheimer's or cancer if they continue sleeping too little.
Overall, this is an incredibly informative book, very well laid out, well though out, backed by lots of studies, yet very accessible. I wish he explored the relationship between trauma and sleep more but I understand that's a whole other field of study that probably can't fit into a chapter.
Didn't have quite enough time to finish this. I did it on audiobook so occasionally I would space out and come back into it. All pretty interesting!
Maybe i'll get this again someday
Great book, backed by evidence-based medicine and large peer reviewed trials.
Everyone should read this book
This was a reread and I loved it all over again the second time. This book is so essential to people and I have gifted it or recommended it to many since I first read it last year. It is a horrifying book, though, because of just how awful our sleep culture is right now. This book went up by 2k or so ratings just in the 9 days it took me to reread it, so I'm glad it's still being read by many. Together we can fix our horrible sleep culture!