Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

the irony of always reading this book when i couldn't fall asleep
summary: sleep is hella important, sleep 8 hours per day, sleeping pills are evil go to a therapist instead, a lot of ADHD is just sleep deprivation, let kids sleep in for christ sake and keep your room cool when sleeping
this book is at places wordier than needed but plenty of scientific info inside

I didn't need to be convinced on the benefits of sleep, but found the studies very interesting and the tips for better sleep very helpful.

As I was reading this, I was thinking to myself that this should be compulsory material for schools. Then the author hit upon that very point towards the end of the book. He talked about how school pupils surveyed responded that they had learned about sex, about nutrition, about general health and exercise but NOT about the importance of sleep.

I can see me buying this book for people as gifts. In fact, I'm going to do just that today for my wife. Then there will be a hardcopy round the house for me to dip into as well.

The Audible version is very well narrated: easy to follow and a pleasant voice to listen to.

12 Tips for Better Sleep from the Appendix:

1. Sleep schedule. Set a bedtime alarm.
2. Exercise not too late in the day.
3. Avoid caffeine and nicotine. It can take 8 hours for caffeine to leave your body.
4. Avoid alcohol before bed. It robs you of REM sleep.
5. Avoid large meals late at night.
6. Avoid medicines that delay your sleep.
7. Don't nap after 3pm.
8. Relax before bed.
9. Take a hot bath before bed to reduce your core temperature.
10. Dark bedroom, cool bedroom, gadget-free bedroom.
11. Get exposure to daylight through the day.
12. Don't lie in bed awake. Get up after having been awake for 20 minutes.

this book has inspired me to – or more accurately, terrified me not to – make sleep a real priority in my life

Eye opening, frankly shocking account of the importance of sleep and how we are not getting enough, to our serious detriment. Important.

Love the book. Great tips and critically important for people to understand.

This should be required reading, or there should be some way to get this knowledge out to the masses so that we can collectively realize and accept the importance of sleep. It's not convenient but to deny it isn't helping anyone.

This is going to be more of just my thoughts than an actual review.

I read this at a unique time. I was approaching the end of my 3.5 month COVID-19 furlough and I had established a beautiful and fulfilling schedule of hobbies and habits. In order to maintain this healthy routine, I planned on waking up at 4 AM each work day and going to bed around 10 PM. This would allow for just six hours of sleep, and that would be if I fell asleep immediately and didn't awaken during the night, which is unrealistic.

I thought the decrease in sleep would be worth it to keep running, lifting weights, doing yoga, meditating, practicing piano, etc. as I had been during furlough. After all, these are good healthy things that are encouraged by experts. This book effectively sat me down and said, “Look. You're wrong. Here's why.”

The section about teenagers and school schedules was especially depressing. When I was in high school I stayed up late to complete assignments or IM my friends even though I had to wake up at 5:30 AM to get ready and get to the bus at 7:00 AM. I fell asleep in my classes. I fell asleep doing homework. I fell asleep hanging out with friends. I wonder what my life would've been like if I wasn't sleep deprived basically all the time and I really hope that things change by the time I have a teenager.

We really do need to stop looking down on people who prioritize sleep.

This was a really interesting book full of tons of good advice and sleep data. I'll need to listen to it again to really milk it for all it's worth though.

Mathew Walker did a great job conveying the importance of sleep. Even for a heavy sleeper with reasonably no trouble sleeping, knowing when I've slept badly and how it affects me throughout the day has made a big difference in my quality sleep and productivity. Also loved that Mathew Walker explains all his premises with supporting evidence from scientific studies and experiments while keeping a non-scholarly individual like me engaged.

This book is for you if you are an individual trying to work on your health and productivity or if you are a parent trying to provide the best for your kids or if you are a senior who is struggling with sleep and health issues. There is something everyone can learn from this book and it is definitely needed education, just like nutrition and hygiene.

[Audiobook]

This started me on my yet another attempt to ‘fix' my sleep. Now that I understand it so much better, I feel a lot more optimistic.

I've also read stuff disputing some of the ‘facts' & research cited in the book & I encourage readers to not take everything in the book at face value, especially if it doesn't agree with your personal experiences.

At first I was really amazed by thia book. I have started to experiment with the theories from it and dug more into the science of sleep. This however was what made me re-evaluate it. It contains TONS of half-truths, wishful thinking and even straight-out lies about the science available. I give it 3 stars and not 1 for a reason - it actually made me think more about the sleep and how it affects us. Sleep is very important for us, but adjusting facts to fit your thesis is not the way to do it...

Such an insightful and important read about a natural process that we so often underestimate!
A must read if you think that sleeping hours are “lost” hours

All I remember from this book is the sheer amount of bizarre vocabulary I had to look up (i.e soupçon)

This book is horrifying and amazing at the same time because unless you're one of the very few people with regular 7—9 hour sleep, you will get to find out exactly how you're literally shortening your lifespan, destroying your immunity, lowering your attention span and forgetting half of the stuff you wanted to learn! On the other hand, it is great motivation to think long and hard about your shitty sleeping habit and finally fix it which is what I did.

There is a lot of worth quoting but I liked this one because it is so unexpected:

“After four hours of sleep for six nights, participants' performance was just as bad as those who had not slept for twenty-four hours straight—that is, a 400% increase in the number of microsleeps.”

This is how a non-fiction book is supposed to be written. Clear and interesting story backed up by science and actionable things to make your life better and longer.

Hell of a book

This book says it all about sleep. Thank you author for this.
I've learnt a lot about about myself and the cause of my condition.

Edit: Recently, I came across an article quite critical of the facts presented in this book, which came as a shock to me. Here's the link to the article - Why We Sleep is riddled with scientific and factual errors . While this severely damages the reputation of the book, my stance remains unchanged - that sleep is of utmost importance in our lives and we really do need to give it prominence.

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Original Review:

An exceptional book that is also a cautionary tale for our society. In our productivity-obsessed twenty-first century, sleep usually takes the backseat in our race to get more done with our limited time. I myself have been guilty of that, on multiple occasions - trying to fit all the things that I want to do in a day and consequently ignoring this wonderful remedy to all my problems. We have idolized people who seem to achieve extraordinary things on less than an optimal amount of sleep for far too long.

We need to pull ourselves back from the race, slow down, and get a good night's sleep. As it turns out and quite contrary to the popular belief - the more sleep you get, the more productive you are.

PS: For anyone wondering about the optimal duration of sleep, eight hours really is the recommended time - which includes the time you take to drift off to sleep (normally 10-15 mins), five cycles consisting of NREM and REM sleep of 90 mins each, and the time you take to get fully conscious after waking up (another 10 mins).

I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did. While the subject (and consequences of that subject) can get pretty pedantic over the course of the book, it really did open my eyes (no pun intended) on sleep.

I'm one of those people that always thought it was fine to get my 6 hours of sleep, but after reading what sort of detrimental affects those 2 hours could have over the span of my life, I'm going to reset my sleep schedule for a solid 8.

This is one of those books that is forcing a change in my lifestyle, and I'm glad for it.

Drop everything you're doing and buy this book.

Make your 2019 NY resolution to read it.

It's incredible that academics know so much about sleep yet it is not common knowledge how harmful it really is to not get 8h/night.

Scientists have discovered a revolutionary new treatment that makes you live longer. It enhances your memory and makes you more creative. It makes you look more attractive. It keeps you slim and lowers food cravings. It protects you from cancer and dementia. It wards off colds and the flu. It lowers your risk of heart attacks and stroke, not to mention diabetes. You'll even feel happier, less depressed, and less anxious. Are you interested?

It's called 8h of sleep.

The book is an interesting read and provides a lot research on sleep (and dreaming), but I could not get rid of the feeling that the author is overstating his case - the a good night's sleep is a cure for basically everything.

I found the citation of literature a bit lacking - sometimes he provides a source for something as mundane as a website with car crash statistics, but he fails to provide it for some hard-to-believe research that shows that having a few drinks 2 full days after learning completely messes up recall 7 days (!) after learning.

His attempt to explain effects of alcoholism and delirium tremens through lack of dreams also seems very speculative.

What most bothered me is his insistence on the magical number of 8 hours of sleep. I totally get the point of needing to sleep enough, but why a round 8 (also exactly a third of the day)? Why not 7h 45 min, why not 8h 30min? How come it's not dependent on your body (sex, constitution), your psychological character, the type of work you do (intellectual vs physical), larks vs night-owls... The only difference that the author seems to acknowledge is age - teens need more sleep and their schedule is shifted compared to adults.

Anyway, I read this a few months ago, so I seem to only remember the annoying parts. Nevertheless, there's plenty of informative and inspiring stuff in this book, so do read it ;)

Pretty good, but perhaps overstated, as pointed out by Alexey Guzey

Whoa! That was interesting! We sleep so much (but mostly not enough) but still there is a lack of general knowledge about sleep. Ok, sure, we now that “sleep is important”, but hey, then the exams come and it is not as important. Or that party. Or that project which really needs finishing. Or...
It was shocking to learn how dangerous is driving when feeling sleepy. And impact of sleep on memory! And the myth that old people don't need as much sleep is just a myth. Fascinating stuff. Not really much of practical help, even though decent amount of tips included, more on general knowledge about different aspects of sleep.