Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-03-22 17:23:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Matthew Walker
- ISBN：0141983760
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Sleep is one of the most important aspects of our life， health and longevity and yet it is increasingly neglected in twenty-first-century society， with devastating consequences: every major disease in the developed world - Alzheimer's， cancer， obesity， diabetes - has very strong causal links to deficient sleep。
Until very recently， science had no answer to the question of why we sleep， or what good it served， or why its absence is so damaging to our health。 Compared to the other basic drives in life - eating， drinking， and reproducing - the purpose of sleep remained elusive。
Now， in this book， the first of its kind written by a scientific expert， Professor Matthew Walker explores twenty years of cutting-edge research to solve the mystery of why sleep matters。 Looking at creatures from across the animal kingdom as well as major human studies， Why We Sleep delves in to everything from what really happens during REM sleep to how caffeine and alcohol affect sleep and why our sleep patterns change across a lifetime， transforming our appreciation of the extraordinary phenomenon that safeguards our existence。
Until very recently， science had no answer to the question of why we sleep， or what good it served， or why its absence is so damaging to our health。 Compared to the other basic drives in life - eating， drinking， and reproducing - the purpose of sleep remained elusive。
Now， in this book， the first of its kind written by a scientific expert， Professor Matthew Walker explores twenty years of cutting-edge research to solve the mystery of why sleep matters。 Looking at creatures from across the animal kingdom as well as major human studies， Why We Sleep delves in to everything from what really happens during REM sleep to how caffeine and alcohol affect sleep and why our sleep patterns change across a lifetime， transforming our appreciation of the extraordinary phenomenon that safeguards our existence。
Reviews
Rachel
，
4。5-5 stars， absolutely essential reading！
Mai Mislang
，
Five stars mean read this to save your life
Sheena
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This book has shocked me into getting more sleep， and also consistent sleep。 I learned that you can't always make up sleep debt on the weekends， that snoozing your alarm consistently puts your body into distress again and again， and that sleep gives you the ability to do more work in less time （and more complex and creative work too）。 TBH this book also validated all the sleep I got in high school and college and every single time I decided to sleep vs。 pull an all nighter。 I still have never pu This book has shocked me into getting more sleep， and also consistent sleep。 I learned that you can't always make up sleep debt on the weekends， that snoozing your alarm consistently puts your body into distress again and again， and that sleep gives you the ability to do more work in less time （and more complex and creative work too）。 TBH this book also validated all the sleep I got in high school and college and every single time I decided to sleep vs。 pull an all nighter。 I still have never pulled one and I now choose to never try。 Popsugar Reading Challenge 2021 - A book everyone seems to have read but you 。。。more
Kathy
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This is a fascinating book， although you've got to enjoy nonfiction to get through it。 If you are a troubled sleeper， this might not be the book for you as it goes into a lot of detail about sleeping that can be offsetting to someone with sleep issues。 The book is a life changer if you pay attention to Matthew Walker's advice。 Read it， do what he says， and you will undoubtedly be healthier。 This is a fascinating book， although you've got to enjoy nonfiction to get through it。 If you are a troubled sleeper， this might not be the book for you as it goes into a lot of detail about sleeping that can be offsetting to someone with sleep issues。 The book is a life changer if you pay attention to Matthew Walker's advice。 Read it， do what he says， and you will undoubtedly be healthier。 。。。more
Harpreet
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An insightful read。 It definitely made me evaluate my own sleep hygiene practices and it provided practical steps to improve both quantity and quality of sleep。The book presented an overwhelming number of studies to backup the benefit of having consistent sleep and its' impact on both physical and mental health。 All the evidence was presented in a clear and understandable way which was easy to follow。Highly recommend！ An insightful read。 It definitely made me evaluate my own sleep hygiene practices and it provided practical steps to improve both quantity and quality of sleep。The book presented an overwhelming number of studies to backup the benefit of having consistent sleep and its' impact on both physical and mental health。 All the evidence was presented in a clear and understandable way which was easy to follow。Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Tessa Duvall
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This book made me feel completely vindicated for being a night owl。 Some people are more predisposed to being early risers — and a smaller share of us are naturally later risers。 It also explained some fascinating sleep disorders — including a Canadian man who killed two people while asleep and was acquitted for it — and offer some everyday advice about how to sleep better。 Less blue light before bed， stick to a consistent sleep schedule and more。 The book was a bit dull in places but overall a This book made me feel completely vindicated for being a night owl。 Some people are more predisposed to being early risers — and a smaller share of us are naturally later risers。 It also explained some fascinating sleep disorders — including a Canadian man who killed two people while asleep and was acquitted for it — and offer some everyday advice about how to sleep better。 Less blue light before bed， stick to a consistent sleep schedule and more。 The book was a bit dull in places but overall a really great read。 。。。more
عبدالعزيز القفاري
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أعاد تنظيم مفهوم النوم لدي،فأصبحت محاولاتي على تنظيم أوقات النوم وتوفير البيئة المناسبة أكثر جدية 。。الكتاب رغم إنه في المجال العلمي إلا أنه سهل العبارة وترجمته واضحة و بلا تعقيد。。
Tomiko Robson
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This was the most fascinating and terrifying book I have read recently。 In the past few years， I’ve kept an interest in sleep （in a casual， very lay-person way） so most of the ideas in this text are not shockers to me。 However， Why We Sleep brings all the I formation together and the sun is definitely much， much more than the parts。 I will have to take some to consider the implications of this book for myself and society。 It’s an important read and I cannot recommend it enough。
Branislav Rokošný
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very clever book about why we sleep， and why need to sleep some more。 funny and inspiring。
Marta
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This should be a required reading。
Sa3d
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الواحد اتعلم الكثير عن النوم وازاى ممكن ينظم يومه ويصلح من عاداته من اجل الحصول على نوم صحى
Akshaya Ramakrishnan
，
I have finished reading "Why we sleep" and would definitely recommend this to everyone who thinks "an 8 hours of sleep concept is a myth"。 The author with data proves that how even reducing your sleep schedule to 6h/day reduces your life span。 And a sleep that you missed cannot be compensated later。 A constant stable sleep schedule is what our body needs to function effectively。 Neglecting sleep undercuts so many things including your creativity， memory， immunity and mainly lifespan。 The book al I have finished reading "Why we sleep" and would definitely recommend this to everyone who thinks "an 8 hours of sleep concept is a myth"。 The author with data proves that how even reducing your sleep schedule to 6h/day reduces your life span。 And a sleep that you missed cannot be compensated later。 A constant stable sleep schedule is what our body needs to function effectively。 Neglecting sleep undercuts so many things including your creativity， memory， immunity and mainly lifespan。 The book also gives tips on how you can improve your sleep。 And I was also enlightened about various sleep related human conditions。 I'm not planning to put all those information here， instead suggest you to read😊 。。。more
Barbara
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K přečtení bych doporučila prakticky komukoli， jmenovitě ale rozhodně panu premiéru Babišovi， panu ministru Havlíčkovi a taky mým bývalým kolegyním z práce a všem ostatním， co mají blbé řeči o lenoších。
badbucks
，
I think this book is a must read but I think， in an effort to wake as all， the author exaggerates a bit from time to time。I might have been biased by this very critical article though https://guzey。com/books/why-we-sleep/ I think this book is a must read but I think， in an effort to wake as all， the author exaggerates a bit from time to time。I might have been biased by this very critical article though https://guzey。com/books/why-we-sleep/ 。。。more
Rhian Smith
，
This book has taken me 3 months to read！ I bought it years ago and got around a third of the way in before stopping。 I started again in January of this year and going into the second part I found it really science heavy; I think that’s why I struggled to keep going with it。 It has taken me SO long to finish as it’s best read in small chunks but it is such an informative book and I am so glad I read it。 It was really worth persevering as I have learnt so much about sleep and how vital it is to ou This book has taken me 3 months to read！ I bought it years ago and got around a third of the way in before stopping。 I started again in January of this year and going into the second part I found it really science heavy; I think that’s why I struggled to keep going with it。 It has taken me SO long to finish as it’s best read in small chunks but it is such an informative book and I am so glad I read it。 It was really worth persevering as I have learnt so much about sleep and how vital it is to our health and well-being。 I only wish that I had been taught about this from when I was small！ A book I would recommend to anyone and everyone。 。。。more
Eric
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An eye opener。 A must read for everyone。 Matthew Walker's compelling writing supported by research and studies encourages you to put a premium value on sleep。 A non-negotiable good length and quality sleep is the result after reading this book。 Wether it be physical or intellectual growth， sleep is key。 An eye opener。 A must read for everyone。 Matthew Walker's compelling writing supported by research and studies encourages you to put a premium value on sleep。 A non-negotiable good length and quality sleep is the result after reading this book。 Wether it be physical or intellectual growth， sleep is key。 。。。more
Irene
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Absolutely fascinating。 It seems we have barely started to understand what goes on in our brain when we sleep， the innumerable benefits of getting enough sleep and the， without exaggerating in the least， devastating consequences of sleeping poorly。 I'm definitely going to make a bigger effort to go to bed earlier and sleep for a little longer。 Absolutely fascinating。 It seems we have barely started to understand what goes on in our brain when we sleep， the innumerable benefits of getting enough sleep and the， without exaggerating in the least， devastating consequences of sleeping poorly。 I'm definitely going to make a bigger effort to go to bed earlier and sleep for a little longer。 。。。more
AV
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Two things will happen for sure as a result of reading this book。1。 Your general outlook regarding sleep will change。2。 You'll start monitoring and giving more importance to sleep， both for yourself and possibly for people around you as well。I feel I'm very gifted in the sense that it literally takes me <5 mins to fall asleep in the night every single day and I usually don't get up in the middle of the night （for using the washroom or otherwise）。 And I never stop boasting about it， so as to give Two things will happen for sure as a result of reading this book。1。 Your general outlook regarding sleep will change。2。 You'll start monitoring and giving more importance to sleep， both for yourself and possibly for people around you as well。I feel I'm very gifted in the sense that it literally takes me <5 mins to fall asleep in the night every single day and I usually don't get up in the middle of the night （for using the washroom or otherwise）。 And I never stop boasting about it， so as to give some inspiration to people who routinely need anywhere from 30-60 mins to fall asleep and have interrupted sleep cycles because of various reasons。 But even with this， I never in my life had the remotest of idea on such far-reaching and prolonged effects of sleep on nearly everything that are important for us humans - creativity， learning ability， memory， mental & emotional health， decision-making， lifespan， the diseases likely to foster， career， etc。 You're bound to get absolutely stupefied again and again while reading this on the many ways our brain and sleep systems work and the insurmountable amount of ways we do everything in our power to degrade our sleep and hence， lifestyle quality。 Here's a very small list of things （that you wouldn't even imagine） that affect our sleep quality，1。 LED lights2。 The snooze button3。 Timing of exercise4。 Sleeping pills5。 Partially sleeping6。 Caffeine7。 Alarms inside ICUs8。 Early school timings for kidsThe author references 100s of studies to emphasize on the different facets of sleep， taking into account numerous scenarios， whether it be related to the timing of sleep， effects of alcohol/ caffeine on sleep， effects of stage-wise sleeping （there are 3）， total hours of sleep deprivation， etc to demonstrate the ways our sleep gets adversely or positively affected。Now， it's very likely that reading the reviews might give you an "alarming" sense of this book。 And I even don't agree to a few things stated in there， but this was probably required given you might not be able to recall yourself having any fruitful discussion about sleeping with anyone， ever。 The alarmist approach is probably what's gonna take such a seemingly mundane topic to get some prominence by individuals and organizations， alike。One of the most important and highly recommended！！ 。。。more
Lindsay Bolender
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This book explains in detail every study about sleep that there ever was， practically。 I could have done with some summarizing。 If you like learning about every individual piece of the brain one by one， this one’s for you。 I will say， though， that it did effectively prove to me how sleep deprived I am， by immediately launching me into sleep every time I picked up the book （Which the author says in the beginning of the book is a common reaction）。 There’s a lot of useful information amid the scien This book explains in detail every study about sleep that there ever was， practically。 I could have done with some summarizing。 If you like learning about every individual piece of the brain one by one， this one’s for you。 I will say， though， that it did effectively prove to me how sleep deprived I am， by immediately launching me into sleep every time I picked up the book （Which the author says in the beginning of the book is a common reaction）。 There’s a lot of useful information amid the scientific explanations of phenomena， so I still appreciated the read。 However， I’m glad I don’t have to read it again。 。。。more
Jochen Waibel
，
The way Matthew writes is very captivating and comprehensible （and this although the book is filled to the brim with science）。 Very interesting and basically a must read for everyone （especially those ones who think sleep is overrated）。
Stefanie Piacquadio
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Really well put together book on sleep and the consequences of not getting enough。 The material is not too overrun with scientific jargon and is easy to understand by those of us not so educated in this field。 A lot of good advise to take away and very eye opening to the wonders of sleep！
Grace Cao
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REM sleep and its dreams， which accounts for 20% human sleep and only 10% for other mammals， turn out to be highly effective and important emotional regulator and intelligence/creativity booster。
Ivana
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We get it， sleep is important for us - but so is an essay which due date is tomorrow， so is the exam which decides about our future， so is a late night conversation with a person you are currently dating - but just until you read this book。 This book was a huge game changer for me， I learned how sleep deficiency affects all， and I do mean all aspects of our lives。 Feeling anxious and snapping at others？ Sleep。 Wanting to perform better at your job/school/gym？ Sleep。 Wanna lose weight？ Sleep。 Num We get it， sleep is important for us - but so is an essay which due date is tomorrow， so is the exam which decides about our future， so is a late night conversation with a person you are currently dating - but just until you read this book。 This book was a huge game changer for me， I learned how sleep deficiency affects all， and I do mean all aspects of our lives。 Feeling anxious and snapping at others？ Sleep。 Wanting to perform better at your job/school/gym？ Sleep。 Wanna lose weight？ Sleep。 Numerous examples in the book will give you reasons and understanding why is this such a necessary topic among our society。 I was actually disappointed that my education didn't provide me any knowledge about this， so I'm kind of preaching about this book to everyone I know :DI like that it's easy to read and understand but it's still backed up by scientific evidences and research about the author's statements。Currently I'm keeping this book right next to my TV， so each time that I even think about binging on a Netflix series， I'm reminded how a good night sleep will do me far greater good。Do yourself a favour and read this book。 。。。more
Peter Miller
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I really enjoyed this book。 It is full of fascinating facts about sleep （and its health benefits） that I was totally unaware of， and I think it should be more widely read。 I can recommend this book wholeheartedly。
Jason Shaw
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This definitely falls into my category of "Required Reading。" On an individual level， there is not a single biological process that does not benefit from consistent and good nights of sleep。 Sleep should be a much higher priority than it is， and education on sleep is a great starting point。The societal benefits from all of us getting 7-9 hrs of sleep each and every night are insurmountable。 From less traffic accidents to healthier immune systems， and from more productivity at work to healthier a This definitely falls into my category of "Required Reading。" On an individual level， there is not a single biological process that does not benefit from consistent and good nights of sleep。 Sleep should be a much higher priority than it is， and education on sleep is a great starting point。The societal benefits from all of us getting 7-9 hrs of sleep each and every night are insurmountable。 From less traffic accidents to healthier immune systems， and from more productivity at work to healthier and happier time at home， the money saved in the health industry and earned on the business and individual level would be astronomical。High school students who can start their school day an hour later produce higher scores across the board than those students who start earlier。Those with a week of 7-9 hours of sleep will have a much better immune response to their flu shots than those who have had a week of 5-7 hrs of sleep。 A large proportion of children diagnosed with ADHD could potentially be in need of better sleep， which the drugs prescribed to ADHD kids are negatively impacting。 These are just some of the tidbits you will learn in this important work。 The appendix offers 12 tips for healthy sleep that are very useful。 I highly recommend this book so that you can become a sleep advocate like myself。 。。。more
Saad
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I must read for all
Adele
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One of the best nonfiction books I've read in a few years。 I talk about it nonstop to anyone who will listen。 Read it！ Full of fascinating information and written in a way that keeps you plugged in。 I learned many fascinating facts and have a totally new out look on sleep。 One of the best nonfiction books I've read in a few years。 I talk about it nonstop to anyone who will listen。 Read it！ Full of fascinating information and written in a way that keeps you plugged in。 I learned many fascinating facts and have a totally new out look on sleep。 。。。more
Lucy Kraus-Cuddy
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So informative and interesting！！
Kawthar Alfardan
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“ I believe it is now time for us to reclaim our right to a full night of sleep， and without embarrassment or that unfortunate stigma of laziness ， and in doing so ， we can be reunited with the most powerful elixir of life “
Joshua Waldman
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