Ever wondered why your day sucks at work? Or why it keeps sucking even after you get home? You forget things, feel tired and can’t survive without at least 2 cups of coffee? It might be due to a lack of sleep.
Three keywords: Sleep deprivation, REM, caffeine.
TLDR: We simply don’t sleep enough in modern Western societies. Several reasons, from the desire for professional advancement, education and work schedules, caffeine and electronics have created a vicious cycle that makes it harder for people to sleep enough. The consequences of poor sleep are well documented and the clinical evidence in favor of more sleep is striking.
Book Review
No matter how healthy you think you are, the evidence supporting the case for you to sleep more is overwhelming. After reading this book it’s hard to believe that certain activities are not illegal for sleep-deprived individuals, such as driving, operating delicate machinery or treating patients.
In “Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams“, Matthew Walker offers a collection of data from various studies illustrating the impact of sleep deprivation on people. From examining why humans sleep the way they do compared to other species and a socioeconomic analysis of the reasons why we have come to define our current sleep patterns and habits, this book makes a very compelling case to change the way we collectively think about sleep.
Who is the book for?
Everybody, particularly high-performing individuals and parents to be or parents of teenagers.
Key takeaways
This is not by any measure a comprehensive summary of the vast body of work exposed in this book, which I believe is a must-read if you care about your health, but it aims to give you a guide to what you will learn.
- The human brain performs a variety of important tasks while we sleep that we now have a much better understanding of.
- Even though we don’t know how exactly everything works while we sleep, we do know what happens when we are sleep deprived.
- Alcohol has a way bigger effect on sleep than you may think, but it’s not positive like some people think.
- Electronics before sleep are like sandpaper for the brain.
- Kids should not be forced to wake up that early to go to school (I knew it!)
- Sadly for me, a Costa Rican-born coffee drinker since age 4, coffee every day is just not good for you
Eye-opening, fascinating and almost hard to believe, this book will make you question a lot of seemingly normal habits and, if assimilated thoughtfully, will help you have a longer, happier, healthier life.
What am I doing because of this book?
- Shutting off electronics by 6 pm
- Trying to be in bed by 9 pm
- I’m not using an alarm anymore (most days)
- I stopped drinking caffeinated coffee and drink only decaf very rarely
- I’m thinking of starting a rebellion when I have my first child and they try to make her go to school at 8 am
- We are using LED bulbs that change from blue to yellow light as the day goes by
You can get the paperback on Amazon or add it to your Audible library.