BOOK REVIEW: Why We Sleep

Published:

By Shamsudden Sani

Author Matthew Walker

Date of Publication 2017. Pages 340

We all should enjoy a comfortable night sleep but majority of us do not fully understand the factors standing as necessary variables for a good quality one and why we need it in the first place. When I first saw this book and the hype around it on the internet, my gut feeling was that, this is one of those boring physiology texts! I was wrong. I judged it by its cover. This book is a major highlight of a revolutionary and groundbreaking 2 decades long research on the importance of a good quality sleep and the science behind why humans sleep.

This book is divided into 4 parts. In part I, Walker gave a detailed background as to some of the traditional myth and what we scientifically know about this wonderful phenomenon called sleep. This entails the sleep regulatory mechanisms of circadian rhythm and chemical effect that causes sleep pressure. He provided some fascinating insights on how sleep changes across the spectrum of childhood to adulthood.

Part 2 of the book attempts to discuss why we should give our self the time to sleep with its attendant benefits. And this section went on to discuss how sleep deprivation is linked to various diseases bedeviling human kind. In part 3, there’s a nice but layman friendly discussion on scientific details of dreams during sleep including the argument of why dreams are even good for your overall wellbeing. Walker concluded in part 4 by talking a bit more about sleep disorders and why our current lifestyle favors inadequate sleep and a vicious cycle of ill-health. He also debunked the myth of the corporate ‘sleep is lazy argument’ and provided wonderful tips to having a good night sleep.

This book is not easy to read because of its textual density and engaging style. Although the writer is incredibly knowledgeable about sleep, he managed to demystify the scientific aura that should have been neuroscientifically complex for the average minds. Why We Sleep faced several criticisms around the world especially as it relates the methodology of the 20-year scientific studies that formed the basis for the assertions made by Matthew Walker. In general, I will recommend this book to folks who wish to widen their horizon of understanding one of the most important natural phenomenon. Spoiler alert: be ready to get consumed by all the gloom and doom of what could go wrong in the absence of good sleep. Every night since reading this book, I get preoccupied with all the nicely arranged tips provided by Walker.

The author is an English scientist and professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

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