My review of Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams

Now I need to sleep

This blog won’t be long; I tried to find the motivation to write a longer post, but sleep won that battle. Ironically, skipping a blog post didn’t improve my sleep quality. (Just kidding… or am I?)

Why We Sleep begins by defining sleep and explaining how it works. It covers sleep stages, REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, and NREM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. While informative, the biology-heavy section nearly put me to sleep (which, I guess, is proof that the book works?).

The most eye-opening (or should I say eye-closing?) part was the section on sleep deprivation. Some of the consequences are shockingly severe—lack of sleep can literally kill you. Walker backs up his claims with studies on how sleep affects our health, which I found compelling.

That said, I came across reviews mentioning that some of his claims are disputed by experts. Still, from my own bodily experience, I agree with most of his points. I’ve definitely felt the effects of sleep deprivation firsthand from my all-nighters. So, I’m going to try following some of his advice for better sleep:

• No coffee after 2 PM
• No heavy meals before bed
• No intense exercise right before sleep
• Prepping the bedroom for optimal sleep

And with that… time to sleep!