Book Review: Why We Sleep
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams
By Matthew Walker
The book title is self-explanatory. I had de-prioritized this book for years assuming I already knew most of the content. That was true, however, taking the time and going deep into a topic that is fundamental to your daily functioning is always worthwhile.
Why We Sleep tells us the obvious but with all the associated science: sleep is an essential aspect of human existence and operating with anything less than 8-hours of sleep per night (and more sleep during childhood and young adulthood) has serious consequences for our physical and emotional health and mental performance.
What did I learn on the importance of sleep?
REM-as-therapy. Neurobiology tells us that REM sleep processes painful emotional memory from the previous day and we should awake feeling better
The most intense REM sleep occurs at the end of an eight-hour sleep cycle. So if you aren’t getting the full eight hours, you don’t get the benefits of REM-as-therapy.
There is no major psychiatric condition in which sleep is normal. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, Schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. All those conditions have shown in brain scans to have sleep disturbance symptoms. The causal/correlation link has not yet been fully determined. Sleep disruption is a neglected factor contributing to the instigation or maintenance of many psychiatric illnesses and chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.
Sleep is fundamental to cardiovascular, metabolic, immune and reproductive health. Just one night of one to two hours less of sleep will increase the contraction rate of a person’s heart.
Lack of sleep is linked to weight gain as sleep regulates the two hormones controlling appetite - Leptin the one which makes you feel full and Ghrelin, which triggers hunger.
“It is practice, followed by a night of sleep, that leads to perfection” particularly true of motor skills.
Older individuals need just a much sleep as younger adults it’s just harder to generate deep sleep the older you are. “We do not assume that older individuals need weaker bones just because they have reduced bone density. We realize that their bones, like the centers of the brain that produce sleep, deteriorate with age, and we accept this degeneration as the cause of many health issues.
I highly recommend the book. It’s informative. It’s important. It’s not difficult to read. It will leave a lasting impression and, hopefully, impact on you to highly prioritize your sleep.
Counter point to the science presented in Why We Sleep
Of course, there is always the counter point. Here is a discussion on how Why We Sleep is riddled with scientific and factual errors.
I’ll leave you with the cheat codes from the appendix.
Twelve recommendations to generate great sleep:
Stick to a sleep schedule
Exercise during the day
Avoid caffeine and nicotine
Avoid alcohol before bed
Avoid large meals before bed
Avoid medicines that delay or disrupt your sleep
Don’t take naps after 3pm
Relax before bed
Take a hot bath before bed
Dark bedroom, cool bedroom, gadget-free bedroom
Have the right sunlight exposure
Don’t lie awake in bed