Why We Sleep

Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

by Matthew P. Walker

Paperback, 368 pages

Published June 19, 2018 by Scribner.

ISBN:: 978-1-5011-4432-5

(3 reviews)

With two appearances on CBS This Morning and Fresh Air's most popular interview of 2017, Matthew Walker has made abundantly clear that sleep is one of the most important but least understood aspects of our life. Until very recently, science had no answer to the question of why we sleep, or what good it served, or why we suffer such devastating health consequences when it is absent. Compared to the other basic drives in life—eating, drinking, and reproducing—the purpose of sleep remains more elusive.

Within the brain, sleep enriches a diversity of functions, including our ability to learn, memorize, and make logical decisions. It recalibrates our emotions, restocks our immune system, fine-tunes our metabolism, and regulates our appetite. Dreaming creates a virtual reality space in which the brain melds past and present knowledge, inspiring creativity.

In this “compelling and utterly convincing” (The Sunday Times) book, preeminent neuroscientist and sleep expert …

In this “compelling and utterly convincing” (The Sunday Times) book, preeminent neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker provides a revolutionary exploration of sleep, examining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. Charting the most cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, and marshalling his decades of research and clinical practice, Walker explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood and energy levels, regulate hormones, prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes, slow the effects of aging, and increase longevity. He also provides actionable steps towards getting a better night’s sleep every night.

5 editions

[email protected] reviewed Why we sleep by Matthew P. Walker

Solid Science Communication, but Not Very Compelling

3 stars

Matthew Walker's discussion on Peter Attia's podcast (The Drive, Episodes 47 - 49) is one of the most interesting things I've ever heard. At six hours long, I was sad when it ended and immediately wanted to listen to it again. If you've any interest in sleep, I highly recommend you check it out immediately.

I picked up this book after hearing that podcast, and the book just isn't on the same level as those interviews. It's an entirely serviceable piece of science communication, but that's about it.

The text is a high level synopsis of key pieces of research and related anecdotes. It's interesting enough, but it just isn't very engaging. Dr. Walker does go through practical recommendations on how to get better sleep, but the focus is really on explaining what sleep is and isn't.

If you don't know much about sleep, and are looking for an overview …

I picked up this book after hearing that podcast, and the book just isn't on the same level as those interviews. It's an entirely serviceable piece of science communication, but that's about it.

If you don't know much about sleep, and are looking for an overview of the science, this is probably a really good place to start. But I would honestly recommend just listening to the aforementioned podcast and using the book to reference terminology later.

enchilada8438 reviewed Why We Sleep by Matthew P. Walker

Review of 'Why We Sleep' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Very informative, provides me with many facts about sleep that I've never known before. Moreover, I was surprised at how sleep isn't properly taught in our school system. After reading the book, I was quite concern about my current sleeping schedule.

marcus reviewed Why we sleep by Matthew P. Walker

I don’t sleep I dream

4 stars

Some really good insights into the importance of sleep, our negative cultural attitudes towards getting sufficient sleep and ways to improve sleep hygiene.