Nodding Off
The Science of Sleep from Cradle to Grave
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- $23.99
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- $23.99
Publisher Description
Sleep plays a crucial role in our waking lives, and we need to start paying it more attention.
The latest research tells us that it's essential for learning and memory, for mental health and physical well-being, and yet we tend to only think about it when it's proving a struggle.
Nodding Off leads you on a fascinating journey through the science of sleep as it evolves throughout our lives; from babies to teenagers, from middle age to the later years of our life, there are constantly new challenges to our sleep. Based on knowledge accumulated over almost two decades as a sleep researcher, Professor Alice Gregory shares real-life stories and interviews with other sleep experts to find the answers to questions, such as:
- Why do so many adolescents enjoy lying in at the weekends?
- Why do children experiencing anxiety, behavioural problems or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder so often have co-occurring sleep problems?
- Why are scientists turning to sleep disorders such as sleep paralysis to try to understand paranormal experiences?
With important tips on improving your sleep, Nodding Off is an essential read for anyone who sleeps, and more important still for those who don't get enough. Fans of Matthew Walker's Why We Sleep will love this book!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A thorough and somewhat exhausting resource on the subject of rest, this book covers the importance of healthy sleep from the womb to old age. Gregory, a sleep researcher, discusses abnormal sleep patterns, disorders, and sleep deprivation, while also offering tips for sounder sleep, such as fresh sheets, keeping pets out of bed, and removing the television from the bedroom. She tackles such questions as how one's genetic wiring might affect one's nights and whether sleep disorders in children could be linked to experiences in the womb. Gregory strikes a cautious tone, noting the limitations of the numerous studies mentioned and reminding readers that the science of sleep is far from conclusive. She suggests parents get adolescent children to bed by "10 p.m. or earlier," citing studies which found a relationship between late bedtimes and depression but acknowledges that depression could just as easily be a cause as an effect. Throughout, she notes there are "as many unanswered questions as answered ones," such as why sleep quality tends to decline with age, citing such possible factors as changes in behavior, hormone levels, and health. A compendium of science, trivia, and common sense, this book will have some readers excited, and others yawning by the end of the first chapter.
