Just Finished Reading: Why We Sleep – The New Science of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker (FP: 2017)

I must admit that sleeping is one of my favourite pastimes. I must also admit that, too often, I don’t do it enough. Of course in that fact I’m far from alone. Seemingly most people in the West don’t sleep anywhere like enough and when they do sleep they tend to sleep badly. Most people, myself included, have just gotten used to being tired most of the time and use things like caffeine to get through the day. But it wasn’t always this way. Before electricity people generally went to bed soon after the sun went down and got up when the sun reappeared. For millennia we were asleep in the dark and awake in the light. Then came the incandescent bulb – and nothing has been the same.

But that’s OK, right? A bit of tiredness is a small price to pay for a modern life with light at the touch of a button, access to a 24 hour culture and an alarm clock to get us up in the morning and an expresso to get us over the post lunch slump. It’s all good really….. But unfortunately it isn’t. Studies show that lack of sleep leads to an earlier death, mental health issues, and an increased risk of accidents to mention just the highlights. Study after study has shown that having at least 7 or even better 8 hours asleep not only makes you far more awake during the day but saves societies potentially billions of pounds/dollars a year in productivity increases and health benefits. But how do we respond to this: with ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead’ bravado and working longer hours than the already overworking boss to ‘show willing’. None of which helps either the individual or the bottom line. The author, a professor of Neuroscience and an expert on sleep, wants to change this state of affairs and puts a great deal of effort throughout the book pointing out empirical studies that show the damage done by lack of sleep especially in children and teenagers who still possess brains that have yet to be fully formed. Sleep is not a luxury not is it something you can catch up on at weekends and holidays. The benefits of 7-8 hours’ sleep each and every night are numerous – both physical and mental. From stress relief, improved memory, an improved immune system, weight loss and a whole host of other things sleep improves just about everything.

Personally, I usually get about 6 1/2hrs most week days and around 8hrs at weekends and holidays. Lately I’ve noticed that I’ve been going to bed slightly later so had been averaging 6hrs and sometimes less. After reading this book and understanding the risks/damage I am probably doing to myself I’ve starting pushing things back to 7hrs again. I’m still like the ‘Walking Dead’ in the morning but I do seem to be waking up faster and in a clearer mental state than without that extra 30-60 minutes in the sack. Long ago I stopped drinking anything with caffeine after 5-6pm (apparently in takes 10-12 hours for caffeine to completely clear the body) and I don’t look at ‘blue’ screens – iPads, phones etc – at all so that probably helps. Most nights (except Sunday’s typically) I can get off in around 15-20 minutes without much issue. I don’t remember waking up much in the night and I haven’t had a proper nightmare for years (apparently gaming helps there!). So in many ways I’m very lucky. I’ve never taken a sleeping pill in my life – and after reading this book never intend to – except some herbal remedies that might or might not work. I have bouts of ‘insomnia’ that can be irritating but it’s nowhere near as bad as the stories in this book (harrowing some of them!). Generally I’m just one of the lucky ones.

Although a little repetitive in places – the author comes at his simple message of *sleep more* from 20-30 different directions - this is an interesting and useful book. There’s lots of thought-provoking information here but it’s not primarily a book to give you clues or tips for a good night. Its primary focus is on the science of sleep, its evolution and its function. That accounts for well over half of the book. Most of the rest is the critical appraisal of how dysfunctional western society is from a sleep perspective. Only the final few sections look at what we can personally regarding our own lack of sleep issues. I did take issue with some of his advice – which I though was too tech heavy – but overall I was impressed. Definitely recommended for anyone with sleep issues – or those without too! Next up in Human Biology – Migraines: luckily something I haven’t suffered from in years and don’t miss one little bit.