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July 12, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I went on a little reading binge on books about sleep. Understandably, they covered a lot of the same material (but not exactly the same) and each one had a distinctive style to it. For comparison here are the books I read (in order):

1) The Secret World of Sleep: The Surprising Science of the Mind at Rest by Penelope A. Lewis
2) Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep by David K. Randall
3) Sleep: A Very Short Introduction by Steven W. Lockley
4) The Secret Life of Sleep by Kat Duff

I was looking mainly for scientific information, in conjunction, perhaps, with interesting anecdotes. Dreamland by David Randall was the closest to what I thought I was looking for and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in sleep. The Secret World of Sleep by Penelope Lewis and Sleep: A Very Short Introduction by Lockley were a little more purely scientific. However, among these two I strongly preferred the no-nonsense style of Sleep: A Very Short Introduction. By comparison, The Secret World of Sleep felt like an academic paper that had been hastily modified by a copy-editor to read like a popular science book. The result is not-very-exciting writing that is larded with "accessible" descriptions and analogies. The amygdala is referred to at least a dozen times by the epithet "almond shaped". The first time was fine, the fifth time was patronizing. But I powered through.

I cannot recommend Kat Duff's book, because of passages that give serious credence to the explanation that hypnogogic hallucinations are in fact visitations by evil spirits. See my review there for more details.

The best thing about Dreamland is that it responsibly covers the material while being written in an engaging and entertaining style. I suggest reading it along with (before or after) Sleep: A Very Short Introduction which is drier, but reads fast and provides a lot more detail about the science (if that's your thing).

24 people found this helpful

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JoAnne H.

A little disappointing

July 18, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I bought this as the review I read talked about "first sleep and second sleep concept". That fascinated me as I think that is how I sleep. Was a little disappointed as that only took up about 2 pages or less of the book. Some parts were interesting but for the most part I found it a little boring and only made it half way thought the book before setting it aside. Most was anecdotal information that I had read elsewhere. I will try to finish it and will amend my review appropriately.

5 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Too Many Non-Essential Facts

July 28, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I admit that I didn't read several chapters of this book. When I skimmed these chapters, I found them dull and not entirely relevant to the subject of sleep. I did learn a few new facts about sleep which were intriguing. I would recommend this book to someone who has little knowledge about the science and subject of sleep.

2 people found this helpful

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Erin M

Great book - only scrapes the surface though

March 10, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Well written, easy to read, fascinating and well-researched. I don't think it's Randall's fault that I still finished the book still wondering why we sleep a third or our lives away? He didn't address all the memory compartmentalization that makes our sleeping necessary. He definitely addressed more than I expected about sleep disorders and the very serious problems caused by sleep deprivation. He outlined the right ways to get a good night's sleep and gave me tons of tips I will use with my loved ones who have trouble sleeping. But I do wish this book, titled "Dreamland" had addressed even more about why we dream the things we do, and what it all means... or perhaps also how one can control their dreams or change them, remember them, etc.... Perhaps it doesn't because we simply don't know, making sleep an even more mysterious experience than I ever imagined.
I thought there would be more about dreams, but really this book is all about REM sleep, sleep patterns and stages, physical obstructions to sleep and ways to get more of it. I loved the book, overall.

One person found this helpful

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Kaitlin Kelly

Some interesting facts, poor writing

November 3, 2013

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

enjoyed this little look into the history and modern understanding of human sleep. To me, it was a series of 13 essays about different concepts related to sleep, rather than a complete work discussing the science of sleep itself. For example, there was an entire chapter about sleep apnea, but the actual phases of sleep were explained in one paragraph. I was interested in learning about the neurology of sleep, but this was more anecdotal than I'd expected.

Perhaps the biggest sticking point for me was the poor writing. I felt the persistent desire to take a red pen to the book and submit my revised version to the publisher. It's hard for me to understand how such blatantly clunky (and in some cases just flat out grammatically incorrect) writing makes it to the printer.

Anyway, this was fun to read, and I learned at least a few facts that I will be sharing with others:
-Some scientists believe that humans naturally sleep in two chunks four-hour chunks with a period of wakeful relaxation in the middle.
-Sleeping pills "work" for some people only because they make those people forget that they didn't sleep very well.
-Test subjects are sometimes able to solve puzzles after a restful night of sleep. That's why when you spend all day playing a game, you sometimes see it in your dreams - your brain is trying to figure out how to do better next time.

12 people found this helpful

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Chris Marlowe

Annoying narrator

October 28, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I couldn't finish it. The narrator set my teeth on edge with his insistence on creating voices for everyone even for a quote from a child here he had to do it with a sing-song and a little lisp.

2 people found this helpful

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H. Haverkamp

He convinced us to buy a ZEO Sleep Manager!

January 15, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

My husband and I both loved this book. I can't stop recommending it to people. It's changed how I think about sleep - as a real health issue, not just a nice thing We even bought a "Sleep Manager," which he mentions in the book. It's a headband with a little monitor that's positioned over your forehead (reminiscent of Jewish tefillin!) and tracks how deeply you sleep and for how long. Anyway, now, whenever I wake up in the middle of the night, I try not to worry that I'm awake because it's probably what our brains are wired to do. That doesn't help me get back to a sound sleep every time, but it does more often than not. This is simply a FUN read, too; lots of interesting information. I'm planning to read it again.

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