Why We Sleep

Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

De: Matthew Walker PhD

Narrado por: Steve West

“Why We Sleep is an important and fascinating book…Walker taught me a lot about this basic activity that every person on Earth needs. I suspect his book will do the same for you.” —Bill Gates

A New York Times bestseller and international sensation, this “stimulating and important book” (Financial Times) is a fascinating dive into the purpose and power of slumber.

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 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.

Clear-eyed, fascinating, and accessible, Why We Sleep is a crucial and illuminating book. Written with the precision of Atul Gawande, Andrew Solomon, and Sherwin Nuland, it is “recommended for night-table reading in the most pragmatic sense” (The New York Times Book Review).

Fantastic content, mechanical narrator

Walker's book is phenomenal despite a lot of what's said here being what should be called "common sense" at this point, but he drives the point home extremely well. One is forced to imagine how much better a place the world would be if we came to our senses as a species about how we sleep.

I simply didn't care for the narrator. Despite many passages where it's clear the author is being playful or joking, he never changes his machine-like reading style. Certainly non-fiction doesn't need the kind of flair and characters that fiction does, but one can do much better than this.

Wow. Life-changing!

I went into this book hoping to understand 2 main things: 1. The effect of caffeine on sleep, and 2. The effect of alcohol on sleep. The book brilliantly describes both, and in great clarity.

As a healthcare professional sometimes I'm weary about my approach to these books because I do not want them to be watered down. This one wasn't. However, at the same time, I think those with a medical background and even those without can both equally benefit and appreciate everything discussed in this book.

This book incredibly thorough and informative, it utilized and cited up to date research, also presented it all in a very well thought out format (you can pick and choose which chapters to read without consequence or attention to order; although I preferred to read it in order).

Ultimately I think the author really outdid himself with this one. I highly recommend this to everyone. *Not* just those looking to improve their sleep or learn about sleep, but literally, everyone. Sleep is health.

Loved learning about sleep

As a medical doctor myself, I must say that I was very impressed by the thorough citing of experimental data to strengthen points made about the deleterious effects that chronic sleep deprivation has on the body. I highly recommend this book.

Very good and mandatory read for this time

I was hesitant of getting this book since I knew sleep was already good and I was questioning myself what I will learn here... well the truth is I knew very little and this book is and eyes opener. Very good information based on research and not opinion. New information that is very pragmatic and easy to understand and use on life. I gave this book to a couple of friends and family because I think is mandatory these days to really understand that sleep is not a necessary evil but a great active thing to consider and exercise. Thank you to the author for doing this compilation and the research this have taken over many years

Best book ever!!

One of the best self help/improving quality of life books I've ever read. Definitely recommended it.