Why We Sleep

Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

By: Matthew Walker

Narrated by: Steve West

Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

The first sleep book by a leading scientific expert - Professor Matthew Walker, director of UC Berkeley's Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab - reveals his groundbreaking exploration of sleep, explaining how we can harness its transformative power to change our lives for the better.

Sleep is one of the most important but least understood aspects of our life, wellness, and longevity. 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 we don't sleep. Compared to the other basic drives in life - eating, drinking, and reproducing - the purpose of sleep remained elusive.

But an explosion of scientific discoveries in the last 20 years has shed new light on this fundamental aspect of our lives. Now, preeminent neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker gives us a new understanding of the vital importance of sleep and dreaming. Among so many other things, within the brain, sleep enriches 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 mollifies painful memories and creates a virtual reality space in which the brain melds past and present knowledge to inspire creativity.

Walker answers important questions about sleep: How do caffeine and alcohol affect sleep? What really happens during REM sleep? Why do our sleep patterns change across a lifetime? How do common sleep aids affect us, and can they do long-term damage? Charting cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs and synthesizing 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; increase longevity; enhance the education and lifespan of our children, and boost the efficiency, success, and productivity of our businesses. Clear-eyed, fascinating, and immensely accessible, Why We Sleep is the crucial account on sleep that will forever change listeners' minds on the subject.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2017 Matthew Walker (P)2017 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Should’ve gotten it on kindle from the outset

Instead of after listening to it on audible. A great book, full of fascinating and useful information. I’m following it’s advice and have increased my sleep by 1-3 hours/night, and getting into deeper stages as well. I’m a PhD psychologist and sharing this information with my patients.

Must read for everyone

This is one of the most important reads. Life changing perspective. I read/listen to ~50 books a year. This is in my top 3 this years. Highly recommend this.

great information

I so wish I'd known this information years ago. this is definitely changing some of my habits.

Mind Bendingly Excellent

Absolutely amazing.
This book will turn you from an average Joe into a super sleep nerd. My friends and family got sick of me talking about the facts and figures quoted in this book. It set me off down a path towards sleeping more, valuing the sleep I get and a whole host of other things.

Its entertaining, interesting, funny and excellently read by the narrator.

Super Useful Information

I had always suspected sleeping pills had a greater downside to them; this book covered them all.
It will take me a long time to actually see the benefits of ‘clean’ sleeping, but I am infused with enthusiasm and willing to stay the course.
Excellent book for anyone with an ongoing dependency on sleeping pills and everyone who wants to avoid the trap in future

Everyone should read this

First few chapter s might be a bit boring if you've watched his Ted talk or the Joe Rogan interview, but once you get through that, the book is very interesting. It has changed my views on sleep for the better, and this information will be useful for the rest of my life

took a bit to get into but then fascinating

I especially liked the parts about teenagers and sleep... and the tips on workplace incentives for better sleep/productivity in employees.

America's true epidemic is a lack of SLEEP

Once you know what your body does during sleep, you will have a glimpse of the damage you self infect when you cheat your sleep.
One night of missed sleep has the same mental impairment as being legally drunk. And if you have a micro sleep while driving NO ONE IS DRIVING THE CAR. More deaths occur because of dozy driving than drink or drug impaired driving, and at All Hours of the day.
Learning is impaired.
Health is impaired, lack of sleep kills.
You need to dream to repair rhe body and store memories.
Sleep loss is preventable make it you health priority.

Very Interesting!

If you're someone who thinks sleeping 6 hrs a day is plenty enough.. than you should listen to this.

Get your Z's!

Packed with eye opening information and research on the importance of sleep to our health and our society.