Sleepyhead

The Neuroscience of a Good Night's Rest

By: Henry Nicholls

Narrated by: Henry Drury

Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

A narcoleptic's tireless journey through the neuroscience of disordered sleep

Whether it's a bout of bad jet lag or a stress-induced all-nighter, we've all suffered from nights that left us feeling less than well-rested. But for some people, getting a bad night's sleep isn't just an inconvenience: It's a nightmare.

In Sleepyhead, science writer Henry Nicholls uses his own experience with chronic narcolepsy as a gateway to better understanding the cryptic, curious, and relatively uncharted world of sleep disorders. We meet insomniacs who can't get any sleep, narcoleptics who can't control when they sleep, and sleep apnea victims who nearly suffocate in their sleep. We learn the underlying difference between morning larks and night owls; why our sleeping habits shift as we grow older; and the evolutionary significance of REM sleep and dreaming.

Charming, eye-opening, and deeply humanizing, Sleepyhead will help us all uncover the secrets of a good night's sleep.

©2018 Henry Nicholls (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"An authentic and insightful read that brings to life the hopes and dreams of generations of scientific explorers and people in search of a better night's sleep. We all have something to gain from reading Sleepyhead." (Julie Flygare, author of Wide Awake and Dreaming)

"[A] lively, accessible overview.... Nicholls writes fluidly about disorders of sleep, including insomnia, nightmares, and sleepwalking, as well as conditions with wildly bizarre features, from hallucinations to terrors to murderous behavior to paralysis.... A fine introduction to sleeping: when it works and when it doesn't." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Henry Nicholls is one of my favourite science writers and this may be his best book yet. He effortlessly weaves his very personal experiences of living with narcolepsy with the history of sleep science (which reads like a great detective story) to create a gripping journey into the mysteries of sleep. Revelatory." (Lucy Cooke, author of The Truth About Animals)

Wonderfully Insightful

As a narcoleptic, this book felt like “home”, honing in on both scientific understanding as well as weaving personal stories together to create a bedrock for those of us with sleep disorders. Anyone who has an interest in sleep science should read this book, and share its perspective with others. Maybe one day, we will be understood rather than judged.

informative and well written content, but...

The title is somewhat misleading. Yes, the book does touch quite a bit on the neuroscience of a good sleep but this is, at its core, a book about Narcolepsy.

Nothing Short of Astounding

This book is an absolute MUST read for anyone experiencing or interested in sleep science and/or it’s many different types of disorders.
This book was written by a neuroscientist who suffers from Narcolepsy himself.
The rare and unique perspective this author is able to provide is absolutely invaluable. While the Narcolepsy is the primary focus of this book, it touches on ALL major sleep disorders. Including the differing degrees of affliction in which each individual person may experience… AND the scientific evidence learned so far as to why that is.
Whether you’ve been newly diagnosed, or have been living with a diagnosed chronic sleep disorder for most of your life. The information in this book is guaranteed to enlighten and inform ANY reader, including even the most “veteran” of individuals.
This book delves deep into the history behind the still newly emerging field of sleep science and sleep disorders. It pays homage to those who pioneered the research that paved the way to new advancements and discoveries in the field of modern medicine today.
The human brain itself is still quite a modern mystery and remains to be one of the least studied fields of medical research.
This book left me with not only an incredible amount of new knowledge, but an immense feeling gratitude.
Myself being a middle-aged adult who’s lived and struggled everyday of my life since childhood with the challenges of Narcolepsy. I feel fortunate to be living in this modern era. To see new research and treatments emerge, as the world slowly begins to have a better understanding of what Narcolepsy is. I’m excited for what the future holds in medical breakthroughs and look forward to the day I no longer have to hide it, or be forced to ever have to explain myself to anyone ever again.
If you have a loved one who has Narcolepsy or a similar condition. The greatest gift you can ever give them is taking the initiative to educate yourself about their condition.
Please, take the time to read or listen to this book on Audible. If not for yourself, then for someone you love… or for the 1 out of every 2,000 strangers out there begging to be understood.
Please!

Extremely Helpful

As someone recently diagnosed with Narcolepsy, this has been the best book I've read about my condition.

An informative journey through my own brain

I'm also narcoleptic. this book helped me understand my condition and ways to improve jt.

Love it!

This book gives some really interesting information about sleep and sleep disorders, interspersed with captivating stories about the author’s own journey with Narcolepsy. I finished the whole thing within 2 days. I couldn’t stop listening!

Incredibly informative!

What an incredible amount of information, integrated with true stories and scientific studies, that make understanding narcolepsy and other sleep disorders both interesting and easy to digest.

Great book about hyper insomnia

This book is a good narrative of sleeping disorders and cognitive behavioral ways to mitigate impacts.

An eye opening reminder

Along with “Wide Awake and Dreaming” by Julie Flygare, this book is one that has helped me understand my new life with diagnosed narcolepsy with cataplexy. I don’t feel alone when I am listening to these authors tell their stories and I am forever grateful for their work.