The Nocturnal Brain

Tales of Nightmares and Neuroscience

De: Guy Leschziner

Narrado por: Guy Leschziner

*As featured on Steven Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO podcast*

For those fascinated by neurology and for fans of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat comes a powerful exploration of the mind during night time. Here are the mysteries of sleep, explained – from known conditions to the extreme.

‘The Secret World of Sleep interweaves bizarre real life stories with cutting edge neurological science in the true tradition of Oliver Sacks. A fascinating read.' Martha Kearney, BBC Radio 4

World-renowned neurologist and sleep expert, Doctor Guy Leschziner, takes you through various sleep conditions and how they arise and affect people. Insomnia, narcolepsy, night terrors and apnoea are just some of the conditions afflicting those struggling with sleep.

Then there are the extreme cases. The people frightened into paralysis by hallucinations. The woman in a state of deep sleep who gets dressed and goes for a drive. The teenager with ‘Sleeping Beauty Syndrome’, stuck in a cycle of excessive unconsciousness. The man who cleans out kitchens while 'sleep-eating'.

With compassionate stories of his patients and their conditions, Leschziner illustrates the neuroscience behind our sleeping minds, revealing the many biological and psychological factors necessary in getting the rest needed for health and happiness.

Pick of the Best Paperbacks - Sunday Times
Best January Paperbacks - The Times
Must Read Brain Books 2019 - Forbes Magazine
The Best Neuroscience Books of 2019 - The Scientist Magazine
The Best Books of 2019 - New Zealand Herald
Best 100 Summer Reads 2019 - Sunday Times
Week's best Science Picks - Nature
Books of the Year 2019 - Irish Independent

Reseñas de la Crítica

‘With my job on Today, I have become obsessed with sleep. The Nocturnal Brain interweaves bizarre real life stories with cutting edge neurological science in the true tradition of Oliver Sacks. A fascinating read.’ (Martha Kearney, BBC Radio 4)

'The Nocturnal Brain combines two of my favorite things – humanity and medical science. Dr Leschziner weaves wonderful stories that highlight how sleep disorders affect the lives and health of patients and their families. Along the way we are guided into the fantastic science of sleep. What a wonderful journey!' (Meir Kryger MD FRCPC, Professor, Yale University, author of Mystery of Sleep)

'Casebooks of neurological disorders are often strange and wonderful, but this one is special. Guy Leschziner is a consultant neurologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’s who specialises in sleep problems. And his patients experience the most extraordinary things…'

‘The Nocturnal Brain will not promise to cure your insomnia, but it does make for an entertaining and thought-provoking bedtime read.’

I recommend this book to all psychotherapists

This is a wonderful book. Reading it helped me understand better the neuroscience underlying sleep. The patients' stories encouraged me to think about the neurological foundation of sleep disorders and go beyond the "face value" of sleep challenges encountered by patients who seek psychotherapy for various mental health problems.

Wish I didn’t buy it

Lots of boring stories, very little information. I enjoyed the author’s voice though. I was hoping for more information on the brain’s workings at night, but can’t be bothered to listen to the whole book.