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Why We Sleep

The New Science of Sleep and Dreams

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Why We Sleep

By: Matthew Walker
Narrated by: John Sackville
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin

THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

TLS, OBSERVER, SUNDAY TIMES, FT, GUARDIAN, DAILY MAIL AND EVENING STANDARD BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2017

Sleep is one of the most important aspects of our life, health and longevity and yet it is increasingly neglected in twenty-first-century society, with devastating consequences: every major disease in the developed world - Alzheimer's, cancer, obesity, diabetes - has very strong causal links to deficient sleep.

In this audiobook, the first of its kind written by a scientific expert, Professor Matthew Walker explores twenty years of cutting-edge research to solve the mystery of why sleep matters. Looking at creatures from across the animal kingdom as well as major human studies, Why We Sleep delves into everything from what really happens during REM sleep to how caffeine and alcohol affect sleep and why our sleep patterns change across a lifetime, transforming our appreciation of the extraordinary phenomenon that safeguards our existence.

Includes a bonus PDF of graphs and diagrams.

'Astonishing ... an amazing book ... absolutely chocker full of things that we need to know' Chris Evans

'Matthew Walker is probably one of the most influential people on the planet' Evening Standard

'Startling, vital ... a life-raft' Guardian

'A top sleep scientist argues that sleep is more important for our health than diet or exercise' The Times

'Passionate, urgent . . . it had a powerful effect on me' Observer

©2017 Matthew Walker (P)2017 Penguin Books Ltd

 Biological Sciences Neuroscience & Neuropsychology Physical Illness & Disease Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Science Sleep Disorders Inspiring Feel-Good Funny Health Dementia Alzheimer's Disease Longevity Mental Health

Critic Reviews

A neuroscientist shows how a good night's shut-eye can make us cleverer, more attractive, slimmer, happier, healthier and ward off cancer . . . it's probably a little too soon to tell you that it saved my life, but it's been an eye-opener (Mark O'Connell)
Passionate, urgent . . . it had a powerful effect on me (Rachel Cooke)
An important and fascinating book (Bill Gates)
Compelling and utterly convincing . . . you'll never think of your bedtime in the same way again (James McConnachie)
A stimulating and important book . . . richly packed with science (Clive Cookson)
Uplifting . . . Walker is in love with sleep and wants us to fall in love with sleep, too (David Kamp)
Matthew Walker is probably one of the most influential people on the planet (Katie Law)
Astonishing . . . an amazing book . . . absolutely chocker full of things that we need to know (Chris Evans)
Amazing . . . I'm obsessed with this book (Thom Yorke)
Passionate, urgent, convincing . . . it had a powerful effect on me (Rachel Cooke)
All stars
Most relevant
If you value your health i assure you this book is a necessity for that. In fact government public health agencies must adopt this new way of looking at sleep to comprehend how much of an impact good sleep practices have on our population.

Amazing book!

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all people, schools, government, hospital administrators should be forced to read this great well balanced book.

life changing - i have been doing it wrong

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Amazing book, filled with knowledge that should be shared far and wide! Don't wait, get it ASAP

Fantastic

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We all know sleep is important, but you really don't grasp just how much it impacts literally every aspect of your life.
Part of this book is rather scientific, yet very understandable and doesn't get boring. I find it explains the workings of the brain pretty well and the aspects of (a lack of) sleep in various situations. The only anti-climax was the long awaited 'solution' is not exactly revolutionary or a quick fix, yet I applied these things with renewed vigour and strictness and I must say I did start sleeping better.. (I read the book about 2 months ago) I'm tempted to buy a hardcopy of this as well so it's easier to flick through and highlight/re-read some things, although for the initial run I think it works best as an audiobook as it might take more effort to actually read the scientific parts compared to listening to it while doing some menial daily chores.
I'd recommend this book to literally everyone cause we as a society really need to make some changes to our global view on sleep (teenagers - school hours?). I've already bought 2 people I know a copy and there will probably be a few more.
Do yourself a favour and have a listen, and then go have a nap ;)

Fantastic book, for everyone, sleep issues or not!

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Made me sleepy. Job well done obviously. If you think you get enough sleep think again

No.1 commodity known to man

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