"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.
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.
An explosion of scientific discoveries in the last twenty 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. 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 accessible, Why We Sleep is a crucial and illuminating book.
