Como o sono pode melhorar nossa saúde, ajudar nos relacionamentos e nos fazer produzir e aprender mais.
Até pouco tempo atrás, a ciência não tinha resposta para a questão “por que nós dormimos”. Não se sabia qual era o benefício do sono ou por que sofremos consequências devastadoras na saúde quando privados de horas dormidas.
Em Por que nós dormimos, o renomado neurocientista e especialista em sono Matthew Walker oferece um estudo revolucionário sobre como o sono afeta cada aspecto do nosso bem-estar físico e mental. Utilizando-se de recentes avanços científicos e décadas de pesquisa e prática clínica, Walker explica como podemos aproveitar o sono para melhorar o aprendizado, o humor e os níveis de energia, regular hormônios, prevenir câncer, Alzheimer e diabetes, retardar os efeitos do envelhecimento e aumentar a longevidade.
Fascinante e acessível, Por que nós dormimos tem prefácio do neurocientista Sidarta Ribeiro, maior especialista em sono no …
Como o sono pode melhorar nossa saúde, ajudar nos relacionamentos e nos fazer produzir e aprender mais.
Até pouco tempo atrás, a ciência não tinha resposta para a questão “por que nós dormimos”. Não se sabia qual era o benefício do sono ou por que sofremos consequências devastadoras na saúde quando privados de horas dormidas.
Em Por que nós dormimos, o renomado neurocientista e especialista em sono Matthew Walker oferece um estudo revolucionário sobre como o sono afeta cada aspecto do nosso bem-estar físico e mental. Utilizando-se de recentes avanços científicos e décadas de pesquisa e prática clínica, Walker explica como podemos aproveitar o sono para melhorar o aprendizado, o humor e os níveis de energia, regular hormônios, prevenir câncer, Alzheimer e diabetes, retardar os efeitos do envelhecimento e aumentar a longevidade.
Fascinante e acessível, Por que nós dormimos tem prefácio do neurocientista Sidarta Ribeiro, maior especialista em sono no Brasil, professor titular do Instituto do Cérebro, na Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. Uma excelente análise da importância do sono e dos sonhos, a obra examina transtornos como a insônia e os malefícios do uso de remédios para dormir, além de oferecer alternativas não medicamentosas para a falta de sono e valiosas dicas práticas para dormirmos bem todas as noites.
Walker does an incredible job providing a rigorous overview of the voluminous research on the effects of sleep, while at the same time scaring the pants off of anyone who doesn't regularly get a decent amount of sleep. This book focuses more on the outcomes than the mechanisms here, instead reviewing the compelling research showing the deleterious effects of sleep deprivation on a whole host of health outcomes. Walker also discusses different classes of solutions to poor sleep with few easy answers. Overall, this book is a compelling read for anyone, from novices to experts, interested in health, productivity, or neuroscience. Highly recommend.
Solid Science Communication, but Not Very Compelling
3 stars
Matthew Walker's discussion on Peter Attia's podcast (The Drive, Episodes 47 - 49) is one of the most interesting things I've ever heard. At six hours long, I was sad when it ended and immediately wanted to listen to it again. If you've any interest in sleep, I highly recommend you check it out immediately.
I picked up this book after hearing that podcast, and the book just isn't on the same level as those interviews. It's an entirely serviceable piece of science communication, but that's about it.
The text is a high level synopsis of key pieces of research and related anecdotes. It's interesting enough, but it just isn't very engaging. Dr. Walker does go through practical recommendations on how to get better sleep, but the focus is really on explaining what sleep is and isn't.
If you don't know much about sleep, and are looking for an overview …
Matthew Walker's discussion on Peter Attia's podcast (The Drive, Episodes 47 - 49) is one of the most interesting things I've ever heard. At six hours long, I was sad when it ended and immediately wanted to listen to it again. If you've any interest in sleep, I highly recommend you check it out immediately.
I picked up this book after hearing that podcast, and the book just isn't on the same level as those interviews. It's an entirely serviceable piece of science communication, but that's about it.
The text is a high level synopsis of key pieces of research and related anecdotes. It's interesting enough, but it just isn't very engaging. Dr. Walker does go through practical recommendations on how to get better sleep, but the focus is really on explaining what sleep is and isn't.
If you don't know much about sleep, and are looking for an overview of the science, this is probably a really good place to start. But I would honestly recommend just listening to the aforementioned podcast and using the book to reference terminology later.
Like any 21st century pop science author, the premise of a long book about sleep couldn't be a down-to-earth argument of marginal health improvements. Instead, it doubles down multiple times on how this has to be, "undeniably", the most important yet neglected health knowledge ever - a common recipe for best sellers, promising immense rewards for memorizing a few key concepts.
Stripped down of the obvious marketing strategy, the over-the-top framing and all the speculative fluff mixed in with the actual research data, the book does a good work on hammering the need of caring for our sleep. And like any book of its kind, in the end the advice is as predictable and close to common knowledge as one would guess:
1) Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day; 2) Exercise at least 30 minutes, not too close to bed time; 3) Avoid caffeine …
Like any 21st century pop science author, the premise of a long book about sleep couldn't be a down-to-earth argument of marginal health improvements. Instead, it doubles down multiple times on how this has to be, "undeniably", the most important yet neglected health knowledge ever - a common recipe for best sellers, promising immense rewards for memorizing a few key concepts.
Stripped down of the obvious marketing strategy, the over-the-top framing and all the speculative fluff mixed in with the actual research data, the book does a good work on hammering the need of caring for our sleep. And like any book of its kind, in the end the advice is as predictable and close to common knowledge as one would guess:
1) Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day; 2) Exercise at least 30 minutes, not too close to bed time; 3) Avoid caffeine and nicotine after noon; 4) Avoid alcohol before going to bed; 5) Avoid large portions before going to bed; 6) Avoid medicines that delay or disrupt sleep; 7) Don't take naps after 3PM; 8) Relax before bed; 9) Hot bath/shower before bed; 10) Dark & cool bedroom, no screen devices; 11) Get morning sunlight every day; 12) Don't lie in bed awake;
Most annoying of all, no concrete answers on "why we sleep". Walker presents some speculative argumentation regarding what fits an evolutionary and utilitarian viewpoint, but very little evidence is available anyway and, most worryingly, zero counter-evidence or opposing research viewpoints are discussed. In the end, the answer currently available is as obvious as the 12 advices above: because it's good for us.
Some really good insights into the importance of sleep, our negative cultural attitudes towards getting sufficient sleep and ways to improve sleep hygiene.
