Sleepyhead: The Neuroscience of a Good Night's Rest
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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.
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The Science of Sleep. As told by a narcoleptic journalist. This was actually a fascinating book about the hard science of sleep - all the way to the gene and chromosome level of certain sleep disorders. Other than the first chapter and last chapter, the traditional setup and summary, the remaining 10 chapters cover the hard science of sleep - everything from how light plays a large part in our circadian rhythm cycles to exactly how the current thinking on most sleep disorders was discovered by studying dogs. The one caution here is that if you come in looking for a quick pointer or two on how to sleep better... well, you'll get that. But you'll get the hard science explanation of why it is, rather than a short and sweet “do this, just do it”. Excellent book, very thoroughly researched - the last 24% or so is bibliography and index!
