We have been told for decades that sleep and exercise are crucial for optimal health but we don’t really consider sleep to be just as important… until now!
Matthew Walker is a neuroscientist and psychologist that has dedicated his days to understanding sleep. In this scientific, yet easy to digest, book he implores us to fall in love with sleep, even going as far as to say that our lack of sleep is “the greatest public health challenge we face in the 21st century”. He also explores the way that modern society is affecting our sleep patterns and the scary effects that this has on our health.
A must read for the insomniacs out there but also for anyone who is interested in having more awareness around their own sleep cycles.
Notable Quotes
“Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day — Mother Nature’s best effort yet at contra-death.”
“Scientists have discovered a revolutionary new treatment that makes you live longer. It enhances your memory, makes you more attractive. It keeps you slim and lowers food cravings. It protects you from cancer and dementia. It wards off colds and flu. It lowers your risk of heart attacks and stroke, not to mention diabetes. You’ll even feel happier, less depressed, and less anxious. Are you interested?”
“Last night, you became flagrantly psychotic. It will happen again tonight. Before you reject this diagnosis, allow me to offer five justifying reasons. First, when you were dreaming last night, you started to see things that were not there— you were hallucinating. Second, you believed things that could not possibly be true— you were delusional. Third, you became confused about time, place, and person— you were disoriented. Fourth, you had extreme swings in your emotions— something psychiatrists call being affectively labile. Fifth (and how delightful!), you woke up this morning and forgot most, if not all, of this bizarre dream experience— you were suffering from amnesia. If you were to experience any of these symptoms while awake, you’d be seeking immediate psychological treatment.”
“Humans are not sleeping the way nature intended. The number of sleep bouts, the duration of sleep, and when sleep occurs has all been comprehensively distorted by modernity.”