Imagine a gripping psychological thriller, replete with clues ... data ... so you can make your own conclusions with a genial voice warning you of doom and gloom, yet uplifting in its conclusions and also unputdownable .. that's what we have here .. exhilarating gripping real science. We all sleep, so this matters to us all .. an accessible style, like an avuncular and familiar figure/voice. It kept me up reading, ironically!! Terrific...its confidence in its own conclusions may be controversial but it's awfully convincing.

Sleep is the poor cousin of diet and exercise, but no less important for it. One of the issues is that sleep has been so difficult to understand - when asked why people sleep, scientist William Dement said 'because we get sleepy'.

Rather than focus on the mechanics of sleep, Matthew Walker describes the effects of sleep and lack thereof. What results is a compelling book which should initiate life changes, prioritising sleep for overall health and performance. Hopefully the result will be less of a culture of sleep-deprivation-pride and more respect for those who properly rest, recover, and are ready for the day ahead.

Fascinating and well worth taking the time to read about how important sleep is to be a healthy being. It is an excellent measure of where you are with regards to understanding how Sleep affects your body and mind, why bringing sleep back into your health regime should be a major priority and, basically, are you getting enough sleep? If not then adjust your life to make it so.

Employers: take heed – don’t infringe on workers free time, give them time to unwind and sleep – your workers will be healthier, your business will be the better.

Makes you wonder about those who work in areas where they can be up for long periods with no sleep – medical professionals, armed forces, etc. – especially around decision-making!

Read how sleep relates to Alzheimer’s, cancer, general good health.

Yes, this does get a bit ‘technical’ but Matthew Walker does explain and gives some great, although occasionally not very nice, examples to help the reader to understand. In the end the message is pretty simple and one well worth taking on board.

So read the book and for a healthier life make time for sleep.

With thanks to the publisher, Penguin, via NetGalley for a copy in return for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5/4

An invaluable insight into why we sleep and the negative impact a lack of sleep can have. A fascinating read.

Not my usual type of book to read but thanks to Net Galley and the publishers I was given the opportunity to read a copy in return for an unbiased review. As many other have said, wish I'd been able to read this many years ago. Have to say that whilst certain parts of it are a little overly detailed in medical terms for me, it is nonetheless a life change publication and I have already implented a number of changes to my lifestyle and sleeping habits with positive results.

A very informative and thorough look at sleep. Academic and well-researched but accessible and sporadically interesting. The book will tell you anything you ever wanted to know about sleep and plenty more besides! And while it’s interesting, it can be a bit tedious at times. Still, it answers its title and is a very helpful overview of this large part of life on Earth.

As I studied sleep before, there were no absolute new information in this book, but I found it to be quite esaustive on every thing is necessary to know about why we sleep and the best way to handle sleep problems. so it was an absolutely interesting reading.

Io il sonno l'ho studiato quindi non é che in questo libro ci fossero informazioni particolarmente nuove, ma l'ho trovato particolarmente chiaro ed esaustivo per quanto riguarda le ragioni per cui "dovremmo" dormire di piú e meglio e come gestire gli eventuali problemi del sonno, quindi é stata comunque una lettura molto interessante.

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!