Why We Sleep

Truth be told reading this book at times put me to sleep and the author says that is completely ok and even encouraged. LOL. However, there was so much in this book about the importance of sleep and what it does for us. Below are some things from the book that I took away. If you enjoy detailed, specific, study related books then this one is for you. For me it was informative but I like a lighter read personally.

• The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life span (that was interesting)

• Sleep resets our bodies and brains everyday, optimizing our health

• Caffeine blocks our receptors after about 30 minutes which disrupts sleep and as we get old it is harder to process caffeine which leads to more interrupted sleep. (so takeaway limit coffee to 1-2 cups earlier in the day)

• NREM sleep is great for storing facts and skills while we sleep and REM (dream state) sleep is great for insights and problem solving. Older adults have less NREM (deep sleep) which ads to forgetfulness

• People sleep schedules can be different meaning some need to sleep early and wake early while others need to go to bed late a sleep late. It is not something that can be changed its wired in us.

• Alcohol is one of the most powerful suppressor of REM sleep

• Naps are good for you as long as its before 3pm

• Sleep loss leads to cardiovascular disease, weight gain, cancer and other diseases

• Sleeping pills are not good for you and neither is looking at your phone/iPad before bed

The book goes into way more detail than this but moral of the story is get your sleep, shut down the phones at night, avoid caffeine/alcohol at night. There you have it.

xo