The Most Fascinating Book In Ages – Book Review: Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker

I never knew sleep could be this interesting!

I recently started listening to a lot of new podcasts – I love having them on my ear when I’m doing monotonous, brainless work in the office, and the range of stuff that’s out there these days is incredible, so it’s very easy to find something new and interesting. There really is something for absolutely everyone.

Lately, my interests have shifted towards science and education, often specifically about health and exercise, and I remember one of the podcasts had Matthew Walker on as a guest. It was truly a fascinating episode, the stuff this guy knows about sleep is eye-opening, and it really stuck with me.

I also recently moved (to an island in the Norwegian Arctic, no less) and after a few weeks up here in the frigid North, I figured I ought to sign up for a card at the local library. After sorting that out, one of the first books that met me on the shelves on my way in was this exact book: Why We Sleep, by none other than Matthew Walker.

It’s been absolute ages since I borrowed a book from a library. Probably close to 25 years. But I’m very glad this was the one that broke my fast.

I’ll say it again: I never knew sleep could be this interesting.

I’ve had a weird relationship with sleep all my life. I’ve always struggled to fall asleep. Since as long as I can remember, I’ve always been lying there, staring into the darkness, waiting for sleep to engulf me. My wife’s the polar opposite: she’ll pass out the second she hits the pillow – no joke! And when I was younger, until mid to late twenties, I was always a night owl. I would stay up looong into the night (because I couldn’t fall asleep anyway) and I’d get up right before I had to leave for work, jump out of bed, skip breakfast, and head out the door.

When I first lived in the Arctic, six years ago, that all changed. During my first winter, when I first experienced polar night (total darkness, twenty-four hours a day) something weird happened to me. I saw no point in staying up late anymore. It was dark all the time anyway, right? If I wanted to sit there and read, watch TV or play video games, I might as well do it in the hours after I went to bed instead of before.

Since then I’ve been a morning person. Complete 180-degree change. Now I go to bed by 9:30, if nothing gets in my way, and I’m up by 5.

And I’m sorry I’ve been rambling about my personal life – but if I’d read this book sooner, I’d probably have made the switch way earlier.

The thing sleep does to your brain, your hormones, your blood chemistry, your body composition, your mind, your personality, basically everything is wild. Sure, I knew it was important, everyone knows it’s healthy to get a good night’s rest, but at the same time, we’ve all burnt the candle in both ends at certain points in our lives and felt fine, right? Hell, the last six months I slept around 5 hours a night, and I felt amazing. I got so much done!

But the stuff that Walker presents in his book, all the new, groundbreaking research, the fascinating – and horrifying – studies, the weird, but vital functions sleep serves will have you thinking very differently about how much time you spend in bed in the future, I promise.

Honestly, if you plan on reading just one non-fiction book this year – or even just one book at all – I want to strongly suggest that it’s this one. (Maybe after you’ve read my At The Gate first. You’ll want to be able to sleep well after that one).

Have you read Why We Sleep? What did you think? Do you have any other non-fiction recommendations for me? Let me know in the comments! I love it when people leave comments.

And as always, please check out all my books and stories below. If you’re into psychological horror, crime thrillers, or science-fiction and fantasy, you’ve come to the right place! Bye for now!

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Trey Stone’s Books

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