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How to Sleep Well Lib/E: The Science of Sleeping Smarter, Living Better and Being Productive
It has never been more important to sleep well.
Stop sabotaging your own sleep and finally wake up energized and refreshed.
How to Sleep Well is a guidebook that can change your sleep and help you live your life more fully. Whether you struggle to fall asleep, sleep too lightly, wake too often, or simply cannot wake up, this book can help you get on track to sleeping well and living better. It all starts with the science of how much you really need, what your body does during sleep, and the causes behind many common sleep problems. Next, you'll identify the things in your life that are disrupting your sleep cycle and learn how to mitigate the impact; whether it's the pressure of the workplace or that you simply cannot quiet your own mind, these expert tips and tricks will help you get the sleep you need. Finally, you'll learn how to support healthy sleep during the waking hours—what works with or against your sleep—and you'll learn when the problem might be best dealt with by your GP.
Don't spend another restless night waiting for a bleary, groggy morning and sleepy day. Take control of your sleep tonight!
Stop sabotaging your own sleep and finally wake up energized and refreshed.
How to Sleep Well is a guidebook that can change your sleep and help you live your life more fully. Whether you struggle to fall asleep, sleep too lightly, wake too often, or simply cannot wake up, this book can help you get on track to sleeping well and living better. It all starts with the science of how much you really need, what your body does during sleep, and the causes behind many common sleep problems. Next, you'll identify the things in your life that are disrupting your sleep cycle and learn how to mitigate the impact; whether it's the pressure of the workplace or that you simply cannot quiet your own mind, these expert tips and tricks will help you get the sleep you need. Finally, you'll learn how to support healthy sleep during the waking hours—what works with or against your sleep—and you'll learn when the problem might be best dealt with by your GP.
Don't spend another restless night waiting for a bleary, groggy morning and sleepy day. Take control of your sleep tonight!
Audio CD
Published February 26, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
July 18, 2019
I don't know about sleep but I rapidly lost the will to live while reading this.
Mercifully short with large parts you can quickly identify as filler.
Mercifully short with large parts you can quickly identify as filler.
August 26, 2018
This could potentially have been a 2* were it not for all of the errors.
I bought this in an airport prior to my flight because last month's National Geographic had a rather interesting article about the science of sleep.
Yet, this is just another "self-help" book. More common sense than anything; mostly a waste of time.
If you're going to write a book and yet can't even be bothered to make the effort to proofread it extensively, and then to not even have your editor/publisher do the same to avoid any spelling and/or grammatical errors - of which there were umpteen, I truly wish I'd counted - do you really expect anyone to take your book seriously?..
I bought this in an airport prior to my flight because last month's National Geographic had a rather interesting article about the science of sleep.
Yet, this is just another "self-help" book. More common sense than anything; mostly a waste of time.
If you're going to write a book and yet can't even be bothered to make the effort to proofread it extensively, and then to not even have your editor/publisher do the same to avoid any spelling and/or grammatical errors - of which there were umpteen, I truly wish I'd counted - do you really expect anyone to take your book seriously?..
May 9, 2021
I enjoyed it.
Not perfection in every chapter, but there is useful advice if you are patient enough to not judge the rest of the chapters. For someone who wants to get straight to the point, chapter 6 would suffice.
It helped me sleep better. Enough said.
My first audiobook.
Not perfection in every chapter, but there is useful advice if you are patient enough to not judge the rest of the chapters. For someone who wants to get straight to the point, chapter 6 would suffice.
It helped me sleep better. Enough said.
My first audiobook.
January 1, 2025
Not quite the book I was hoping for. Dr Stanley takes my favourite stance in a social situation, whereby he gives you all the information he can in a vast array of categories, but is very careful not to give anything too specific or scientific that he could be picked up on it, and will drop in the intellectual equivalent of 'I don't know though', as to reassure you that he is not in fact a sleep scientist, but has done a lot of research.
As far as his credentials can take him, he did offer a lot of intriguing insights and presents some food for thought, possibly presenting alternative ways of looking at sleep and what could be affecting it. It does also address a lot of myths regarding what could be making your sleep worse.
However, this book is ultimately let down by the fact that, contrary to its title, it does not in fact conclusively tell you how to sleep well. It would perhaps be better titled 'Here are a lot of things to consider if you want to sleep better, and most of what you've heard is not supported by conclusive evidence'.
Side note: Amusingly, the nights of sleep after each sitting of reading this were some of my worst night's sleeps in a long time. Not due to the book, just a cruel irony.
As far as his credentials can take him, he did offer a lot of intriguing insights and presents some food for thought, possibly presenting alternative ways of looking at sleep and what could be affecting it. It does also address a lot of myths regarding what could be making your sleep worse.
However, this book is ultimately let down by the fact that, contrary to its title, it does not in fact conclusively tell you how to sleep well. It would perhaps be better titled 'Here are a lot of things to consider if you want to sleep better, and most of what you've heard is not supported by conclusive evidence'.
Side note: Amusingly, the nights of sleep after each sitting of reading this were some of my worst night's sleeps in a long time. Not due to the book, just a cruel irony.
Read
October 10, 2018Author came across as arrogant. Spelling mistakes were rampant (especially your being spelled as you in every case) Lots of other spelling mistakes as well and grammar wasn't done well either.
April 1, 2019
Nothing new. Same information I've heard before.
Read
January 2, 2021I did not find this particularly helpful. No new information/everything he mentioned has already been regularly communicated to me from doctors and other reliable sources. I found the list of sleeping myths—counting sheep, for example— to be particularly pointless/irritating rather than entertaining.
To save you the trouble of reading this:
Before bed, avoid anything that stimulates you (particularly, screens)
Understand how much caffeine, and when you can consume it, you can have without affecting your sleep
Have a comfortable sleeping area (dark, clean, cool, alone)
Find a routine that works for you
Talk to your doctor if you have sleep apnea symptoms (snoring, frequent waking)
That’s it. That’s the book.
To save you the trouble of reading this:
Before bed, avoid anything that stimulates you (particularly, screens)
Understand how much caffeine, and when you can consume it, you can have without affecting your sleep
Have a comfortable sleeping area (dark, clean, cool, alone)
Find a routine that works for you
Talk to your doctor if you have sleep apnea symptoms (snoring, frequent waking)
That’s it. That’s the book.
March 16, 2023
I got the audiobook for free as a VIP offer from the Audiobooks app, to which I have a subscription. In 2023 I want to read 12 min-fiction books (one non-fiction book per month). So, I decided to pick up this audiobook for February.
Yes, there are things I learned about good routines for better sleeping, but at the same time, I felt the audiobook was not an excellent way to read this book. If I had the physical book, I would have gained more than listening.
Maybe I went with the mindset that I will gain tips for better and restful sleep, but I got facts and scientific information that mostly was contradicted by the author.
If you want to learn why sleep is important throughout your life you should read the book. Otherwise, look for another book to get tips about sleeping routines and better sleeping tips.
Yes, there are things I learned about good routines for better sleeping, but at the same time, I felt the audiobook was not an excellent way to read this book. If I had the physical book, I would have gained more than listening.
Maybe I went with the mindset that I will gain tips for better and restful sleep, but I got facts and scientific information that mostly was contradicted by the author.
If you want to learn why sleep is important throughout your life you should read the book. Otherwise, look for another book to get tips about sleeping routines and better sleeping tips.
January 14, 2025
Like a lot of self help books, this one could have been maybe 20 pages long and still gotten the point across. He spends a lot of the first several chapters discussing why sleep is good for you and why not sleeping is bad for you. Then, he talked about different sleeping disorders and potential fixes. I skimmed through a lot of these chapters because it wasn't really why I got the book, but if it's something you're interested in, great. If you're just looking for some practical tips like I was, just read chapter 6 and maybe chapter 10 and you'll get the main idea.
One thing I liked about this book is that it was very self aware. He addressed a lot of the "tips and tricks" that people give on the Internet and in other sleep books and why a lot of them are just plain wrong. He admits that the truth is that everyone has different needs when it comes to sleep, so the best way to get good sleep is to experiment with it until you find what works.
To summarize the tips he gives so you don't have to read the whole book:
- make your room as dark, quiet, and well ventilated as possible
- don't use screens/technology for at least 45 minutes before bed
- have a bedtime routine that helps you to wind down for about 30 minutes before bed
- try to relax and clear your mind as much as possible before you try to sleep, however works best for you
- while it's generally better for your room to be cooler, everyone is different, so experiment with temperature, blankets, pajamas, etc. until you find what works
- take the time to find the right mattress by actually lying in it for a significant time to get a feel for it's comfort. Again there's no formula to find what kind of mattress you need, everyone is different.
- there's no "right" position for you to sleep in, just whatever is most comfortable
- as much as possible, only use your bed for sleeping: no TV, no work, just sleep
One thing I liked about this book is that it was very self aware. He addressed a lot of the "tips and tricks" that people give on the Internet and in other sleep books and why a lot of them are just plain wrong. He admits that the truth is that everyone has different needs when it comes to sleep, so the best way to get good sleep is to experiment with it until you find what works.
To summarize the tips he gives so you don't have to read the whole book:
- make your room as dark, quiet, and well ventilated as possible
- don't use screens/technology for at least 45 minutes before bed
- have a bedtime routine that helps you to wind down for about 30 minutes before bed
- try to relax and clear your mind as much as possible before you try to sleep, however works best for you
- while it's generally better for your room to be cooler, everyone is different, so experiment with temperature, blankets, pajamas, etc. until you find what works
- take the time to find the right mattress by actually lying in it for a significant time to get a feel for it's comfort. Again there's no formula to find what kind of mattress you need, everyone is different.
- there's no "right" position for you to sleep in, just whatever is most comfortable
- as much as possible, only use your bed for sleeping: no TV, no work, just sleep
February 18, 2019
As a rule of thumb, I don’t really sleep. I’m not an insomniac, but neither am I the kind of person who tends to get enough sleep. Or find it easily. So, I figured that I may as well buy this book and see what it has to say on the subject. After all, I figured the worst thing that could go wrong is that it could be a total load of crock. It wasn’t. It was actually quite interesting.
This isn’t the kind of book that is miraculously going to cure your issues with sleep. Or even make you an expert on the topic. It is far too complex and individualistic a field for that to really ever happen. But it does highlight some interesting points about sleep patterns and ways to find out what really works for you. Yes, a lot of it is common sense, but we’re all lacking in that sometimes. And even the most logical person will probably still find something that they hadn’t thought of themselves. I know I certainly did.
Stanley certainly has a gender in this book. And one that he constantly delivers with a pithy sense of humour. Or at least, that’s how I read it. I loved the sass throughout and the inability to suffer fools that is so blatantly obvious. It made this quite a fun read (something I was surprised about in a how to book) and a good one to browse through at night before going to sleep.
This isn’t the kind of book that is miraculously going to cure your issues with sleep. Or even make you an expert on the topic. It is far too complex and individualistic a field for that to really ever happen. But it does highlight some interesting points about sleep patterns and ways to find out what really works for you. Yes, a lot of it is common sense, but we’re all lacking in that sometimes. And even the most logical person will probably still find something that they hadn’t thought of themselves. I know I certainly did.
Stanley certainly has a gender in this book. And one that he constantly delivers with a pithy sense of humour. Or at least, that’s how I read it. I loved the sass throughout and the inability to suffer fools that is so blatantly obvious. It made this quite a fun read (something I was surprised about in a how to book) and a good one to browse through at night before going to sleep.
July 8, 2019
You could always try hitting an insomniac on the head with this book, because frankly it’ll be more use than reading it to them. ‘Dr’ Neil Stanley - who quickly confesses he has no medical qualifications to be writing about dreamland - provides little in the way of advice beyond endlessly repeated variations of ‘we’re all different, find out what works for yourself and stick to it.’ No kidding, Captain Kirk. He’s quite tetchy about other people’s supposed cures and theories, which, given he offers little in return may strike the reader as ungenerous, but what he does offer is a useful summary of current advice and a debunk of some of the more crackpot stuff (hard boiled egg and macadamia nuts coated in olive oil as a midnight snack, anyone?) Given it’s received wisdom now not to use electronic devices just before bed, I suppose you could read this before hitting the sack. You’ll be out like a light.
January 14, 2023
I don’t know why I didn’t expect that media would play such a role in what I thought I knew about sleep - but I found myself continually surprised by all the myths and pop culture I had mistakenly assimilated as fact. This book was good for taking a scientific look at what we know - and don’t - know about sleep.
Having said that, there’s something about the writer’s dry humor and sarcasm, paired with the way he often talked down to the readers or shamed people for their assumptions that really rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it’s because I listened to the book on audiobooks, rather than read it, but I found it off putting. There was simply no need to rag on people for the way they live their lives or things they believe. It came across as pompous, when I think the intention was to draw the stark parallel between fact and fiction (or good marketing). I still walked away learning a lot but would recommend reading this one, rather than listening unless you want a lecture.
Having said that, there’s something about the writer’s dry humor and sarcasm, paired with the way he often talked down to the readers or shamed people for their assumptions that really rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it’s because I listened to the book on audiobooks, rather than read it, but I found it off putting. There was simply no need to rag on people for the way they live their lives or things they believe. It came across as pompous, when I think the intention was to draw the stark parallel between fact and fiction (or good marketing). I still walked away learning a lot but would recommend reading this one, rather than listening unless you want a lecture.
May 22, 2021
I found the content of this book was not at all what the title and back of the book promised. It felt like a majority of the book was spent with the author just explaining why everyone else was wrong every time they made any sleeping recommendations, but HE was right about everything. But he barely gave any genuine advice, and all of the advice could be boiled down effectively to, “do things that make you sleepy”. I was really excited for this book, as I’ve REALLY been struggling with sleep recently. But don’t feel I’ve gained anything. And I have never written a review on a book before, and I HATE leaving negative reviews on anything (I’ll often choose to leave a score blank than give a book a low one), but this book was just so disappointing and not helpful that I want to warn anyone who was optimistic about it like me.
March 19, 2021
I picked up this book solely due to the recommendation of an amusing image I saw online (https://imgur.com/cnC4bhK) and I'm glad that I asked the library to get it and didn't buy it myself because holy crap is the author condescending. There are a couple of small nuggets of useful information here and there, which is why it gets as high a rating as it does, but the author's attitude ranges from bored indifference to outright mockery. Most of the mockery is aimed at sleep myths, but not all of it, and a lot of it can be summed up as "if you believe this, you're just silly, I am a sleep doctor, don't listen to these other 'experts', listen to me instead because I am an expert, my goodness you are silly".
April 8, 2021
Embarrassing level of written English, simplistic and unoriginal guidance, and incredibly poor evidencing.
This book was a total waste of time and I'm glad I didn't have to pay for it. It's so badly written, full of mistakes, with what seems like no editing.
The sleep guidance is more like a series of blogs written by a teenager, and there are no referencing to back up the author's claim or to provide further reading.
I followed the author online to read his posts and found one where he explains that the people who do not appreciate his book "don't have a brain". The peak of arrogance coming from someone who cannot punctuate a simple sentence.
I won't hold my breath for the sequel!
This book was a total waste of time and I'm glad I didn't have to pay for it. It's so badly written, full of mistakes, with what seems like no editing.
The sleep guidance is more like a series of blogs written by a teenager, and there are no referencing to back up the author's claim or to provide further reading.
I followed the author online to read his posts and found one where he explains that the people who do not appreciate his book "don't have a brain". The peak of arrogance coming from someone who cannot punctuate a simple sentence.
I won't hold my breath for the sequel!
August 27, 2019
Libro de autoayuda para dormir mejor. No me ha aportado nada nuevo, porque los consejos que da el autor son los que ya conoce todo el mundo. Echa por tierra algunos mitos y leyendas para conseguir un mejor sueño, como imaginarse que uno está en el trabajo, y cepillarse la lengua, entre otros muchos de los que nunca había oído hablar.
Lo único que me ha quedado claro es la importancia de evitar el uso de aparatos electrónicos al menos 45 minutos antes de irse a dormir, y que lo que funciona para una persona puede no hacerlo con otra, porque todos somos diferentes.
Lo único que me ha quedado claro es la importancia de evitar el uso de aparatos electrónicos al menos 45 minutos antes de irse a dormir, y que lo que funciona para una persona puede no hacerlo con otra, porque todos somos diferentes.
February 5, 2023
A person might think that an author writing about sleep would know the difference between the verbs ‘to lie’ and ‘to lay’, but that is certainly not the case here. Nor did the editor… editors are still a thing, right?… catch any one of the multiple times the author said “while laying in bed”X. That should be “while lying in bed”. There was also an over-use of ‘etc.’, one of my major pet peeves in writing. If the author can’t be bothered to take the time and effort to finish their own sentences, why on earth would they expect a reader to put in that time and effort?
November 27, 2023
Reason for reading this: one night last month someone thought it wouldn’t be a problem to work on their car outside my window until 2am so at some point I started looking up audiobooks and this one came up. I thought it was funnily appropriate even though I’m not the one with the sleep problems and should have just passed the suggestion to the thoughtless person who obviously is the one not sleeping enough.
Not that there is much advice on helping you get to sleep and more of a general study on the topic.
Not that there is much advice on helping you get to sleep and more of a general study on the topic.
July 18, 2024
the author came a bit bashing other 'sleep' experts. Matter of fact, if the people are getting value from paying other people solving their sleep problems, I see no problem in there.
He repeatedly 'exposes' other pseudo science sleep experts, yet himself lacks the medical credentials lol
I liked the style of writing yet it contained spelling mistakes as others noted e.g. saying espresso as expresso lol
The book is not structured at all, it's quite random.
Overall I got a few helpful bits, but Why We Sleep is much better sleep imho.
He repeatedly 'exposes' other pseudo science sleep experts, yet himself lacks the medical credentials lol
I liked the style of writing yet it contained spelling mistakes as others noted e.g. saying espresso as expresso lol
The book is not structured at all, it's quite random.
Overall I got a few helpful bits, but Why We Sleep is much better sleep imho.
November 19, 2019
Audio book, listened to it on Chirp.
I enjoyed listening to this.
The author gives practical information about sleep. He cuts though much of the junk presented by self-proclaimed 'Sleep Experts' and gives some good common sense tips. He states that sleeps needs vary by person as much as height.
In the appendix are some 300 or so tips for sleeping well that have been gathered up from all types of sources. Some of them are quite funny!
The book is entertaining and informational.
I enjoyed listening to this.
The author gives practical information about sleep. He cuts though much of the junk presented by self-proclaimed 'Sleep Experts' and gives some good common sense tips. He states that sleeps needs vary by person as much as height.
In the appendix are some 300 or so tips for sleeping well that have been gathered up from all types of sources. Some of them are quite funny!
The book is entertaining and informational.
January 3, 2022
This was the worst book ever written! Omg I literally cannot believe how hopeless this had made me! Basically this doctor wants me to sleep alone in a dark cold room! That is all - nothing else works ur just throwing ur money away! Buy a good mattress and kick ur partner to the spare bed! Everything else is a waste of time money and resources!
I mean he’s right probably! But damn what a bad book!
I mean he’s right probably! But damn what a bad book!
April 8, 2019
Agree: from my own lived experience - CBT for insomnia doesn’t work for everyone, because we have different bodies with different needs.
Disagree: men & women have different sleep needs because biological determinism. That stuff is shit.
Disagree: mindfulness _may_ work, but the activities of mindfulness are silly (deep breathing, humming).
Disagree: ableist framework.
Disagree: men & women have different sleep needs because biological determinism. That stuff is shit.
Disagree: mindfulness _may_ work, but the activities of mindfulness are silly (deep breathing, humming).
Disagree: ableist framework.
May 14, 2020
This is a bad book. Author barely discusses how to sleep well, but he went over many unnecessary details that had nothing to do with sleep. Also, the personal information about author was unnecessary and arrogant and the writing is just bad. Also, there are so many mistakes in this book. If you want to read a great book about sleep check Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker.
February 4, 2019
This is a self help book that is of little help. If you suffer from insomnia as i do you're better of saving yourself the money and getting a bottle of wine of which is more likely to help you get to sleep than this book.
July 25, 2019
Arrogant, unqualified author cannot be bothered to finish his sentences with periods half the time.
There are a ton of spelling mistakes throughout the book, and the overall tone is highly unprofessional.
Contents brings nothing new.
Not recommended.
There are a ton of spelling mistakes throughout the book, and the overall tone is highly unprofessional.
Contents brings nothing new.
Not recommended.
December 11, 2019
It should have been titled "WHY to Sleep Well", which I already know. What I was looking for was some ideas on HOW that are not already common knowledge. Sadly, this book contained not one iota of new or useful information
February 8, 2020
Sleeping
I enjoyed reading to this book.
There were many interesting things that I did not know about sleep.
I wanted to know more on shift work which this book covers this topic really well.
I would like to thank the author for sharing this book to us.
I enjoyed reading to this book.
There were many interesting things that I did not know about sleep.
I wanted to know more on shift work which this book covers this topic really well.
I would like to thank the author for sharing this book to us.
September 30, 2020
It's OK but I definitely should have gotten the paper book listened to the audio. That way I could have just skipped to the relevant parts. Most of the book about why sleep is important and what doesn't work. About 5% is actually tips about sleeping.
May 28, 2019
Aimed at insomniacs but also has good tips for ‘normal sleepers’ who sometimes struggle with getting to sleep
November 12, 2019
Not what I expected, definitely will cause some to question what they have heard about sleeping.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews