The Sleep Revolution


The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night At A Time is Arianna Huffington's latest book. In it, she tackles a subject that I'm extremely interested in: sleep. The importance of it, why we're not getting enough of it, and how we can fix it. I've become very interested in the subject of sleep lately because I am trying to radically restructure my sleep schedule and make proper sleep a major priority in my life. I've noticed a big sleep deficit in my life over the past few years, and I'm trying to get it under control and fix my sleep patterns. So I knew I'd want to read this book right away as soon as I saw it. The book description reads:

"We are in the midst of a sleep deprivation crisis, writes Arianna Huffington, the co-founder and editor in chief of The Huffington Post. And this has profound consequences – on our health, our job performance, our relationships and our happiness. What is needed, she boldly asserts, is nothing short of a sleep revolution. Only by renewing our relationship with sleep can we take back control of our lives.

In her bestseller Thrive, Arianna wrote about our need to redefine success through well-being, wisdom, wonder, and giving. Her discussion of the importance of sleep as a gateway to this more fulfilling way of living struck such a powerful chord that she realized the mystery and transformative power of sleep called for a fuller investigation.

The result is a sweeping, scientifically rigorous, and deeply personal exploration of sleep from all angles, from the history of sleep, to the role of dreams in our lives, to the consequences of sleep deprivation, and the new golden age of sleep science that is revealing the vital role sleep plays in our every waking moment and every aspect of our health – from weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease to cancer and Alzheimer’s.

In The Sleep Revolution, Arianna shows how our cultural dismissal of sleep as time wasted compromises our health and our decision-making and undermines our work lives, our personal lives -- and even our sex lives. She explores all the latest science on what exactly is going on while we sleep and dream. She takes on the dangerous sleeping pill industry, and all the ways our addiction to technology disrupts our sleep. She also offers a range of recommendations and tips from leading scientists on how we can get better and more restorative sleep, and harness its incredible power.

In today's fast-paced, always-connected, perpetually-harried and sleep-deprived world, our need for a good night’s sleep is more important – and elusive -- than ever. The Sleep Revolution both sounds the alarm on our worldwide sleep crisis and provides a detailed road map to the great sleep awakening that can help transform our lives, our communities, and our world."

The Sleep Revolution is divided into two parts. Part One: Wake-Up Call is a manifesto about sleep: topics include our current sleep crisis, the sleep industry, the history of sleep, the science behind sleep, sleep disorders, and dreams. Arianna has extensively researched and culled all the best information about sleep and presented it here. It was extremely (and surprisingly) interesting to learn about sleep. I had trouble putting the book down and was able to read it in just an afternoon. Part Two: The Way Forward is an action plan for the sleep revolution. Topics here include mastering sleep, sleeping together, dos and don'ts, napping, jet lag, work, and more. Arianna brings all the research she's found and puts it into practical applications. This is the meat of the book and what will help you change your life. There are also several appendices, including a sleep-quality questionnaire, meditations to help you fall asleep, and information about practical things such as mattresses, pillows, etc. I'm super excited to use the suggestions in this book and take back my sleep and my life. I highly recommend this book to everyone - we need to put emphasis back on our health rather than working ourselves to death.

I received a copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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