I sleep, you sleep, we all sleep—but… what the hell are we actually doing when we sleep? That’s the central question of this book.  

The author raises an interesting point: we all take sleep for granted but don’t actually know much about what happens when we do it. And when you really think about it, sleep is kind of messed up. You’re incredibly vulnerable, often paralyzed (but sometimes not?!), hallucinating, most of your senses are offline or dulled, and you spend a third of your life doing it. Who designed this system?  

While many of the points in this book weren’t new information, the author does a great job of connecting the dots between what most people already know, clarifying the extent of scientific understanding, and exploring the consequences of sleep deprivation. For example, everyone knows that lack of sleep is bad and causes delirium—but did you know that if you go without sleep for about two weeks, your skin will literally start cracking and bleeding and your joints will stop working? Or that sleeping well before and after getting a vaccine can double its effectiveness? Or that your dreams are “playgrounds” where you process trauma?

The book also includes plenty of practical advice on how to get better sleep, get the right kind of sleep, and prioritize rest for a healthier, more productive life. That said, it’s a bit too long and, at times, kind of boring in places—so boring in spots that it might actually put you to sleep. It’s definitely written by a professor… a professor who casually recommends day drinking… for optimal sleep, of course.  

Reading about something you’ll spend 25%-35% of your life doing is a pretty solid use of time, but this book could stand to be 25%-35% shorter—and that would make it 25%-35% better. If you just want the key takeaways for better sleep, skip to the end. But if you want all the gritty details of what’s actually happening when you close your eyes then crack this bad boy open and put on the Inception soundtrack. Also, you’ll never look at that movie or dreams the same way again.

BUY THIS BOOK