How to Sleep
What You Need to Know . . . about getting a good night's sleep
Fragmented sleep can disrupt the normal pattern of sleep phases, resulting in a less fruitful or constructive night of sleep. Even if you get eight hours sleep every night, you may feel foggy or fuddled when you wake due to a light or restless sleep. This means that your sleep cycle is not right, something is preventing your brain from entering the deep sleep and exiting the deep sleep that you need. Our bodies and minds have their own rhythms for sleep, it is biologically ingrained in us to sleep a certain way, but due to the pace, stresses and 24-hour always-on nature of our post-industrial society, we have strayed further and further away from what we naturally need to achieve deep sleep.
Sleep deprivation has been shown to have a negative impact on mood, attention, memory, and overall quality of life. Furthermore, sleep-wake disorders such as insomnia, apnea and narcolepsy have been linked to serious health problems such as hypertension, diabetes and heart disease. Luckily, it is not all as negative as it sounds. This book will help you understand the necessity of sleep, the problems that occur when sleep goes wrong and how to fix them. We also explore the fascinating history of sleep and how ancient cultures viewed and regarded sleep. Reading through these chapters will give you a greater appreciation of how good quality sleep can benefit and change your life. You will learn how to help yourself get a better night's sleep, how to identify sleep problems that you may have and how to solve them. Everyone deserves a good night's sleep!
