Sound Asleep: The Expert Guide to Sleeping Well

by Chris Idzikowski

Overview

All too many of us are not getting the quality or amount of sleep we need. Perhaps we have difficulty drifting off, or we lie awake in the small hours, or have problems with a restless partner, or with bad dreams, or with our work-sleep patterns if we are shiftworkers or early risers. The big question is, what can we do about such problems? Who can we turn to, for a sympathetic and knowledgeable one-to-one consultation? The answer is, to one of the world's leading sleep experts: Professor Chris Idzikowski, who here reveals his wisdom in a down-to-earth and reassuring way. Sound Asleep gives you the in-depth understanding you need to make your sleep more restful, more energising and more satisfactory. The Introduction (10pp) answers four basic questions: What is sleep? What is dreaming? What is tiredness? What is fatigue? Chapter One (12pp) takes a fascinating look at the history of sleep, showing how social and environmental factors have affected human experience. Chapter Two (28pp) tells us what science has made of sleep, in a friendly, easy-to-follow style. Chapter Three (60pp) gives extensive advice on how to manage your sleep, whatever your particular circumstances or needs, with specific advice for workers, parents, drivers and flyers, as well as for dreamers and problem-solvers; also covered is our changing requirements as we age. Chapter Four (60pp) gives the same number of pages to sleep problems, including insomnia, breathing disorders, circadian clock disorders, nightmares and movement disorders. Finally, Chapter Five (26pp) is a collection of concise practical tips and guidelines, including a directory of sleeping pills and potions, from pharmaceutical stand-bys to home-brewed herbal teas.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780286167
Publisher:	Watkins Media
Publication date:	06/06/2013
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	214
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Dr. Chris Idzikowski, BSc, PhD, FBPsS, is Director of the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service at the Edinburgh Sleep Centre. A leading expert on sleep disorders, he has served as Chairman of the British Sleep Society and the Royal Society of Medicine Forum on sleep problems. He has also sat on the boards of the European Sleep Research Society and the US Sleep Research Society. He is the author of four books, including Learn to Sleep Well (Watkins).

Table of Contents

Author's acknowledgments vii

Foreword ix

Chapter 1 Sleep - an introduction 1

What is sleep? 1

What is tiredness? 2

What is dreaming? 4

How much sleep do you need? 8

You and your sleepiness 8

Chapter 2 The science of sleep 12

Scientists of sleep 12

Rhythms of the day and night 14

The brainwave revolution 17

Cycles and stages of sleep 19

The science of dreaming 22

The genetics of sleep 24

A memory for sleep 27

Your body during sleep 30

Chapter 3 Sleep hygiene - the deep sleep cleanse 37

The sleep hygiene review 37

Your sleeping space 42

Temperature control 45

Into the darkness 49

Noise and sleep 50

Making your bed 54

Rituals for sleep 59

The lifestyle factor 64

Chapter 4 Sleep, ageing and gender 74

Sleeping babies, rested children 74

Teens to twenties 81

Sleep and older age 85

Sleeping beauty, sleeping lion 90

Chapter 5 Good sleep guides for workers, parents, dreamers and more 102

A worker's guide to good sleep 102

A shift worker's guide to good sleep 105

A driver's guide to good sleep 108

A flyer's guide to good sleep 112

An athlete's guide to good sleep 117

A performer's guide to good sleep 121

A student's guide to good sleep 123

A parents' guide to good sleep 127

A dreamer's guide to good sleep 130

A problem-solver's guide to good sleep 135

Chapter 6 Sleep disorders - step by step 137

Sleep disorders classified 137

Insomnia: an overview 139

Adjustment insomnia 143

Psychophysiological insomnia 148

Other forms of insomnia 150

Narcolepsy 154

Parasomnias 158

Circadian rhythm sleep disorders 166

Sleep-related breathing disorders 170

Restless leg syndrome 178

Isolated symptoms, normal variants and unresolved issues 180

Nightmares 182

Mental disorder insomnia 185

Chapter 7 Pills, potions and therapies 188

Conventional medicine 188

Sleep centres 192

Complementary medicine 198

Gadgets, gizmos and the World Wide Web 200

Conclusion 207

Resources 208

Index 209

Editorial Reviews

Lazy college kids may claim to be experts when it comes to sleep, but they’ve got nothing on Idzikowski (Learn to Sleep Well) and his decidedly wide-eyed and active explorations of the Land of Nod. He’s the director of the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service, an Edinburgh, Scotland–based research and consultancy group dedicated to the study of sleep, and here he covers everything from the nature of dozing and dreaming to the disorders and poor habits that can infringe on getting a good night’s rest. Scientific topics covered include the different kinds of brainwaves and how they relate to the 90-minute sleep cycle and REM sleep, as well as more speculative subjects like lucid dreaming and the causes of nightmares. Idzikowski provides self-assessments tooled to help the reader determine his or her level of “sleep hygiene,” while also giving suggestions on how to practically improve one’s sleep, including removing distractions from the bedroom, establishing a presleep ritual (preferably one that doesn’t involve a nightcap), and even practicing yoga. There are also tips for parents struggling to get their kids to conk out, and for those unable to do so themselves, Idzikowksi discusses a range of sleep disorders, from insomnia to sleep apnea, and possible solutions. Accessible, informative, and light enough to read in bed (though Idzikowski would advise against it), this guide will get readers dozing in no time. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"Lazy college kids may claim to be experts when it comes to sleep, but they've got nothing on Idzikowski and his decidedly wide-eyed and active exploration of the Land of Nod ... Accessible, informative, and light enough to read in bed ... this guide will get readers dozing in no time."
- Publishers Weekly (May 6, 2013)

From the Publisher