Nodding Off: The Science of Sleep from Cradle to Grave

Description

Getting a good night's sleep on a regular basis is essential to living a happy and healthy life, but why is it harder for some of us than others? How do our sleeping patterns change throughout our lives, and what are the long-term effects for bad sleepers? These are the types of questions that jump into every person's head while they toss and turn, unable to 'drop off'. Sleep is important to the way we learn, remember and forget, to how we feel about family and partners, as well as to our wellbeing and our mental and physical health. In fact, it is essential for life itself. Nodding Off: Sleep from the Cradle to the Grave explores every aspect of sleep, from the different stages of sleep and how our sleeping patterns change throughout our lives, to what happens when things go wrong and getting some shut-eye becomes more of a trial than a pleasure. In Nodding Off, renowned sleep researcher Alice Gregory takes the reader on a scientific journey though slumber. Using cutting-edge findings in the field, she tackles the big questions, such as How do things that happen before we are even born affect our sleep? How do genes influence the way we sleep? What sleep problems should raise a red flag in children? What are the consequences of sleep problems in the elderly? Most of us spend a large proportion of our lives asleep without ever thinking about why we do this. Nodding Off lifts the lid on this mysterious past time. It examines all of the biggest sleep secrets, and Professor Gregory provides solutions to some of the common sleep problems that people suffer throughout their lives.

Alice Gregory is a highly respected expert on sleep throughout development. She has been researching sleep for more than a decade and has published more than 100 articles on this and associated topics. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Oxford, her PhD at the Institute of Psychiatry, London, and is currently a Reader at Goldsmiths, University of London. Gregory collaborates widely with other sleep experts throughout the world, and has the latest research on sleep at her fingertips. As a parent of two young children herself, she is well qualified to provide an informed, friendly and amusing narrative on the important issue of sleep.

While extolling the virtues of sleep and its fundamental importance to our health, Gregory reveals some interesting tidbits. * Science * Nodding Off is a well paced and engaging read. * Chemistry World * A revealing new book [...] covers every aspect of sleep [...] For those who have insomnia, this book may help, since knowledge is power. * The Scotsman * Professor Alice Gregory [...] has proved that sleep science, far from being an exhausted topic, is an endlessly fascinating rabbit hole of surprising facts, discoveries and counter-intuitions. * Sleep Junkies * Shares real life stories as well as insightful discussions with other sleep experts to answer key questions on all things sleep and sleeplessness. * OM Yoga and Lifestyle * Alice Gregory has written an engaging and accessible book that guides the reader through sleep-related issues from birth until old age. This is no dry academic tome but instead a lively tour of all aspects of sleep from an expert in the field. Highly recommended! -- Chris French, Professor of Psychology and Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit, Goldsmiths, University of London I sat reading Nodding Off during the course of a few sleepless, heavily jet-lagged nights. In its pages, Alice Gregory offers a compendious journey through the ages of sleep. Her expertise and passion for the subject infuses this most readable book. It is an authoritative addition to this often-neglected field. * Ben Holden, editor of Bedtime Stories for Grown-Ups, Poems That Make Grown Men Cry and Poems That Make Grown Women Cry. * Sleep matters! That is the battle cry of Nodding Off. Everyone who wants a good night's sleep should read Alice Gregory's excellent book on the science of sleep from birth through adulthood. -- Jodi A. Mindell, author of Sleeping Through the Night and Chair of the Pediatric Sleep Council and website BabySleep.com