Overview

Why do we sleep? How much sleep do we really need? What causes sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and insomnia-and what can be done about these sleep disorders? Why do older people have more trouble sleeping than young people? We have all puzzled over-or been plagued by-the mysteries of sleep. Now a leading researcher on sleep provides an engaging and informative introduction to the subject that answers many of our questions. Peretz Lavie surveys the entire field of sleep research and sleep medicine-from the structure of sleep stages and the brain centers involved in sleep regulation to the reasons for and significance of dreams, the importance of sleep in maintaining good health, and the function of biological rhythms-interweaving facts with fascinating case histories, anecdotes, and personal reflections. We learn, for example, about: ⁊development of sleep patterns from infancy to adulthood and in the aged; ⁊the wide variety of sleep habits in animals; ⁊dreams of Holocaust survivors; ⁊sleep under the threat of Scud missile attacks; ⁊how melatonin influences sleep; ⁊the story of the ""Acrobat's Leap"" sleep-deprivation experiments in the Israeli army; ⁊how to treat insomnia; ⁊what to do with a baby who refuses to go to sleep; and much more. Originally published in Hebrew to great acclaim, this book will enlighten and entertain everyone interested in how and why we sleep.

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9780300074369

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An entertaining albeit at times rather academic discussion of what research has uncovered about the nature of sleep and sleep disorders. Lavie, a sleep researcher and dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, is clearly enthralled with his subject, and his enthusiasm shines through the sometimes stilted presentation. The author gives a brief history of the young field of sleep research - the first sleep recordings of brain-wave activity were conducted at Harvard in 1935, and the discovery of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the sleep of dreaming, was not made until 1953 - describes what goes on in a sleep laboratory and outlines what science has learned about biological clocks, dreams, the sleep of animals, and sleep deprivation. Memorable facts emerge: The dolphin, it seems, sleeps with half its brain awake, and humans can go without food longer than without sleep. In the second half of the book Lavie concentrates on sleep disorders and their treatment. His discussion of insomnia includes a fascinating account of research conducted in Haifa during the Gulf War, which concluded that while people were afraid to go to sleep for fear of missing the warning alarm of a Scud missile attack, once they fell asleep, they slept normally. Lavie describes the use of phototherapy, or light therapy, in the treatment of jet lag and sleep timing disorders; mechanical solutions to the problems of sleep apnea, in which the sleeper stops breathing; and the strange malady of narcolepsy, which is marked by sudden, uncontrollable attacks of daytime sleep. For parents, there are explanations of children's sleep patterns and advice on dealing with their sleep problems, and for the elderly, there are cruel truths about the fragility of sleep in old age. An eye-opening trip through the land of sleep by a thoroughly professional guide. (Kirkus Reviews)

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