Secret Life of Sleep

By Kat Duff

Embark on an exploration of what lies behind our eyelids when we surrender to the secret life of sleep.

What makes us cross the line from waking to slumber? According to Harvard scientists it’s our 'sleep switch' – a cluster of neurons in the hypothalamus. For the ancient Greeks it was the god Hypnos, caressing you with his wings. For the Blackfeet Indians, a butterfly.

From the meaning of dreams to the dangers of sleeping pills, Kat Duff brings insights from the latest in sleep science, the paintings of Salvador Dali, the musings of Michel de Montaigne, and rituals from around the world to paint a portrait of an activity that we all cherish but know little about. Why do we sleep? What happens in our brains when we sleep? Why are sleep patterns in Western industrialised countries so unhealthy? Is the boundary between sleep and wakefulness as clear cut as we might have supposed?

Tackling the full breadth of what sleep means to us, The Secret Life of Sleep blends cutting-edge research with captivating narrative to explore a hidden world that is both intimate and mysterious.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Release date: Apr 3, 2014
• ISBN: 9781780744162

Kat Duff

Kat Duff is the award-winning author of The Alchemy of Illness and has written for Parabola Magazine and Ink and Ashes. Duff lives in northern New Mexico, where she works as a licensed counselor in private practice.

Reviews for Secret Life of Sleep

[pencilstubs-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.I often wonder if I have delayed sleep disorder since my sleep/wake cycle naturally occurs a few hours later than most people (and the demands of society) unless I force myself to sleep/wakefulness with pills and an alarm clock. I thought reading a book about sleep would be interesting and provide some insight into my sleep problems. “The Secret Life of Sleep” was indeed interesting. The main topics cover going to sleep, sleeping, and waking up, with many subtopics touched upon, including the problems of using sleep aids, our perception of how well/long we slept compared to reality, how having two periods of sleep with a period of quiet wakefulness in between is better than one long sleep period, the function of dreams in learning, and the emotional, physical, and cognitive effects of sleep. The book is impressively balanced and comprehensive with many fields and viewpoints tapped. Apt quotes from authors and famous people support certain points, and the author’s research draws from historical, physiological, scientific, cultural and philosophical works. The book is a great introduction to everything sleep related, and the cited works serve as a jumping off point for further research. I have just two minor critiques: First, the author included a few personal stories to use as examples, which turned out to be either illustrative and helpful, or weak and annoying. It may have been better to leave them out. Second, though the book was well written, I did occasionally find my mind wandering and myself growing tired, which is unusual for me, so I’m thinking this book must be a dry/slow read at times. Overall, I learned a lot and was inspired to look at some topics in more detail elsewhere, so I would still recommend this to anyone wanting to know more about sleep.

[muddyboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This author is not what I would characterize as an expert on sleep but she has assembled a vast amount of information on the topic from people are - both of a historical and a contemporary nature. She deals with a vast array of topics including insomnia, sleeping aids, dreams, REM and deep sleep etc. I learned a lot for instance sleeping pills on average give people just over ten additional minutes of sleep a night and also about the damage done by continued use of energy drinks and caffeine laced products. This book I would characterized as a large collection of enlightening snippets and factoids but is easy to read and worth the time.