Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep

I read this book simply for leisure- honestly, because I thoroughly enjoy a good nap, and as a self-proclaimed sleep enthusiast, I thought it might be interesting. I was right, this book is fascinating. I learned a lot, though it's a bit disconcerting to discover how little scientists actually know about the science of sleep. It's a pretty easy read, the facts and figures don't bog it down too much. They're all relevant and incorporated in a skillful way, so I finished this book in a day or two.

Some sections are entertaining, but as you get into the book, the author's relatively narrow focus and inexperience as a science writer become apparent. If you are looking for a broad introduction to sleep science, look elsewhere...

Dreamland was interesting. It would be a good read for someone interested in sleep science but who is not into scientific jargon. I enjoyed the history section especially, but felt that some areas of the book needed more editing and/or cut.

If you are interested in sleep from an academic perspective, i.e., you do not suffer from any type of sleep disorder but still find the topic interesting, then you may like this book. If, however, you would like to learn something that might provide guidance on how to address your own sleep problem(s), then this book offers nothing of any significance. What do we learn about this author and his particular quest for healthy sleep--yoga and better sleep hygiene in terms of room temperature and dimming the lights the hour before sleep. And exercise may or may not help depending on your attitude towards your particular exercise regime and your own personal assessment of your overall physical fitness or lack thereof. And you might try using the ZEO machine, which, by the way, does not fare very well in terms of reviews on the store. Maybe this continues to be the state of sleep science in terms of addressing issues such as the ability to sleep through the night. The lack of any specific guidance on addressing this and other more common sleep issues supports just such a depressing conclusion, or it indicates that the author just didn't want to address these more prosaic sleep challenges.

Gathers a good deal of recent research on sleep and applies to the sleep issues many have. Useful to a point. But finally wanders a bit too much; and we learn more about the author's sleep issues than we really need to know.

Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep by David K. Randall

“Dreamland" is a fun journey through the little known world of sleep. Senior reporter and adjunct professor of journalism at New York University, David K. Randall relays a series of stories, and recent research that will help readers gain a better understanding and appreciation for the impact of sleep. This interesting popular-science 291-page book includes the following thirteen chapters: 1. I Know What You Did Last Night, 2. Light My Fire, 3. Between the Sheets, 4. And Baby Makes Three, 5. What Dreams May Come, 6. Sleep on It, 7. The Weapon “Z”, 8. Bumps in the Night, 9. Game Time, 10. Breathe Easy, 11. Counting Sheep, 12. Mr. Sandman, and Good Night.

Positives:
1. A well-researched and well-written book. A touch of humor, wit and lively research.
2. The fascinating and often overlooked subject of sleep. “Sleep is so important, yet so poorly understood.”
3. The book flows very well. Randall has done a very good job of combining sound research, lively stories and practical information into one interesting and accessible book.
4. Goes through the five stages of sleep. “The final stage is REM sleep, so named because of the rapid movements of your eyes dancing against your eyelids. In this type of sleep, the brain is as active as it is when it is awake. This is when most dreams occur.”
5. Ancient beliefs in sleep. “The immortal family tree made this clear: Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep, was the twin brother of Thanatos, the god of death, and their mother was the goddess of night.”
6. Book shares many interesting tidbits on sleep. “Maintaining a healthy sleep schedule is now thought of as one of the best forms of preventative medicine.”
7. Explains the differences between sleep today and of our ancestors, and why that is. “Too much artificial light can stop the body from releasing melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate sleep.”
8. Mind-blowing findings. “If a woman lived in a place where it was bright enough outside to read a book at midnight, she had a 73 percent higher risk of developing breast cancer than a peer who lived in a neighborhood that remained dark after the sun went down.”
9. A look at fatigue management. “Work schedules that recognize the importance of sleep and the constraints of the human body can also save lives.”
10. The changing attitudes of sharing a bed with spouse or loved one explored.
11. Good advice on how to get children to sleep. Different philosophies explored.
12. Investigations into dreams. “Dement’s discovery that the brain is as active during REM sleep as it is when a person is awake transformed sleep research.”
13. Dreaming and its relation to creative thought, is there something to it? “That sleep—especially REM sleep—could be a time when the mind solves a problem makes intuitive sense.”
14. The impact of sleep. “Success depended on practice, plus a night of sleep.” “Companies such as Google, Nike, Procter & Gamble, and Cisco Systems have installed designated napping areas in their offices. The idea is that naps may allow engineers and designers to arrive at creative solutions more quickly than they would by staying awake all day.”
15. My favorite chapter, The Weapon “Z”. “No drug or procedure has been found to replicate and replace the benefits of sleep. It is unlikely that there ever will be. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency—the Pentagon division responsible for the invention of the Internet and the stealth bomber—concluded as much in 2007 after many tries.”
16. The fascinating topic of sleepwalking; a look at court cases. “When someone is sleepwalking, the parts of the brain that control movement and spatial awareness are awake, while the parts of the brain responsible for consciousness are still asleep.”
17. An interesting look at the circadian rhythm. “By picking the West Coast team every time, someone would have beaten the point spread 70 percent of the time. For gamblers in Las Vegas, the matchup was as good as found money.”
18. Sleep disorders, sleep apnea. “A 1992 report by the National Commission on Sleep Disorders estimated that sleep apnea was the cause of thirty-eight thousand fatal heart attacks and strokes in the United States each year.” “It was then given the name apnea, from the Greek word for breathless.
19. The truth behind the sleeping industry; pharmaceuticals and mattresses. “At the same time, the temperature of the feet and hands increases as the body gives off heat through its periphery, which explains why some people like to have their feet sticking out of the covers as they fall asleep.”
20. A formal bibliography included.

Negatives:
1. Randall acknowledges that sleep science is in its infancy but the book does lack scientific rigor.
2. Lack of supplementary material. Charts, diagrams would have complemented the narrative.
3. Lack citations a must for any popular science book.
4. I was expecting to learn a lot more than I did.
5. Some missed opportunities. I would have added a chapter on how different populations sleep in a chart format.

In summary, this is a solid popular-science book on sleep. It’s amazing how little we know on such an important part of our lives. Randall does a commendable job of sharing what we know about sleep through stories that combine the latest in research and a touch of wit. Two main quibbles: lack of citations and lack of scientific rigor. A recommended read.

Further recommendations: “The Twenty-Four Hour Mind” by Rosalind Cartwright, “The Secret World of Sleep” by Penelope A. Lewis, “The Secret Life of Sleep” by Kat Duff, “Sleep: A Very Short Introduction” by Steven W. Lockley, “Sleep: A Closer Look at the Damaging Effects of Sleep deprivation on Health and Wellbeing” by Joey Lott, and “Incognito” by David Eagleman,

I have had poor sleeping habits forever and have read many of the popular books on sleep science. I have had sleep tests. I have consulted with sleep specialists.

This turned out to be one of the most interesting "sleep" books that I have read.

It is a series of essays on surprising sleep science discoveries. Most are recent.
For example, it starts with the curious historical descriptions that before artificial light was available, that many authors wrote that people did not sleep through the night. Instead they talked about a "first sleep" and a "second sleep" with a wakeup period in between.

The author starts with a description of his sleep walking problems that lead him to investigate what is known about sleep and to write this book. There is an interesting chapter on how the legal system has been struggling with crimes people commit when they are sleep walking and not really conscious.

The book ends with a chapter with suggestions on improving your sleep. The author describes here his, mostly positive, experiences with the Zeos sleep monitoring device. (I had used a Zeos for about a year and liked it.).

The book does not cover basic information about sleep cycles, etc. It sort of assumes that you are familiar with those ideas.

When did I become I "citation PLEASE" person? Did books used to give more of them or have I become someone who requires them more?

That's my major criticism of this book. References to studies or people spoken to, but no direct citations. I suspect the whole phenomenon of the internet has made me suspicious of people who claim to have special knowledge.

The chapter on, mostly, the history of co-sleeping was fascinating. I've read other books and articles about co-sleeping (as adults) but haven't read much about the history of it. I wish there had been more than just one chapter of that.

"scientists once tried to ask a gorilla who knew sign language whether or not she dreamed at night, but the gorilla's attempt to rip the researcher's pants off put a quick end to that." Really? Did that happen? It appears as just a stupid attempt at humor without a citation. And, yes, as a librarian I know how to search and find out on my own if there's a record of this. I shouldn't have to.

"Dement organized studies of this stage of sleep in infants, women, and thos with mental illnesses..." That this sentence doesn't have any further explanation regarding the choice of subjects perturbs me. It may have been logical for Dement at the time; it's not ok for Randall to let it go without comment.

Could've been much higher on the star scale, but NO index, and NO footnotes nor endnotes. No, a bibliography does not suffice.

Very readable book covering what we know (not a ton) about sleep - its mechanics, its impact on health, its history. Written for laymen and easily understood, sometimes the author contradicts himself a bit (quotes someone as saying lack of sleep won't kill you a few chapters after they discuss how extreme sleep deprivation can do just that), but you will likely still learn something. The author has a sense of humor and the book is a quick, if not earth shattering, read. Interesting enough to pass the time but it won't keep you up all night.

This very talented author makes reading facts and figures about sleep something to keep you up at night because it is so fascinating and fun to read! Mr. Randall gives a very succinct summary of a wide variety of aspects of sleep, from who you sleep with to the first CPAP made from a vacuum cleaner. Each chapter is a new adventure in another mystery about sleep. I borrowed the book from the library and after the 10th post-it marking a particular section I decided I needed to buy my own copy! If you or a loved one has sleep issues, this is the book for you. It gives enough description about each aspect that it can help identify what the problem might be and could send you in the right direction for professional help, all while giving you a great read.

As someone who has suffered from insomnia and sleepwalking, the subject of sleep fascinates me and finds it's way into much of my own fiction writing. I picked up this book based on an interview with the author that aired on NPR. It sounded like it would be a book full of in depth research and new theories and information on sleep and sleep disorders.
There were some very interesting parts of the book. The theories on the way our ancestors slept and why, as well as the evolution of sleep, provided some new information that I had not previously known. Unfortunately, much of the book, although well researched and well written, provides nothing new or enlightening.
I found myself, after the first four chapters, skimming and even skipping entire chapters, such as the chapter dedicated to the importance of sleep on war. Much of that seemed like it had been thrown in as filler, just as much of the anecdotal stories and the repetitive points made in certain chapters.
If you know little about sleep and sleep disorders, you will likely find much of this book interesting and informative. If you have read other academic writings on this subject, you are more likely to be disappointed.
So, I give the book three stars because I cannot say it is a bed book. Clearly the author did a great deal of research and work in putting it together. However, It is geared toward a certain audience, those who are maybe just finding an interest in reading about this fascinating and mysterious subject.

An excellent beginners text addressing the value & function of human sleep, a particularly significant species wide requirement. The author, David Randall begins to scientifically unfold why our quality in conscious experience of each days sleep, essentially purchases our waking times integrity. Sound sleep with good architecture; spacing between REM cycles, length & shape of REM peaks, & smoothness of falling asleep & awaking, cues up you whole day & learning from previous day activities. Insufficient sleep is hard on the CV system, impacts learning, memory, & self-regulation, adjusts the endocrine system, calibrated consciousness experience of pain,& negatively effects decision making quality.

David Randall is one of the thousands of Americans who suffers from a sleeping disorder. After waking up in strange places and having several complaints from his wife about his antics through the night, he decided to take matters into his own hands. Randall looked to cure his sleepwalking by studying the history of sleep and seeking the knowledge of various academics involved in the science. After sorting through dozens of studies and speaking to professionals in varying fields, he realized that sleep is a complicated process that doesn't have a one-step fix. He concluded that sleep is influenced by multiple aspects of our daily lives and is characterized by numerous changes in the body. As a college student interested in neuroscience and the various aspects of sleep, this book was a perfect read that provided solid information about sleep science and grabbed my attention with riveting stories in every chapter.

Each chapter in Dreamland addresses a specific question about sleep, the relevant data surrounding the subject, and its connection to everyday life. One chapter that was particularly interesting was revolved around the United States military. How does the lack of sleep affect the soldiers in Iraq? The soldiers provide a great example of how important sleep is to our cognitive functions. After being deprived of sleep for weeks on end, the American soldiers could no longer recognize their own troops and began attacking their own forces- losing two tanks and several soldiers to friendly fire. There was also a noticeable increase in altercations between American soldiers and Iraqi civilians, thereby hindering the American imagine in the war.

Another question that sparked my interest was “is a man who murders in his sleep guilty of his crime?” Randall introduces this story with the details of the life of a seemingly ordinary man, Ken Parks. Ken innocently fell asleep one night, only to wake up to see his in laws brutally murdered and blood coating his hands. It was concluded that Ken had experienced a violent sleepwalking episode when he committed the murder, but was he guilty? Because his body was acting independently from his mind, he was not aware of his actions and could not be held liable. With this example, the audience sees how understanding sleep is not only important to improve our everyday lives, but also our society and legal system.

After considering his research, Randall based his sleep quality on a ZQ rating- a rating that quantifies how long you were in specific stages of sleep. By changing small details in his daily routine, Randall was able to go from a rating of 68 to 94. The improvements were spectacular. He felt more refreshed through the day, had improved information recognition, reduced his anxiety levels, and became more aware of his body when it came to sleep. These results inspired me to take the necessary steps to improve my sleeping habits, which made this book worth more than a good bedtime read.

The importance of sleep and its relevance to everyday life is undeniable. After reading Dreamland, I realize that sleep has a strong influence over our culture, economy, education, and health. Randall addresses these topics, along with how to improve your sleep, with a relatively simple syntax and immense detail surrounding each subject- making Dreamland accessible to any audience. Because Randall used simple definitions and vocabulary, the presented information is easy to understand and is also all the more fun to read.

However, I would not choose Dreamland if you are looking for more of an academic piece revolving around scientific content. Randall does not address the exact receptors or mechanisms in the brain involved in sleep. For instance, if he had been more specific about what makes us fall asleep- besides melatonin and changing brain waves- I feel like this book would have more academic merit. Although the book does include a great deal of research and scientific thought, the details regarding sleep could easily be found with a Google search. What makes Dreamland worth the read is Randall’s poetic storytelling abilities, his connections to everyday life, and a solid foundation of sleep science.

Introduction
David K. Randall is a recently published writer and a sleep columnist for the New York Times. His first book, Dreamland (2012) is a New York Times bestseller that reviews a variety of sleep habits such as co-sleeping with an infant and sleepwalking resulting in malicious murder. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of sleep, intriguing the reader with constant new information. Randall’s book is highly appealing to a broad audience because it is an easy, humorous read that is likely to have at least one chapter of interest for bookworms and scholars alike. Dreamland demonstrates how a good night’s sleep is vital to the human body, while also showing how ignoring this vitality is detrimental. The book is not, however, a book of instructions on how to achieve a better night’s sleep, but rather discusses sleep related problems with real life examples to portray each one. In my opinion, Dreamland should have incorporated more of the scientific research behind sleep’s mechanisms, involving the results of brain scans and tests, while also providing insight from sleep researchers or neuroscientists. This expert perspective would have been useful, given that sleep is an activity we spend one third of our lives doing.

Summary
Dreamland is divided into thirteen chapters that each reviews a different aspect of sleep. Topics such as sleep disorders, prescription sleep aides and Randall’s personal experiences interest the readers in every chapter. Throughout the book, Randall exemplifies how researchers are getting rid of the old saying, “early to bed, early to rise.” He begins by characterizing sleep patterns among various age groups, starting with infants and finishing with the elderly. Babies sleep an average of 16-17 hours a day, half of which is spent in the stage of rapid eye movement (REM). Next, Randall highlights that the adolescent brain does not begin to produce the natural sleep aide, melatonin, until almost 11:00pm. This statistic implies that school-aged adolescents are receiving an average of six and a half hours of sleep every night, only three-quarters the recommended amount. Consequentially, this sleep deprivation increases the likelihood of depression and suicidal thoughts while also lowering test scores. Randall further emphasizes this sleep detriment by exemplifying a school in Edina, Minnesota that chose to delay the beginning of the school day by 45 minutes. Their experiment found that students’ SAT test scores increased by more than 200 points, a difference in which the researchers attributed to getting more sleep. Finally, Randall discusses sleeping patterns of the elderly, who follow the pattern early to bed, early to rise. They tend to fall asleep earlier than children and adults; however, they only stay asleep an average of four hours at a time.

Scientific Evidence
The main purpose of Dreamland is not to give the neuroscientific breakdown of sleep in the brain. Nevertheless, it does briefly explain the brain’s activity while in different sleep stages. Randall describes how the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) detects light in the eye and relays this sensory information to the pituitary gland to keep oneself awake. Conversely, when the SCN detects a lack of light, this information is relayed to the pituitary gland to make oneself sleepy.
Finally, Randall finishes the book by discussing the 20 million people who have problems sleeping in America, which he blames on the obesity rate. There is a strong correlation between obesity and sleep apnea due to the excess fatty tissue blocking the airway. To treat sleep apnea, the author claims that one-quarter of Americans take highly addictive benzodiazepines, which are agonists that act on serotonin receptors in the brain to mimic and increase its feeling of sleepiness. Randall warns against using medication and instead recommends natural remedies such as meditation, tea, or melatonin as to not alter the chemistry of the brain.

Evaluation
Due to its lack of supporting scientific research, I would rate Dreamland 4 out of 5 stars, and I would not recommend it to a reader looking for a scientific perspective behind sleep function. Dreamland highlights case studies and instances of abnormal sleep function, but it does not provide insight as to why these rarities occur. Although much is still unknown about human sleep patterns, Dreamland should include further scientific detail. The book is a light read that appeals to a broad audience by incorporating humor. Furthermore, everyone on this planet is forced to sleep on a regular basis, so the book surely has something to teach all readers.
Each chapter highlights a scenario, a case study and an outcome. For example, in the chapter entitled Bumps in the Night, Randall talks about a man named Ken Parks who murdered his mother and father-in-law in his sleep, then reported it directly to the police while still sleeping. He had had no motive to kill the innocent parent-in-laws, and when he was confronted about it once more in the hospital, he responded, “Did I have anything to do with it?” He did not remember a thing (157). This parasomnia occurs when parts of the brain responsible for consciousness are essentially deactivated; meanwhile the parts that control movement and spatial awareness are still active (158). To solve the murder case, a team of medical experts, psychiatrists and sleep researchers were questioned as a part of trial. In the end, Parks was declared innocent. Unfortunately though, not all those who go on trial for murder that they committed in their sleep are found innocent – Ken Parks was a rarity. Cramer Bornemann, the lawyer who reviewed Park’s case, has seen more than 130 people claiming the same crime since Parks’ recent event. Although his methodology is not thoroughly explained, Parks says that his tactic is to look for brain activity that would have implied consciousness at the time of the event. As demonstrated above, sleep can be a mysterious aspect of our lives that may result in a variety of unintentional nightly activities. To read more about these exciting events, I suggest reading the New York Times bestseller, Dreamland by David K. Randall.

****
"Randall emphasizes the too-often neglected common-sense realization that sleep is no void; rather, it is perhaps one-third of the puzzle to living well. The author also notes that sleep is not an undifferentiated continuum; the most restful sleep arrives in five stages ..."--Kirkus Reviews
*

Sleep is a universal phenomenon among warm-blooded vertebrates, mammals and birds, who exhibit plain rapid eye movement sleep, most people go through each night. I took sleep for granted, until as a teenager, I encountered sleepwalking, one afternoon, in Wilkie Collins novel, "The Moonstone," which I could not put down to go to bed until I finished it all. Randall may have been indifferent until he crashed into a hallway wall one midnight. That sent him on an investigation to uncover the strange phenomenon of sleep.

Scientists have explored the question of why we sleep from different aspects, they studied what happens when humans or other animals are deprived of sleep. They examined various sleep patterns in a variety of animals and birds, looking for similarities or differences among species which might help revealing sleep's functions. Yet, the question of why we fall asleep has been tricky to answer. Unless we are not getting enough sleep, or experiencing a sleeping disorder of some kind, most of us hardly ever give our sleep a second thought.

Scientific research and analysis have largely neglected sleep for a long time, treating it just as a phase, during which the brain was rearranging prior day experiences, a kind of nightly software defragmentation. So, "the brain consolidates information during sleep in order to make new connections" sometimes leading to creative breakthroughs. But, ever since rapid eye movement was discovered in the 1950's sleep has really taken off, as a novel science show that our unconscious period is more interesting than we could have ever imagined.

Randall himself started to be interested in the world of sleep after he has injured himself in sleepwalking one night. Although his doctor was reluctant to offer him a simple advice to prevent any future rounds of sleepwalking disorder, it got him into thinking about, trying to understand all phases of sleep which he had little knowledge. Randall's curiosity led him to eventually start an investigation into the strange phenomena of sleep, and his informative investigation, as a result, put together this interesting book about sleep.

He begins tackling the subject historically, by looking at sleep from an evolutionary point of view, saying that people sleep was better before the electric light, "at night disrupts your circadian clock," he writes. "Your body reacts to bright light the same way it does to sunshine, sending out signals to try to keep itself awake." The stress and noise of modern living is often erupting deep sleep, he notes. Taking readers from military battlefields to children bedrooms, the author moves on to the clueless and seemingly erratic sleeping habits of infants.

Randall explores the research that investigated those unconscious nightly hours that take away about a third of our lives. Dreamland explains why sleep is not as valueless as it really is. The book provides plenty of interesting facts, and important information on how to combat snoring, or overcome insomnia. Dreams are perhaps the most fascinating part of sleep, and Randall does a compelling essay, exploring theories from Freud on down. Sleep can sometimes be a period of inspiration after which a Eureka event could happen!

As someone interested in optimizing all aspects of my health, I was excited about picking up this book.

It was ok. I expected more. I didn't learn too much. It was just a bunch of anecdotes around sleep, like dreams, things that go on at night, sleepwalkers. I've heard many of the tales before, and they were supported by a lot of facts that felt like filler.

This is not about the content of the book itself, which seems to be your averagely good popular science book, just a warning to audiobook users.

The reader felt the need to do accents when he was quoting, especially English accents. The reader, Andy Caploe, is somewhat worse than Dick van Dyke at doing an English accent. I have actually had to stop listening to this because of that. It was so annoying and they were so terrible that it was difficult to focus on the actual words.

I don't know why audiobook readers think this is a smart or helpful thing to do. It really doesn't matter where the person speaking is from, and of course we're told that information two second before the quote begins anyway. It only serves to add a very jarring element to the book, even when the reader is skilled at those accents. When they're not...

This book is a fascinating layman's review of the importance of sleep, and how it's needed for the mind and body to rejuvenate. Each chapter offers a different perspective, each of which is interesting in its own way, including sleep cycles, dreams, sleep science, sleep disorders, sleep substitutes (caffeine and other drugs), sleep aids (various drugs and CPAP), sleep times by age group, sleep habits by culture and circadian rhythms. In the end, there's really no substitute for a good night's sleep!

Dreamland is a wonderfully informative read and a great peek under the covers at just what goes on while a person is unconcious. Randall is very careful to distinguish what we do know about sleep (far too little) and what we don't know. He's careful to cite his sources for each of his major statements. Few people will be disappointed with this book.

This was a terrific book! Enjoyable and very enlightening, it has turned out to be practical, too: good information that can be put to use. I highly recommend it to anyone who sleeps... and everyone who doesn't.

This was an interesting summary of sleep research. It does not contain any particularly amazing revelations about sleep. However, it does summarize and explain research relating to a variety of sleep issues. If you have problems you think might be related to sleep issues it is probably worth reading.

I received this book as a 'first reads giveaway '
I truly liked this book, very interesting and hard to put down. Written well so that it kept up me up at night reading. Definite recommend .
Julie

This book has a lot of interesting information about sleep that I had not read in other sources. I would have given it 4 stars, but as a non-fiction book it should have an index. If I wanted to read what he had to say about dreams or circadian rhythms, I need to guess where it might be in the book. Did he not think about having an index, or was it left out to save time or money?

Dreamland was too anecdotal and not thorough, like I expected it to be. However, I did learn some things from it, and it is worth reading for what you do learn from it. Also, this may not be a criticism of the author, but I was shocked at the heartless and cruel use of rats in sleep-deprivation research. The author had a kind of cold and clinical way of telling us the details which turned me off. Also, I had the same reaction to the way he described crimes committed by persons under the influence of disturbed sleep. I was horrified, but the author just cheerfully told us the tale. I wish he hadn't told me.