21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to A Better Body

The problem with so many health-based books is, regardless of good science, plenty of research and the author’s good intentions, they are boring. Sorry, all my dry little cupcakes, it’s true. Luckily for you and I, with “Sleep Smarter” this not the case. Shawn’s writing style will NOT put you to sleep. This is a bit ironic, true. You can actually understand and absorb all the excellent take-aways to improve your sleep and therefore your life.
I am not going to try to snag anyone with any of the tidbits from the book. (Ahem, magnesium, ahem.) I will tell you there are only tips that anyone can do. Just read it.

I FEEL SMARTER ALREADY! The most useful book by my bedside, I found all of the 21 essential strategies amazingly helpful and I am sure you will find at least more than one that will work for you to help get the best sleep of your life right now, as it did for me.Shawn Stevenson makes it a personal and entertaining read with scientifically proven research and methods. I highly recommend this book, it works better than counting 21sheep to fall asleep! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR SLEEP SMARTER TONIGHT!

Very digestible, current and informative. Provides succinct suggestions in a humorous way that inspires me to sleep different to sleep better. Just enough research mixed with anecdotal asides and pep talk to make me think there's a realistic pathway to improving my sub-par sleep. I'm ready to sleep my way to a healthier way of life, one that helps me live better, longer.

I was not giving sleep the respect it deserved. I was otherwise living a healthy lifestyle,but noticed feeling tired throughout the day. I have not implemented all 21 strategies, but have started making a evening ritual of preparing for sleep. As Shawn states, I have a hot date with sleep. I am looking forward to getting in bed by 9PM nightly. I am already feeling a lot better. Can't wait to see how the 14 day make-over will make me the best version of myself. No more snooze button for me. I am hopping out of bed with a grateful attitude. Carpe Diem!

I never realized just how important sleep was to my health. Shawn does an excellent job explaining the various health benefits of sleep along with ways to improve your sleep. He backs up his information with various studies and scientific data. I quickly read through this book and since have improved my sleep which has helped me take back my health.

I am confident that every single person reading this can easily improve their life by taking just one piece of advice found in "Sleep Smarter". Each tip is broken down into the simplest terms that all of us can understand. I implemented several of Shawn's tips right after reading and saw improvements in my athletic performance immediately. I have shared some of the steps I implemented at http://jakemiterusa.wix.com/blog#!Book-Review-Sleep-Smarter/c1aod/55a705aa0cf24f011b5f4070 I highly recommend this book and that you check out Shawn's podcast "The Model Health Show" as well.

An absolute masterpiece. I have suffered with sleep problems for my entire adult life and have never been able to find the answer...until now. Shawn Stevenson is the only person that has ever uncovered the true problem...hormones, and offered numerous easy solutions to improve my sleep and my hormones. Don't go another night staring at the ceiling. Get this book now.

Great information about sleep and how to get a better night of sleep. When I started the book I averaged about 30 minutes of deep sleep and how less than an hour of REM sleep but now I average over an hour of deep sleep and an hour and a half of REM sleep. I have followed many of his recommendations.

An absolute masterpiece. I have suffered with sleep problems for my entire adult life and have never been able to find the answer...until now. Shawn Stevenson is the only person that has ever uncovered the true problem...hormones, and offered numerous easy solutions to improve my sleep and my hormones. Don't go another night staring at the ceiling. Get this book now.

Great information about sleep and how to get a better night of sleep. When I started the book I averaged about 30 minutes of deep sleep and how less than an hour of REM sleep but now I average over an hour of deep sleep and an hour and a half of REM sleep. I have followed many of his recommendations.

This book takes everything you've ever heard about how important a good night's sleep is and backs those claims with hard science. Shawn's intelligent, yet fun way of writing keeps you turning the page and chuckling to yourself. Sleep Smarter has so many great tips that can be easily applied in our hectic, technology-driven world today that can help you have a great night's sleep every night, and as a result become the best version of you. It's a must-read for anyone struggling with sleep or just wanting to take their health to the next level!

Oh my gosh! After years of fighting insomnia with the evil Ambien, I read this book and found solutions galore. My favorite: the amino acid L-Tryptophan. Three 500-mg. capsules 90 minutes before bed, as the author suggests, and I'm having the best sleep in years. This is with a severe case of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), for which I've also had no luck--CPAP hasn't worked for me. But it turns out that L-Tryptophan helps with OSA, as well as insomnia, supporting deeper (REM) sleep. I'm elated. And disappointed that my doctors haven't shared this with me. Do they even know??? Sincere thanks to Shawn Stevenson for writing this book.

Sleep is something I've struggled with for a number of years. This book is a true game changer. My mind is completely blown, I had no idea about how important sleep truly is! Can't wait to start seeing my sleep and health improve!

I Love it !! The 21 Proven Tips are very Helpful ..... I'm now implementing 18 out of the 21 . I wish I had this book years ago.
I will buy more for gifts to give to family and some close friends.

This review is being written by someone who has had issues with insomnia for about 10-15 years. I have had several nights where I was lucky to sleep for 3-4 hours and numerous other nights when I was literally unable to sleep at all. I have tried several of the generic sleep aids such as melatonin, sleep masks, ear plugs, and prescription drugs such as ambien but none of them provided a long term solution to my issues. I stumbled upon Shawn's book and decided to give it a try and I can honestly say that for the past few weeks my sleep quality has been the best it has ever been in my ENTIRE life. I am consistently getting 7-9 hours of good quality sleep every night which for me is unheard of. I have tried several avenues to getting better quality sleep and I can say in my completely unbiased opinion that this book contains multiple NATURAL tips that improve sleep quality. Reading the book itself is a great way to become more knowledgeable about the importance of sleep and how to getting better quality rest but it is very important to be very open to the recommendations given. It is one thing to just read the book but if you actually put the recommendations into practice you will definitely reap the benefits.

Pros:
1. Book is short sweet and to the point. Each chapter is incredibly concise while providing all the information necessary.
2. The author gives numerous (21) very effective suggestions for improving sleep quality.
3. It is evident that the author has put a lot of research into writing the book. He cites numerous academic sources throughout the chapters.
4. Author provides both recommendations that can be put into practice immediately without any cost and some that require you to spend a reasonable amount of money.

Cons
1. Honestly I am having trouble find any cons with this book but I imagine that some readers may actually be disappointed with how short and easy to read the book is.

Great book, I was really exciting reading it, has many great things I didn't know which I'm going to apply in real life, was clapping and excited while reading the book because it was really good and i love the natural approaches he says and saying to go with the flow with the universe like we are designed to be, in the natural way.. great book, i'm at page 35 now and it's very good. i have chronic insomnia and I'll apply things from here into my real life.

Shawn's book is a great resource for improving your health/fitness. Sleep is an important component of improving health. Shawn's book is great!! I have my sleep sanctuary in full swing!!! Thank you, Shawn!!

This book is fantastic, Shawn S writes the way his podcasts are - so interesting with very helpful message. Best book on sleep I've ever read especially about REM sleep and waking up. Explains why I feel groggy if I wake up during a REM cycle. Thank you Shawn!!

Out of all sleep topic books out there "Sleep Smarter" is the most up to date and clearly written book out there. Shawn's presenting the latest research with his expertise and experience to cover the full spectrum of sleep issues. The Sleep Smarter Tips allow the reader to quickly grasp, create and use a sleep pattern plan. You will understand the FULL important of sleep and how to get the best sleep possible. This book is beneficial to help you and your friends and family establish better sleeping patterns to have a bigger, better, and more productive way of living..and sleeping!

I have been suffering from chronic insomnia for many years. This book gives hope and lots of practical solutions that make sense and work. I have a "library" of books on insomnia, but this one is more useful than all others combined. Thank you Shawn and God bless you.

It would be a monumental challenge to *not* improve your sleep quality and quantity after reading this book. There are a ton of easily digestible facts and science liberally sprinkled throughout and Shawn's personal stories fill in any gaps in motivation you might have to make some big changes (which go way beyond better sleep).

In other words, the book is as big on the "why to" as it is on the "how to" – a rare combination these days. You may also find yourself laughing up a storm (instead of snoring up a storm) while reading this as Shawn is a funny dude. As a regular podcast listener of his The Model Health Show, I could hear his voice cracking the jokes in the book and they all landed with me.

Now, some of the strategies are common sense things that anyone has heard before. "Don't drink caffeine too close to bed-time" or "Don't do activities that stimulate your brain before bed like watch thriller movies." But then there's tons of "Of course, that makes total sense moments!" in the book like optimal times to get sunlight to stimulate proper hormone regulation or protecting your gut health and its relationship to sleep.

This is a book that anyone can benefit from and probably one that everyone should read. And I almost never say that about a book because most of them are situational or contextual. The 14-day sleep makeover journaling log and step-by-step instructions at the back of the book makes acting on all the great stuff in the book itself a no-brainer as well. The only thing I was disappointed with were the bonus materials that Shawn mentions over and over in the book. Sure, they were somewhat useful, but there weren't as many resources in the bonus guide as the book made it seem like there would be and the quality was a bit lower than the book itself.

Overall, Sleep Smarter is going to make you smarter about every facet of your life. And how many times can you say that about a sub-200 page book?

I have struggled with insomnia for years.
After reading this book my husband and I decided to try some of the suggestions in the book. I've never woke up feeling rested. By the second night of applying the changes we made I finally was able to sleep without waking in the night and actually felt like I'd been to bed. Thanks Shawn

Shawn has completely changed my life and this book clearly communicates the first and foremost aspect we should be focusing on regarding our health and overall well-being...SLEEP! Shawn eloquently communicates the why behind his purpose/message and the how follows suit. I highly recommend this book because when we understand and put into action the concepts Shawn teaches, true life change happens. This is a must read and a must re-read...enjoy!

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the recording of this book. I expected to be educated, but was delighted with the entertaining presentation of practical advice. I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a few good chuckles and a better quality of sleep/life.

Great read & great info! He helped me find out why I was not sleeping very well & I was able to fix the problems using some of his tips. Shawn is really great at breaking the info down & explaining everything. He included a 14 day sleep makeover is really helpful. I gifted this book to my family so they can sleep smarter too!

I have always considered myself pretty healthy. I eat well and exercise. But sleep is the last thing I think about. With Shawn's book, not only do I understand the importance of quality sleep, he offers the tools on how to accomplish quality sleep. I will be following his 14 day plan and will change my habits for a lifetime of better health.