“Why We Sleep” Book Review

In his first book, Matthew Walker explores the

purpose of sleep in the hopes of educating the general public about its vital importance in development and wellbeing. 

For college students, it can be challenging to

always get a good night’s rest while still having time to spend with friends and classwork. 

“Why We Sleep” takes a scientific approach to this natural daily activity that, until recently, we hardly knew anything about. 

To illustrate, Walker begins by explaining that “Society’s apathy toward sleep has, in part, been caused by the historic failure of science to explain why we need it.” 

For starters, I believe that it is important for us college students and young workers to remind ourselves that sleep enriches a vast set of mental functions that are necessary for performing at our best, including our ability to learn, memorize, and make logical decisions and choices. 

An especially key insight that Walker provides in his book is when his discussion of sleep turns to the topic of coffee and its constant presence in our lives. 

According to Walker, caffeine is essentially an adenosine blocker. This is the chemical that smooths us into sleep by dilating the blood vessels in order to ensure good oxygenation during sleep. 

He states that “Caffeine works by successfully battling with adenosine for the privilege of latching on to adenosine welcome sites--or receptors-- in the brain.” He continues, “[C]affeine blocks and effectively inactivates the receptors, acting as a masking agent.” 

Of course, the benefit in all of this is that caffeine tricks us into feeling alert and awake, despite the high levels of adenosine that would otherwise cause us to fall asleep 

However, if you are taking multiple “all-nighters” in a row due to work or school, you will eventually have what’s called a “caffeine crash.” 

This is due to the adenosine in your brain that is constantly being built up by a caffeine blockade. This is just one of the many explanations for sleep and how it affects us that the book engages in. Further, sleep-related subjects covered include jet lag, the consequences of sleep deprivation, and even why we dream. 

For me, “Why We Sleep” was an enlightening read that I would highly recommend for anyone trying to establish healthier sleeping habits. Its insights can be impactful from the start of the day to the end of a hard day’s night.

Photo from https://unsplash.com/photos/TWkaYiCDjCE