Sleep Well, Sleep Deep by Alex Lukeman: Reclaiming the Power of Sleep

I have not been sleeping well. I wake up half way through the night with no chance of returning to a sound sleep. This scares the life of me. Sleep has always been something I did with ease and I never had to worry about getting through the night. But for the first time, be it from age or stress or ailment or nothing but psychology, I am faced with staring at red digital letters in the middle of a dark room with no answers how to reclaim my dormancy. So I did what I normally do when I have a problem, I went to the library and found a book.

After flipping through six sleep and relaxation books, I came across Alex Lukeman’s Sleep Well, Sleep Deep. I decided to understand the nature of sleep, what it is, why humans need it, and the latest research on the topic instead of typing in Google and finding the latest pill or a top five sleep aids that all include warm milk. (Ok, I did that too) What I found in this book was a helpful guide to gain control of what I seemingly had lost. More importantly, I found a way to help me explore and take control of 1/3 of my daily human experience.

Lukeman writes in a clear concise manner that does not belittle the novice scientific explorer. He treats the reader with the kindness of a patient seeking his advice, but uses logic and field knowledge that is approachable and fascinating. He is a writer who is cognizant of his reader and their situation for picking up the book. He is serious, tactful and straightforward without being overbearing or obvious. Sleep Well, Sleep Deep is an avenue for an adult to explore the nebulous world of sleep while picking up insightful tips on improving our condition.

I found three areas most intriguing: the biology of sleep, hints on better sleeping, and the power of dreams.

80 million Americans have trouble sleeping. Lukeman suggests that as we grow older, our bodies need less and less sleep, often 7 to 8 hours. He also suggests that most of us are in sleep debt that causes us to nap frequently, often unconsciously, during the day, especially while driving or at red lights. One of the most powerful statements is the danger of the denying our circadian nature – being daytime creatures – and trying to live a nocturnal life or switching our schedule too rapidly during weekends or off time.

As we live within our circadian cycle, we have down times when the human species are normally tired, most specifically between 3 in the afternoon and at night. We should avoid meetings and important decisions doing this time. Our bodies want to sleep because sleep is natural and there are more problems when humans deny their body sleep instead of desiring more of it, like in my case.

The books explores many hints but my favorites and probably most helpful is that after 20 minutes of not falling asleep, Lukeman suggests you get up and let your sheets cool. He is adamant on not turning on a light because it would mess with our serotonin level, a brain trigger hormone that initiates sleep. He also suggests that sleep aid medicines hurt us in REM sleep where most of the beneficial healing and mental processing is conducting during our repose. A great hint was the use of aspirin as a muscle relaxant.

The most important part on sleeping better deals with stress levels that causes trouble getting to sleep and staying there. We must deal with the issues before we sleep or our conscious mind will translate them to the unconsciousness. Creating a list before bed of things that needs to be done and ways to accomplish them is a better way to handle work, family and life stress then worry. Worry wreaks havoc on the night.

The final area that is worth reading closely is the power of dreams to tell us about our physical bodies. Literally, dreams we remember are sending important messages to our conscious minds. Remembering dreams and interpreting them may lead us to better health by being aware of what the body needs, what is lacking, or what is harming it. Lukeman suggests we examine our dreams by recording them as quickly as possible. He tells powerful stories of people who were able to know the early signs of cancer just by remembering their dreams, understanding their meaning, and seeking help to correct what ailed their bodies.

Sleep Well, Sleep Deep offered me the benefit of learning about sleep and how I am in control of how well I sleep. Sleep is not a magic potion I lost. Sleep is a natural function that I need and must take real steps to achieve its peak performance for mental and physical health.  Improving my sleep is in my power if we enter the state with an idea of healing, understanding, and leaving our social lives behind. It is the most important meditation as it reveals our most personal journey. We will only benefit from learning about sleep and this book will show us that path.  

 You can follow James Dugan on Facebook and on Twitter @jamesduganlb

If you like this article try:

Healthy Living Principal #4 – Kick the Sugar by Laura Pappas

Confessions of a Bench Press Addict by mrjimmyneutron

Savory Saturdays: Amy Chana Masala by Amy Yoggev  

Comments

[Mike Haydon]

I've done a fair bit of experimentation with sleep. One thing that really helps me relax is to imagine my body is like water & seeping into the bed. Sounds weird, but don't knock it til you try it :) if you do that and occupy your conscious mind with it, add not moving at all and I've found it's impossible to stay awake.

Also, check out the link attached to this comment for a post I did on things learned while playing around with my sleep.