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Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker,
Ph.D.: Scriber, An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc. New York, USA, 2017, 368
Pages

Article · January 2018

DOI: 10.1007/s41782-018-0034-0

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Sleep and Vigilance
https://doi.org/10.1007/s41782-018-0034-0
BOOK REVIEW
Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew
Walker, Ph.D.
Scriber, An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc. New York, USA, 2017, 368 Pages
Seithikurippu R. Pandi‑Perumal1 
Received: 3 January 2018 / Accepted: 16 January 2018
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018
Sleep is pivotal for human health, well-being and longevity.
Sleep is often considered as a powerful elixir of wellness and
vitality. Insufficient sleep, on the contrary, has devastating
consequences. It causes a host of illnesses, compromises
health and safety, productivity and quality of life. Sleep loss
has become an epidemic problem and results in personal,
familial, societal and public health concerns.
The author of this book, Matthew Walker, Ph.D., is a
notable sleep expert who is a professor of neuroscience and
psychology at UC Berkeley, and the Director of its Sleep and
Neuroimaging Lab. He was a former professor of psychiatry
at the Harvard University. He has completed his Ph.D. in
neurophysiology, supported by a fellowship from Medical
Research Council (MRC), London.
In this book, Dr. Walker stresses the importance of
reclaiming our rights to a full night of sleep without
* Seithikurippu R. Pandi‑Perumal
pandiperumal2018@gmail.com
1
Somnogen Canada Inc, Toronto, ON, Canada
embarrassment, or the stigma of laziness. The book ‘Why
We Sleep’ refers to the 8 h of recommended sleep. He has
discussed a 360° evaluation on taking proper sleep, and its
positive outcome. Simultaneously, he has described the con-
sequences of insufficient sleep, which can result in various
diseases. Abnormally high blood sugar levels, cardiovascular
strokes, depression and anxiety attacks leading to suicidal
thoughts are some common results of sleep deprivation.
Dr. Walker has discussed the prevalence of sleep sickness
due to sleep disorders, which lead to physical and mental
dysfunctions. The extreme result of sleep deprivation may
also be a shorter lifespan. This book dives deep and reveals
sleep’s connection to health. It demonstrates that every bod-
ily organ revitalizes with sleep. To sum up, sleep works as
a refreshing ‘vitamin’!
Generally, on average, an individual remains awake for
approximately two-thirds of his life. Dr. Walker has dis-
cussed sleep benefits, learning ability, diversity of body
functions, enhancing memorizing capacity, making logi-
cal decisions and improving psychological and emotional
health.
The main purpose and benefit of sleep discussed by Dr.
Walker is to ignite brain and body health each and every day.
This book is a journey of discoveries to revise the cultural
attitudes to sleep.
This book, ‘Why We Sleep’ has been structured into
four main parts. The first part is an attempt to define sleep
across the human lifespan. Part two summarizes the good,
bad, and the ugly aspects of the lack of sleep for the brain
and body. Part three discusses the scientific underpinning of
dreams. Finally, part four is about bench to bedside aspects
of sleep. It discusses insomnia and sleeping pills, along with
a discussion on the clinical data results. These chapters are
not arranged in a progressive manner; rather it can be read
individually in any order without losing the key information.
This is the main advantage of this book.
13
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Dr. Walker has discussed in-depth the relation between
‘desire to sleep’ and ‘want to stay awake’. In doing so, the
basics of circadian rhythm, the chronobiotic actions of mela-
tonin, and the two-process model of sleep regulation have
been discussed.
Dr. Walker has discussed two factual universal indicators
of sleep. One is losing external awareness by getting the
sensory gate of the brain blocked by thalamus. The second
indicator is a sense of time distortion.
A fact needs to be understood that sleep is not an option,
but an obligation in life. The requirement in terms of quan-
tity and quality varies among individuals and among differ-
ent ages. The time duration required for people in different
age brackets can vary quite a lot. As old age gets near, the
rejuvenating power of sleep declines, and physical, mental
and mortality risks increase. The level of body energy also
deteriorates. Depression, lower cognitive functions, and for-
getfulness take place. Through study and experiments, it has
been observed that older adults become unable to have deep
sleep. Poor sleep can result in ill health and various diseases
as Alzheimer, diabetes, depression, anxiety and chronic pain.
It is well known that ‘sleep is the universal health care
provider’ (Walker, pg. 108, line 1), and also comes with
no fee. Numerous brain functions depend on sleep. Losing
out on sleep may be a cause of brain impairment. Having a
nap during the day has demonstrated to help in improving
memory. Maintaining sleep quality replenishes and refreshes
motor function, allowing top performance for skilled athletes
and workers. Finally, the most effective benefit of sleep dis-
cussed in this section is creativity.
In closing, the new vision for sleep in the twenty-first cen-
tury has been discussed. In this chapter, Dr. Walker argues
that the lack of shut-eye is a slow form of self-euthanasia and
offers a roadmap of interventional opportunities. In this five-
step roadmap, he discussed individual-level transformation,
followed by a societal transformation. Dr. Walker, after dis-
cussing sleep along with pros and cons, has given a number
of tips for a healthy sleep. His tips are easy to follow, simple
13
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Sleep and Vigilance
to adopt and health promoting. People in any age bracket can
easily follow these tips and take great benefit from them.
‘Why we sleep’ is not a self-help book that one can read
and seek a cure for their sleep disorder. This book is not
a reference volume, nor does it provide depth of medical
information for sleep disorder patients, or parents of chil-
dren with serious sleep problems. It is not a book that dis-
cusses the range of sleep disorders in-depth either. If a reader
who bought the book was seeking a straightforward answer
for the question “why we sleep”, they might still be disap-
pointed. This is because the function of sleep is still a mys-
tery, and it is one of the unsolved problems in neuroscience.
“What then, is the value of this book?” one might ask. What
does it offer?
Sleep is a very popular topic, and there are numerous
self-help books available. Unlike many other books written
by novice authors, or someone who has very little informa-
tion or exposure to the field of sleep medicine, this book
was written by a competent, world-renowned sleep expert
who spend decades of cutting edge research in the field
of sleep medicine. By writing this absolutely fascinating
book, Dr. Walker has exhibited a tour-de-force. The book
is highly informative, well-organized, a clearly written and
easily readable book that is packed with much useful scien-
tific information for patients, and sleep professionals alike.
Insufficient sleep and poor quality sleep are pervasive in the
modern 24 h society. Rather than delving into specific sleep
issues, this book focuses on aspects of the importance of
sleep, overall.
Dr. Walker makes a sobering yet sensible plea to the
masses. That is, take sleep seriously. Dr. Walker’s book is an
eye opener for those who wants to take their sleep seriously,
and thereby teaches the foundation of sleep science, and its
health imperatives. In addition, this book is an interesting
read and will be an important addition to one’s personal
library no matter if that person is a patient or a physician.
Sleep plays a vital part of everyone’s life. Therefore, the
importance of sleep can never be discounted.