Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

Matthew Walker

Oct 2017 · Simon and Schuster · Narrated by Steve West

About this audiobook

“Why We Sleep is an important and fascinating book…Walker taught me a lot about this basic activity that every person on Earth needs. I suspect his book will do the same for you.” —Bill Gates

A New York Times bestseller and international sensation, this “stimulating and important book” (Financial Times) is a fascinating dive into the purpose and power of slumber.

With two appearances on CBS This Morning and Fresh Air's most popular interview of 2017, Matthew Walker has made abundantly clear that sleep is one of the most important but least understood aspects of our life. Until very recently, science had no answer to the question of why we sleep, or what good it served, or why we suffer such devastating health consequences when it is absent. Compared to the other basic drives in life—eating, drinking, and reproducing—the purpose of sleep remains more elusive.

Within the brain, sleep enriches a diversity of functions, including our ability to learn, memorize, and make logical decisions. It recalibrates our emotions, restocks our immune system, fine-tunes our metabolism, and regulates our appetite. Dreaming creates a virtual reality space in which the brain melds past and present knowledge, inspiring creativity.

In this “compelling and utterly convincing” (The Sunday Times) book, preeminent neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker provides a revolutionary exploration of sleep, examining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. Charting the most cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, and marshalling his decades of research and clinical practice, Walker explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood and energy levels, regulate hormones, prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes, slow the effects of aging, and increase longevity. He also provides actionable steps towards getting a better night’s sleep every night.

Clear-eyed, fascinating, and accessible, Why We Sleep is a crucial and illuminating book. Written with the precision of Atul Gawande, Andrew Solomon, and Sherwin Nuland, it is “recommended for night-table reading in the most pragmatic sense” (The New York Times Book Review).

Ratings and reviews

One of the most revealing and impactful science-based books I've read - I'll definitely be sharing and re-reading from time-to-time. The author opened my eyes to just how critical sleep duration and quality can be to our health. He used shocking facts and verified studies to debunk myths and provide actionable methods of improving a person's quality and longevity of life. I HIGHLY recommend to anyone who regularly gets less than 7 hours of sleep at night, suffers from insomnia/sleep apnea/ADHD/narcolepsy, doesn't feel rested, works graveyard shifts, is raising teenagers, administrates schools or nursing programs, or is curious about how the different types of sleep affects the human mind and body. 10 out of 10 stars!

This was an insightful book that really makes you think twice about sleep. I found sometimes that he credited evolution for things that I might not have necessarily given credit to, and I also think that sometimes he might have made sleep sound like a cure-all (though it's definitely valuable).

This is without question the book that most influenced me this year. I hate the sound of phrases like 'life-changing', but i've corrected some bad habits, and considering that sleep effects every single person every single day, I often think about this pieces of this book. Matthew Walker collects the latest science on sleep and packages it for the non-scientist. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

About the author

Matthew Walker is a professor of neuroscience and psychology at UC Berkeley, the Director of its Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab, and a former professor of psychiatry at Harvard University. He has published over 100 scientific studies and has appeared on 60 Minutes, Nova, BBC News, and NPR’s Science Friday. Why We Sleep is his first book.