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  • Sleepyhead

  • The Neuroscience of a Good Night's Rest
  • Written by: Henry Nicholls
  • Narrated by: Henry Drury
  • Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (2 ratings)

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Sleepyhead cover art

Sleepyhead

Written by: Henry Nicholls
Narrated by: Henry Drury
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Publisher's Summary

A narcoleptic's tireless journey through the neuroscience of disordered sleep

Whether it's a bout of bad jet lag or a stress-induced all-nighter, we've all suffered from nights that left us feeling less than well-rested. But for some people, getting a bad night's sleep isn't just an inconvenience: It's a nightmare.

In Sleepyhead, science writer Henry Nicholls uses his own experience with chronic narcolepsy as a gateway to better understanding the cryptic, curious, and relatively uncharted world of sleep disorders. We meet insomniacs who can't get any sleep, narcoleptics who can't control when they sleep, and sleep apnea victims who nearly suffocate in their sleep. We learn the underlying difference between morning larks and night owls; why our sleeping habits shift as we grow older; and the evolutionary significance of REM sleep and dreaming.

Charming, eye-opening, and deeply humanizing, Sleepyhead will help us all uncover the secrets of a good night's sleep.

©2018 Henry Nicholls (P)2018 Hachette Audio

What the critics say

"An authentic and insightful read that brings to life the hopes and dreams of generations of scientific explorers and people in search of a better night's sleep. We all have something to gain from reading Sleepyhead." (Julie Flygare, author of Wide Awake and Dreaming)

"[A] lively, accessible overview.... Nicholls writes fluidly about disorders of sleep, including insomnia, nightmares, and sleepwalking, as well as conditions with wildly bizarre features, from hallucinations to terrors to murderous behavior to paralysis.... A fine introduction to sleeping: when it works and when it doesn't." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Henry Nicholls is one of my favourite science writers and this may be his best book yet. He effortlessly weaves his very personal experiences of living with narcolepsy with the history of sleep science (which reads like a great detective story) to create a gripping journey into the mysteries of sleep. Revelatory." (Lucy Cooke, author of The Truth About Animals)

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