Why We Sleep

British-American neuroscientist Matthew Walker’s Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams (2017) provides an in-depth exploration of the science of sleep health. Walker argues that sleep loss is an epidemic and one of the most serious public health issues of the 21st century. Drawing from a wealth of data and scientific studies, including his own innovative scientific breakthroughs during his time as a professor at the University of California-Berkeley, Walker illustrates the extensive damage sleep deprivation does to all major brain and bodily functions. His arguments also draw from his tenure as a sleep consultant for several large companies and sports organizations, including Google, Fitbit, NBA, NFL, British Premier League football teams, and Pixar Animation.

Walker’s goal is to reunite humankind with sleep, but to do this he recognizes that he must first demystify sleep, detail the benefits of sleep and the costs of sleep loss, explain the power of dreams, unpack how our modern environment makes obtaining a good night’s sleep challenging, and the societal costs of insufficient sleep. Accordingly, the book is divided into four main parts. Though the narrative is overarching, Walker notes that each chapter can be read on its own and out of order.