My Top 10 Sleep Books on World Book Day
- Sophie Bostock, PhD
- Mar 4, 2021
- 2 min read
In honour of World Book Day, thought I'd pick out my current top 10 books on sleep, and sleep science.. it's a changing feast but there are some classics and some newbies in here...
On the top? The first ever sleep book I read, and still a bit of a bible. If you are looking for a structured approach to coping with insomnia, Colin Espie's 'Overcoming Insomnia' tells you how to do it - and was the foundation of the digital Sleepio programme.
You'll also see a very well thumbed copy of @lindageddes.science 'Chasing the Sun' which explains the extraordinary power of sunlight.
'Rest' by @askpang is all about the importance of pausing and rest, as well as sleep, for our creativity and productivity. (Also great on Audible).
'The Sleep Solution' by Chris Winter @sportsleepdoc does what it says on the tin, but makes you smile as well. Bonus.
In 'The Nocturnal Brain' , Guy Leschziner delves into the science behind more unusual sleep disorders, exploring sleep through his patients' eyes.
'Why We Sleep' by Matthew Walker is a thorough and occasionally scary best seller about all the stuff sleep does for you.. I recommend you sort out your sleep with the other books first!!
'The Circadian Code' by @satchin.panda explains why respecting our circadian rhythms, optimized for action by day and rest at night, is a winner not only for sleep, but also for health and wellbeing.
Ferber and Owens/Mindell are trusted voices in the kids sleep space. My other favourite is 'What to do when you Dread your Bed' by Dawn Huebner which is a great read for school age kids to help cope with night time fears and busy brains..
There are so many awesome reads on this topic. What have I missed?? There are plenty more in my bookshelf.. I suspect next year's top 10 will have a few tweaks! :-)
Great list, Sophie! 'Chasing the Sun' and 'The Circadian Code' both made me pay much more attention to light and my circadian rhythm. When I come back from a hike I'm always curious exactly where a photo was taken, and where is this place solves it in seconds. Adding 'Why We Sleep' to my queue!
Great list, Sophie — "Why We Sleep" and "The Circadian Code" are on my shelf too. When I turn one of my sleep-day notes or brainstorming sessions into a quick demo, a text to song tool helps me bring ideas to life in minutes. Adding "Chasing the Sun" to my queue!
Great list, Sophie! "Chasing the Sun" really made me rethink how much daylight shapes my sleep and energy. On a side note, I love digitising my old family photos, and an old photo to new photo service has helped me restore faded, scratched pictures and clean them up so I can revisit those memories at the end of the day. Adding "Why We Sleep" to my queue!
Great list, Sophie! "Why We Sleep" is the book that first got me into sleep science. When I log the contact details I pick up from sleep clinics and practitioner directories, a phone number extractor helps me pull and validate them into a clean spreadsheet instead of retyping by hand. Adding "Chasing the Sun" to my queue!
Great list, Sophie — 'The Circadian Code' is on my shelf too, and 'Chasing the Sun' is next on my list. I've started logging my sleep data in a spreadsheet so I can spot patterns over time, and a json to excel converter makes it easy to turn the exports from my tracking app into clean, sortable tables. Adding 'Why We Sleep' to my queue!