Health
by W. Chris Winter
Is your sleep really broken?
Chris Winter is a neurologist who runs a sleep clinic in Charlottesville, Virginia. Many of his patients arrive sure that they barely sleep at all. The Sleep Solution explains how sleep works, so you can tell what's actually wrong and stop fearing the rest.
Hear a sample · read by Laura
Winter draws a hard line between sleepiness and fatigue. Sleepy means you could nod off right now. Fatigued means you feel drained but couldn't sleep if you tried. People with insomnia are often exhausted without being sleepy, so an early night can backfire.
Sleep comes when your body is ready for it. Winter's point is that trying hard to sleep does the opposite of what you want, because effort wakes the brain up. That's why, he argues, the people who work hardest at sleeping often sleep worst.
Winter finds that many people who say they didn't sleep a wink did sleep for part of the night. Short wakings are normal, and remembering them makes a night feel worse than it was. Knowing that takes some of the dread out of 3am.
Some people's body clocks simply run late. Winter treats this as a real difference in circadian timing, rather than a flaw of character. He explains how morning light and a steady wake-up time can gradually shift a late clock earlier.
Loud snoring, pauses in breathing and dozing off in the day can be signs of sleep apnoea. Winter says it's common and often missed, and that left alone it puts a strain on the heart. It can be treated, so it's a reason to see a doctor.
Can't force it
You can't force sleep. Trying hard to fall asleep is what keeps you awake.
Sleepy or tired
Sleepy and tired are different. Only sleepiness means your body is ready to sleep.
Wake time
Get up at the same time every day, even after a bad night.
Worry
You probably sleep more than you think. Worrying about lost sleep does more harm than the lost sleep.
Snoring
Loud snoring and heavy daytime sleepiness can mean sleep apnoea, which needs a doctor.
One thing to try
Tonight, before bed, ask yourself whether you could fall asleep right now or are merely worn out. If it's the second, read something dull in dim light until your eyelids get heavy, then go to bed.
Knotd has the key ideas from 250+ non-fiction books, each in a few minutes, in plain words. The Sleep Solution comes with a Spot the Trap case to make it stick.
Get the whole book on KnotdOpen in the appIs your sleep really broken? Chris Winter is a neurologist who runs a sleep clinic in Charlottesville, Virginia. Many of his patients arrive sure that they barely sleep at all. The Sleep Solution explains how sleep works, so you can tell what's actually wrong and stop fearing the rest.
Sleepy and tired aren't the same; You can't force it; You sleep more than you think; Night owls aren't lazy; Listen to the snoring.
Tonight, before bed, ask yourself whether you could fall asleep right now or are merely worn out. If it's the second, read something dull in dim light until your eyelids get heavy, then go to bed.
Yes. Knotd has the key ideas from The Sleep Solution in a few minutes, in plain words, plus a Spot the Trap case to test them. It's one of 250+ non-fiction books in the app.
