Augusto Bernardi's Reviews > How to Sleep: The New Science-Based Solutions for Sleeping Through the Night

Wow this book does not get the respect and rating that it deserves. It seemed like everyone in the reviews was comparing it to Matthew walker's book which is ridiculous and unfair as they serve different purposes. Exactly where Why we sleep lacks in subject matter and tone, is where How to Sleep makes up for it. They match each other really well. The stand out features in this book is that:
1) it offers much more practical advice (which is exactly what the title entails)
2) it's not nearly as sinister and mind blowing which is simply a nice contrast with the other masterpiece.

Raphael speaks from a perspective of a doctor more than of that of a scientist so he addresses a lot of common thoughts and problems which were really useful. Having said that, towards the very beginning of the book, he did say that not everyone needs 8 hours of sleep. TO my ears that sounded like straight up blasphemy and I seriously considered stopping it right then and there becuase I thought I'd be listening to a conspiracy theorist talk. Luckily I checked myself and thought that, maybe I don't know everything for certain and will at least finish listening to what he has to say. Worth it, regardless if I disagreed with that point.
Whereas Why we Sleep talks about the giant problems of blue light and caffeine, this book brought up some other silent killers which I wasn't expecting and will much more vigilant about (at least as much as I can), which is snoring. I guess snoring, a common issue especially in men, is a much more dangerous issue than we thought and should be resolved.
I was not aware as well on how allergies interrupt our sleep and make it harder for us to sleep. That is something I must take care of myself too. A common thread throughout the book is that anxiety about our sleep often leads to sleepless nights. It's a counterproductive cycle that is something I totally developed recently without knowing. I am so unbelievably guilty of this which makes me want to rethink how I analyse a lot of the sleep measures taken. For more serious insomnia problems he does refer CBTI which is a type of behavioural therapy. Very enlightening. I've always been curious about eating and sleep and Raphael recommends not to eat at least 2 hours before sleep but also to make sure that you are not hungry when you go to bed. The arch villain, Blue LED light, can be dealt with with the various filters either on the device or on glasses but the real problem might be that you are using those as a bandaid for a bigger problem which is that you are focused and alert on these stimulating devices/activities just before you are going to bed, thereby creating an unhealthy pattern and adaptation to your brain. This adaptation concept is something he touches upon on several other times which goes to show how we need to be aware of how we approach these issues and habits. Another example was the use of ear plugs to block out noise. A better solution was the use white noise. Something I would have never even guessed about white noise, something so accessible online, is that they vary in quality. A poor quality white noise will simply be a loop of sound which then subconsciously creates a pattern that can be broken easier by then interrupting sound. Some overreactions in sleep quality very interestingly had to do with mattress quality. Quick side note is the filthy comment about mattresses getting heavier as they age....think about that for a second. Raphael acknowledges many other remedies and alternative methods to at least FALL asleep ( which is only part of the problem), one of them being the use of CBD. I'm actually really glad he in a way positively acknowledges the multiple anecdotal accounts of it working but that it also hasn't been officially or extensively tested yet. And can we sleep in our sleep? Apparently so which is fascinating. Lastly the chapters towards the end which talked about the separate age groups and how they sleep and should sleep was actually a funny chapter. I laughed out loud many times especially when Raphael talked about the smugness of parents questioning other parents about their infant's sleep. It's such a brilliant and honest perspective. Reminds me of We need to talk about Kevin for some reason. I think it's because of the brutal honesty of people's true meaning behind what they say.