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Lifesaving, Groundbreaking, Readable...buy it! Mar 22, 2000 (88 of 92 found this helpful)
Yes, it's too long; and the lack of an index is frustrating. But Dement presents ideas here that need to be heard, and haven't before. Sleep is not a simple process that can be distilled into a soundbyte - and his scientist's training won't let him devolve this into a mere list of "tips to sleep better". So, it it worth wading through 450 pages? A resounding yes. My own sleep problems were helped the very night I skipped ahead to the sleep hygeine chapter (the closest things to tips in the book). My understanding of jetlag and "prime time" for creative work will help me in the future. My respect for sleep has grown and will change my decisions. My realization of how close I have been to falling asleep at the wheel is terrifyingly clear. I am sending the book to one friend who I am sure suffers from a life threatening sleep lack. And unlike the reader who found Dement's career history self serving, I hear instead a plea for more research on this vitally important subject. Fascinating, readable, likeable, surprising, and worth every minute of your time to read. Although the writer's style is easy and readable, it alone would not rate five stars. But the content is five star plus. Buy it!
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An excellent source of info for some people Jul 15, 2006 (47 of 48 found this helpful)
"The Promise of Sleep" is the eminent Dr. Dement's magnum opus for the masses. It contains more information than most of us will ever want to know about sleep. It is a long and intricate book, and it reads like a grant proposal. Most of us will read the sections that apply to us, and will use the book as a reference. I didn't read the whole thing and neither did any of you. So if you plan to read the whole thing... you are dreaming. But I find myself returning to this book repeatedly, for various health-related reasons. Here I discuss the people I think will benefit from this book, and why. Then I discuss what I believe to be Dr. Dement's biases, for better or worse. Finally, I discuss some other books which you might consider in addition to, or instead of, this one.
Here are the people who will benefit from this book, and why.
1) PEOPLE WHO WANT TO TURBO-CHARGE THEIR SLEEP. You want to optimize sleep's restorative powers, and to optimize your mental functioning while awake. I believe that you are unlikely to find a better source of practical information than this book, though of course there are free sources available online. The fourth part of the book (about 125 pages) is devoted to "The Principles of Healthy Sleep." This section includes 6 chapters that include self-assessment procedures, ways to set priorities and seek professional advice, strategies for dealing with specific situations (e.g., driving, flying, difficult work schedules), ways to optimize sleep across the lifespan, ways to manage caffeine, alcohol, other drugs, diet, and exercise to improve the quality of sleep, and more. Personally, I found the tips for dealing with jet lag to be very helpful, and non-intuitive in some instances. And I've reduced my "sleep debt" significantly. And... I've used tips to optimize creativity.
2) PEOPLE WHO SUSPECT THAT THEY HAVE A SLEEP DISORDER. You want to diagnose yourself or someone you know. First off, let me assure you that you are right to try to educate yourself in this way. Managed care medicine (which dominates the US) is not exactly geared toward diagnosing and treating sleep disorders, and you are likely to know more about sleep disorders and their consequences than many medical professionals. So go for it. Have the facts ready when you go to battle with clinical professionals who can't or won't do their jobs. I'm not advocating that you diagnose yourself without proper medical assistance. But knowing what to look for, and knowing implications for diagnoses makes plenty of sense. Appendix A lists the menu of sleep disorders. I found this list very helpful relative to sources that I use professionally, as a psychotherapist. Therapists typically use the DSM-IV diagnostic scheme, which is OK but highly limited. Dr. Dement's list is MUCH more comprehensive than the diagnostic schemes that I've seen elsewhere, but his list seems credible because HE is so credible. Additionally, Part 2 of the text (about 100 pages) is titled "When Sleep Fails." This section contains 5 chapters with considerable information about diagnosis and treatment. It contains sections on (among other things) the insomnias and their causes (e.g. mood issues, fibromyalgia), snoring and sleep apnea (a hugely important chapter; obstructive apnea is vastly under-diagnosed but treatable), narcolepsy, sleepwalking and sleep terrors, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
3) PEOPLE WHO HAVE A SLEEP DISORDER, AND WANT TO LEARN MORE. There's plenty in the book about theory, methods, and applications. If you want to become a walking encyclopedia on your (or your loved one's) sleep disorder, this book is an excellent place to start. Moreover, Dement provides websites which provide good information. You'll want to consult these websites to find out about new developments. For instance, CPAP machines for sleep apnea continues to improve, so find out the latest.
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Packed with life-saving information! Jul 12, 1999 (50 of 53 found this helpful)
When a friend of mine recommended that I read this book, I was slightly doubtful. I didn't really believe that a book about sleep could be all that interesting. When I did get around to reading The Promise of Sleep, however, I was really pleasantly surprised. Dr. William Dement wrote this book in a manner that neither condescends to the reader, nor confuses him or her with overly technical terms, as one might expect from the world-renowned expert on sleep. It is friendly and amusing with entertaining anecdotes form Dr. Dement's career. In this respect, the book has some autobiographical aspects to it, allowing the reader to take a look into this fascinating man's life and work. One gets the sense that this book is intended for everyone who can read it, not only for people who can't sleep at night. The sleep patterns of people of all ages are discussed: infants, children, adolescents, pregnant women, the middle-aged, and the elderly. Dr. Dement makes it clear that sleep affects every area of our lives, and he does this by providing us with fascinating, but little-known, information. For example, in spite of the fact that 9 out if 10 people are either sleep-deprived or have a sleep disorder, a large number of these cases remain undiagnosed, because most doctors are untrained in this area. And sleepy drivers have a part in about a third of traffic accidents, but few people are aware of this. It makes the reader indignant to find out about this, and the author's anger shows through as well. After all, people are dying from sleep disorders, car accidents, and industrial disasters because the public is ignorant about sleep. The Promise of Sleep serves as a self-help book as well. I did not realize that I was sleep-deprived, or that sleep debt accumulates, until I read this book. The book includes a three-week plan to improve one's sleep. I actually tried it, and now sleep is a priority for me. As a result, my days are much more productive. This book was excellent. I would unhesitatingly recommend it to anyone, on the basis that it will change, and even save, lives. It would serve as a good gift, as well.
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Are You Sleep Illiterate?? Oct 12, 2005 (20 of 20 found this helpful)
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Answer true or false to these ten statements:
(1) Depriving people of dreams causes mental illness.
(2) Drowsiness, that feeling when the eyelids are trying to close and we cannot keep them open, is the first step and not the last step before we fall asleep.
(3) Generally, people need to sleep one hour for every two hours awake.
(4) Insomnia is a disease.
(5) The purpose of sleep is to rest the body, especially the muscles.
(6) Although sleep needs vary, people who sleep about eight hours, on average, tend to live longer.
(7) If you are well rested, it should take about five to ten minutes to fall asleep.
(8) The single symptom most frequently found in all severe sleep disorders is daytime fatigue.
(9) Sleep gets lighter and more fragmented as we age.
(10) We know what sleep is for, how it works, and how it affects us on a cellular level.
If you answered true to any one of statements (1,2,4,5,7,10) or false to any one of (3,6,8,9), then you may need the help of this book co-authored by Dr. William Dement, "a pioneer in sleep medicine."
This easy-to-read book is divided into four parts (where each part except the first part begins with a brief preamble):
(i) The Fundamentals of Sleep (5 chapters)
Covers such topics as rapid eye movements, sleep debt, fatigue, the biological clock, and circadian rhythms.
(ii) When Sleep Fails (4 chapters)
Some topics mentioned are insomnia and its treatment, snoring, apnea, sleep disorders, and sleep deprivation.
(iii) When Sleep Works (5 chapters)
Topics include longevity and the immune system, mood and vitality, dreams, creativity, productivity, and learning.
(iv) The Principles of Healthy Sleep (6 chapters)
The chapters in this part center around five main areas "for reclaiming healthy sleep."
This book, I feel, is strongest at conveying how to understand sleep. There are some instances regarding sleep remedies but the authors warn that for medical advice and treatment, you should consult the appropriate medical person. However, for those with sleep problems, part four of this book should be most helpful since it offers practical advice.
This book ends with three appendices that I feel are excellent. The third appendix is especially good since it lists ten important internet sites.
There's only one major problem with this book: it's way too long. It is too long because Dement wants to tell his biography at the same time and give anecdotal stories. The result is that the reader has to read through all this detail before encountering a point of importance. This problem gets worse as one proceeds through the book. Summary pages of key points at the end of each chapter would have been most helpful.
However, this problem does not make the book unworthy of reading since the information conveyed is important. Impatient readers will probably disagree with me though.
Finally, I should WARN prospective buyers of this book that it is only the paperback version that has an index. An index, especially for this long book, is important because it allows one to access important information quickly.
In conclusion, this is a good book that "explores the vital connection between health, happiness, and a good night's sleep." If you want to understand this important part of your life, then this is the book to get!!
(first published 1999; acknowledgements; introduction; 4 parts or 20 chapters; main narrative 450 pages; afterword; 3 appendices; index for paperback version only)
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Disappointing--it should have been much better Oct 13, 1999 (41 of 46 found this helpful)
William Dement knows more about sleep research than anyone, and this book should have let us all in on what he knows. It doesn't. I suspect that the problem was the publisher's pushing too hard to make it "readable" and "popular". We are given too many stories about Dement's personal life, often irrelevant to his point (by contrast-- to name a terrific science writer-- Steven Pinker's stories and anecdotes always illustrate a point). Some of Dement's ideas and key points are repeated too often; some of his other ideas need more detailing. We are talked down to. The lack of an index creates incredible inconvenience (there's an interesting comment on caffeine that I'm sure is in there somewhere but I don't know how I'll find it without reading the whole book again). Also, the lack of endnotes is unacceptable in a book of this sort (see Pinker or Jonathan Weiner for examples of how it should be done). Yes, there is a lot of insight; and as I said, the man knows more about the subject than anyone, so you will learn useful things. But I wish he'd try again, and write a book that doesn't underestimate the reader's attention span and ability. It would be much more useful.