Book review "The Story of Sleep" - When good sleep is measured not at the number of hours, but at the "quality"

There are a few health books that are read and educated, but they do not make us want to change our behavior, but the "story of sleep" in the series is so fun that the eyes are bright, written by Nishino Seiji, is clearly an exception.

This book does not try to say "should sleep more," but gradually brings the reader to understand why humans need to sleep and how quality sleep affects health, work, memory, mood, and even weight. Through simple, illustrated, schematic, and graphs, complex science can become more fun to read than you think.

The greatest strength of the book is that it explains the mechanism of sleep that does not make the reader feel like they are reading a text. The author gradually explains the brain's activity, from switching between REM and Non-REM sleep to the role of hormones and the circadian clock, which, when finished reading, many people may find that they have misunderstood sleep more than they thought.

The most prominent concept of the book is "90 Golden Minutes." The author explains that the first 90 minutes of sleep is the most important period. If the body can enter deep sleep in quality, physical and brain restoration will occur at full capacity, resulting in refreshing awakenings, even sleeping in a very small number of hours. This idea makes the view of "how many hours to sleep is enough" change to "how to sleep in quality."

Another interesting thing is that books dare to refute many popular beliefs, whether it's compensatory sleep on holidays, pre-accumulated sleep, or the belief that sleep deprivation during the week and going to sleep on Saturdays and Sundays will solve the problem. The authors explain with scientific evidence that these behaviors cannot entirely compensate for the harmful effects of the body.

When it comes to the effects of sleep deprivation, the book is not limited to lethargy or fatigue, but links to how sleep debts affect health in many dimensions, from mood swings, reduced immunity, concentration and regressive performance, to the risk of obesity and chronic diseases, making the reader realize that sleep is one of the foundations of health, not just when the body takes a break.

The point that sets the book apart from many health books is that the author does not let the reader end up with just "knowledge," but offers practical behavioral adjustments, from providing a bedtime environment, creating proper routines, to how to keep the body ready into deep sleep, suited to working people and those living in modern times.

Overall, "The Story of Sleep" is a book that turns something as common as sleep into an interesting science, and more importantly, makes readers want to go back and review their behavior. If you are someone who is awake and still does not feel refreshed, sleepy during the day, or think that sleep is a time that can be cut off in exchange for work, this book may change your perspective forever.

Review score: 9.5/10

It is one of the most easy to read health books, but it is more valuable than education, because it makes us understand that "good sleep" is not a matter of luck, but a skill that everyone can learn and improve, and as the quality of sleep improves, the quality of life clearly changes.

# Book review # Health book # Self-improvement book # Healthy # Books to read