Wellness

A synergy of physical, psychological, and physiological conditions affects the mental and physical quality of sleep. Although much has been written about this issue, little has been founded on actual research, until now. Back and Bed: Ergonomic Aspects of Sleeping is the first book to scientifically attribute the relationship between ergonomic factors and the quality of sleep. It describes the pros and cons of different types of mattresses, supporting structures, head cushions, and sleeping postures. This volume defines and combines several aspects of sleep quality and identifies the underlying ergonomic parameters for each of these aspects. Based on state-of-the-art, in-depth research, this book also illustrates how back support can be evaluated and optimized for an individual or for a population group. It is a valuable resource for researchers, clinicians, physicians, ergonomists, manufacturers and marketers and is accessible to anyone who practices the art of sleep.

In recent years neuroscientists have uncovered the countless ways our brain trips us up in day-to-day life, from its propensity toward irrational thought to how our intuitions deceive us. The latest research on sleep, however, points in the opposite direction. Where old wives tales have long advised to "sleep on a problem," today scientists are discovering the truth behind these folk sayings,and how the busy brain radically improves our minds through sleep and dreams. In The Secret World of Sleep, neuroscientist Penny Lewis explores the latest research into the nighttime brain to understand the real benefits of sleep. She shows how, while our body rests, the brain practices tasks it learned during the day, replays traumatic events to mollify them, and forges connections between distant concepts. By understanding the roles that the nocturnal brain plays in our waking life, we can improve the relationship between the two, and even boost creativity and become smarter. This is a fascinating exploration of one of the most surprising corners of neuroscience that shows how science may be able to harness the power of sleep to improve learning, health, and more.

From renowned ABC News anchor/correspondent and former insomniac Diane Macedo, comes a practical, user-friendly guide to getting better sleep. The Sleep Fix flips the switch on common advice, illuminating the reporter's relentless search for how to get a good night's sleep and the surprising, scientific, and practical solutions she found along the way. Roughly thirty percent of the population is estimated to be living with insomnia, while many more unknowingly suffer from other sleep disorders. In The Sleep Fix, Macedo aims to change that with perspective-shifting research and easy-to-implement solutions based not just on science and experts, but also her own years-long struggle.   As an early-morning reporter and overnight news anchor, Macedo learned the hard way how valuable sleep is, and how it affects everything from our heart to our brain to our immune system. The longer Macedo struggled, the more her health deteriorated. Desperate, she tried standard sleep tip after standard sleep tip, but nothing worked - instead, it made her worse.   Finally, after developing a tolerance to sleeping pills, Macedo decided to attack the problem as a journalist, interviewing sleep experts from all over the world to get to the bottom of what really keeps us from sleeping--and the various ways to fix it.   As Macedo explains, the solution to catching zzz's isn't as simple as giving up caffeine, or putting away your phone before bed. With her down-to-earth explanations and humor, she instead teaches us how to: understand sleep biology; identify sleep obstacles; flag sleep myths and separate fact from fiction; try counterintuitive approaches; and shift our mindset. Most importantly, Macedo -- a busy, working mom -- teaches us how to adjust and fit these solutions into our everyday lives. Offering expert wisdom, cutting-edge research, intimate sleep stories from public figures, and actionable advice, The Sleep Fix is the tell-it-like-it-is guide this sleep-deprived world has been waiting for.

Co-founder and editor in chief of The Huffington Post Arianna Huffington shows how our cultural dismissal of sleep as time wasted compromises our health and our decision-making and undermines our work lives, our personal lives--and even our sex lives in this New York Times bestseller. We are in the midst of a sleep deprivation crisis, with profound consequences to our health, our job performance, our relationships and our happiness. What we need is nothing short of a sleep revolution: only by renewing our relationship with sleep can we take back control of our lives. In The Sleep Revolution, Arianna explores all the latest science on what exactly is going on while we sleep and dream.

In January of 1999, an otherwise nonviolent man under great stress at work brutally murdered his wife in their backyard. He then went back to bed, awakening only when police entered his home. He claimed to have no memory of the event because, while his body was awake at the time, his mind was not. He had been sleepwalking.In The Twenty-four Hour Mind, sleep scientist Rosalind Cartwright brings together decades of research into the bizarre sleep disorders known as parasomnias to propose a new theory of how the human mind works consistently throughout waking and sleeping hours. Thanks to increasingly sophisticated EEG and brain imaging technologies, we now know that our minds do not simply "turn off" during sleep. Rather, they continue to be active, and research has indicated that one of the primary purposes of sleep is to aid in regulating emotions and processing experiences that occur during preceding waking hours. As such, when sleep is neurologically or genetically impaired or just too short, the processes that good sleep facilitates - those that usually have a positive effect on our mood and performance - can short circuit, with negative results that occasionally reach tragic proportions. Examining the interactions between conscious and unconscious forms of thinking as they proceed throughout the cycles of sleeping, dreaming, and waking, Cartwright demystifies the inner workings of the human mind that trigger sleep problems, how researchers are working to control them, and how they can apply what they learn to further our understanding of the brain.