Review: 52 Brilliant Ideas--Sleep Deep

Okay, it's as if I can hear people clicking past this, yawning and saying, "Sigh. Why would I want to hear about a sleep book?" To that I say, "Because it is a book all about SLEEP and how you can get the best sleep ever! Who wouldn't want that?!?"

The basics of the book are that first, people should understand what happens when we sleep, and second, what might be keeping you and I from sleeping the way we would like. Now, although I'm sleeping wonderfully here, I still have my nights, and goodness knows that when the school year begins, I would almost pay money to have a good night's sleep! Here are some of the great things I learned:

• About 10% of people are early birds (those who need a little less sleep and enjoy, and are more productive during the early hours of the morning) and 20% are true night owls (those that have higher brain function in the evenings, usually enjoy a bedtime somewhere around 2am, and find that they CAN'T get their brains to function when they first wake up). Although I think some people like to claim they are night owls, they simply are not. I am 100% a night owl. In fact, with an early morning job, I've had morning meetings where I literally have not uttered a sound, and left the meeting completely unaware of what was spoken. Nice, eh?
• Our brains are set to get a short nap some time in the middle of the day. It's just the way the brain functions, so taking a quick 20 to 30 minute nap is ideal.
• Women sleep more than men, and according to experts, "...it's because women use their brains in a more flexible way than men" (19).
• Rather than sleeping in, which can actually lead your body to be thrown off and feel groggy, go to bed and get up just 10 to 15 minutes later than usual. This will allow you to get a little more sleep without throwing your body clock off.
• In chapter six it listed the types of insomnia, what causes them, and how best to tackle them.
• If you struggle to get to sleep, make your bed and bedroom just about sleep. You should avoid things that excite your brain, such as watching TV, working on the computer, or doing paperwork and bills.
• It has great ideas for people who snore, women who are pregnant, families with small babies that keep them up crying, illnesses that affect one's sleep, grinding teeth, nightmares, wetting the bed, etc. You name it, they have a chapter about it.
• 90% of people with depression have insomnia. This chapter outlines ways to battle these types of insomnia, whether through medication, therapy, or stress/anxiety relief.
• Ideas on how to encourage dreams, or at least manipulate them.
• Pills that help & can damage sleep.
• Music, herbs, aromas, and therapies to enhance sleep.

There are so many helpful hints in this book, that you really must check it out if you are interested in gaining a better night's rest. I really appreciated that they first explained the issue or problem that caused insomnia, and then walked through the various treatments or options for solving each one. The chapters are short, and are always followed with a brief Q&A that really answered many of my individual questions.

Overall, this is a fantastic resource, and I would highly recommend it as a healthy resource in your medical library. I'm more than happy with this purchase, and will be keeping it for future use. This also qualifies as my second in the Rejuvenate and Renew Challenge.

For more information: Sleep Deep (52 Brilliant Ideas): Simple Techniques for Beating Insomnia