Why We Sleep
by Matthew Walker
A sleep scientist's case that sleep is the foundation of health, memory, mood and performance, and that modern life is robbing it. The writing is vivid and the practical appendix is excellent. Some claims have been criticized as overstated; the direction of the advice, protect seven to nine hours, is not in dispute.
Read it if…
you treat sleep as negotiable and want to understand what it is costing you.
Skip it if…
you already sleep well and want tactics only; read the appendix at the shop.
Three things you will actually use
- Keep a regular schedule; it beats any gadget.
- Cool, dark room; no screens in the last hour.
- Treat caffeine after noon as a sleep decision.
Do this first
Set a fixed wake time for seven days, including weekends, and track how you feel by day five.
Our verdict
Persuasive and occasionally overheated; the behavior change it prompts is worth it.
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