Why We Sleep: The Most Important Book You Didn't Know You Needed

"Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day—Mother Nature's best effort yet at contra-death." – Matthew Walker

If there's one book I blindly recommend to everyone, it's Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker. We spend a third of our lives asleep, yet most of us know very little about how sleep works and why it matters so much.

The short version? We don't fully know why we sleep. But what is clear is that sleep affects everything: mood, learning, creativity, relationships, physical health, longevity—everything. It doesn't matter how nice your car is if there's no gas in the tank. Without good sleep, most other self-improvement efforts are built on shaky ground.

One of my personal litmus tests: Do you need an alarm clock to wake up most days? If so, it's worth understanding more about your sleep and taking steps to improve it. As Walker explains, high-quality, consistent sleep is one of the few levers you can pull that has an enormous effect on both the length and quality of your life.

If you want to dig deeper into why naps can be powerful, he even reframes them as part of a "biphasic sleep routine" rather than a sign of laziness.

Where to find the book

• Bookshop.org – Why We Sleep
• Audible – Why We Sleep
• IndieBound – Why We Sleep
• Powell's Books – Why We Sleep

About the Author

Matthew Walker, Ph.D., is a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and founder of the Center for Human Sleep Science. His research focuses on the impact of sleep on human health and disease, and he has been a leading voice in bringing the science of sleep into public awareness. You can learn more about him on Wikipedia or visit his official website.

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Improving your sleep may be the highest-leverage change you can make in your life. It's the foundation upon which everything else rests.