The Enchanted World of Sleep - Hardcover

Why do we sleep? How much sleep do we really need? What causes sleep apnea, nacrolepsy and insomnia - and what can be done about these sleep disorders? Why do older people have more trouble sleeping than young people? This work provides an introduction to the subject of sleep that answers many of our questions. Peretz Lavie surveys the entire field of sleep research and sleep medicine - from the structure of sleep stages and the brain centres involved in sleep regulation to the reasons for and significance of dreams, the importance of sleep in maintaining good health, and the function of biological rhythms - interweaving facts with case histories, anecdotes, and personal reflections. We learn, for example, about: development of sleep patterns from infancy to adulthood and in the aged; the wide variety of sleep habits in animals; dreams of Holocaust survivors; sleep under the threat of Scud missile attacks; how melatnonin influences sleep; the story of the "acrobat's leap" sleep-deprivation experiments in the Israeli army; how to treat insomnia; and what to do with a baby who refuses to go to sleep.