The Secret World of Sleep: Journeys Through the Nocturnal Mind

(Paperback)

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For those fascinated by neurology and for fans of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat comes a powerful exploration of the mind during night time. Here are the mysteries of sleep, explained from known conditions to the extreme.

The Secret World of Sleepinterweaves bizarre real life stories with cutting edge neurological science in the true tradition of Oliver Sacks. A fascinating read.'Martha Kearney, BBC Radio 4

World-renowned neurologist and sleep expert, Doctor Guy Leschziner, takes you through various sleep conditions and how they arise and affect people. Insomnia,narcolepsy,night terrors andapnoea are just some of the conditions afflicting those struggling with sleep.

Then there are the extreme cases.

The people frighten into paralysis by hallucinations. The woman in a state of deep sleep who gets dressed and goes for a drive. The teenager with Sleeping Beauty Syndrome, stuck in a cycle of excessive unconsciousness. The man who cleans out kitchens while 'sleep-eating'.

Withcompassionate storiesof his patients and their conditions, Leschziner illustrates theneuroscience behind our sleeping minds, revealing the many biological and psychological factors necessary in getting the rest needed for health and happiness.

Pick of the Best Paperbacks - Sunday Times
Best January Paperbacks - The Times
Must Read Brain Books 2019 - Forbes Magazine
The Best Neuroscience Books of 2019 - The Scientist Magazine
The Best Books of 2019 - New Zealand Herald
Best 100 Summer Reads 2019 - Sunday Times
Week's best Science Picks - Nature
Books of the Year 2019 - Irish Independent

Reviews

With my job onToday, I have become obsessed with sleep.TheSecret World of Sleepinterweaves bizarre real life stories with cutting edge neurological science in the true tradition of Oliver Sacks. A fascinating read. -- Martha Kearney, BBC Radio 4
'Casebooks of neurological disorders are often strange and wonderful, but this one is special. Guy Leschziner is a consultant neurologist at Guys and St Thomass who specialises in sleep problems. And his patients experience the most extraordinary things' -- James McConnachie * Sunday Times *
The Secret World of Sleepwill not promise to cure your insomnia, but it does make for an entertaining and thought-provoking bedtime read. * Guardian *
'The Secret World of Sleepcombines two of my favourite things humanity and medical science. Dr Leschziner weaves wonderful stories that highlight how sleep disorders affect the lives and health of patients and their families.Along the way we are guided into the fantastic scienceof sleep. What a wonderful journey!' -- Meir Kryger MD FRCPC, Professor, Yale University, author of Mystery of Sleep

Author Bio

Prof Guy Leschzineris a neurologist at Guys and St Thomas Hospitals, where he leads the internationally renowned Sleep Disorders Centre,one of the largest sleep services in Europe, and is Professor of Neurology and Sleep Medicine at Kings College London. Alongside his clinical work, he is the presenter of twoseries on clinical neuroscience on BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service -Mysteries of Sleep and The Senses - and author of The Nocturnal Brain: Nightmares, Neuroscience and The Secret World of Sleep. He is alsoeditor of the forthcomingOxford Specialist Handbook of Sleep Medicine(OUP), and is neurology section editor forPrinciples and Practice of Sleep Medicine(Elsevier).