Abstract

This book brings together an unprecedented number and range of contributions from different disciplines relating to sleep in one comprehensive volume.

The contributors explore the science of sleep - what it is, what makes it happen and why we do it - as well as the measurement of sleep, its importance for daytime performance and its sociological and cultural aspects. Sleep disorders, sleep quality and the importance of sleep for daytime performance are also explored, as are the ways in which sleep can be affected by medication and medical and psychiatric conditions.

This groundbreaking and insightful book will be of great interest to students, academics and professionals in a wide range of disciplines, and anyone else who wishes to discover more about this fascinating topic.

The strength of this book is the diversity of expertise of the authors, who provide an eclectic set of insights without assuming the phenotype of a daunting, oversized doorstop... I would highly recommend this book to a broad "target audience", ranging from those with a passing interest ion sleep to those who manage sleep disorders on a daily basis.
The British Journal of Psychiatry
The chapters allow the reader to dip into any section in which they have a keen interest or about which they just wish to discover more... Chapter 7 will be of particular interest for occupational therapists and occupational scientists as it makes a strong case for sleep, time-use and occupation to have greater consideration in both practice and research... I would recommend this text to all who are interested in sleep; it makes a very useful contribution. The editors aimed for their txt to enhance communication about sleep between the two cultures of science and humanities: to this end, they have succeeded, in addition to having created a space for increased dialogue.
British Journal of Occupational Therapy
It provides an overview of the nature of sleep and sleep-related problems in general and clinical populations. Several interesting sleep-related issues are discussed in the text, such as cultural and social influences on sleep patterns and sleep habits as well as the relationship between daily activity and sleep... this book is an excellent syntheses of a variety of sleep-realted topics, opening a fascinating window to the world of sleep science. Whilst the text is not fully clinically oriented, it is likely to be useful for health care professionals who may not be in the sleep-realted field but would like to explore the science of sleep from multi-disciplinary perspectives.
Shirley Xin Li, Clinical Psychology Trainee, University College London
Journal of Mental Health
This is a text that serve as a perfectly sound introduction to sleep science and medicine but also offers unique insights into sleep from a variety of unexpected perspectives... this novel book deserves immense praise for bravely approaching the topic of sleep from such varied and interesting angles.
British Sleep Society Newsletter
This book...[brings] together in a more easily digested form the experience of a number of experts in all aspects of sleep, from the philosophical to the clinical...It provides the necessary first step to understanding the nature and fascination of sleep for those outside the field. It is hoped that it will also inspire clinicians, and academics, to think more about engaging in this area and refresh the knowledge and enthusiasm of those already doing so. The editors and contributors are to be congratulated for this timely effort.
from the Foreword by David Nutt FMedSci, Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology, Imperial College London