The Sleep Revolution summary

When you were a child, did you ever struggle to stay awake in school or wish you could take 40 winks at your desk until you were ready to face the day? Well, it turns out it might have been better if you had dozed off!

Sleep deprivation starts at a young age, when children are pulled out of bed for school before their bodies and minds are ready to wake up.

There’s an episode of Seinfeld in which George Costanza buys a custom-made desk that can fold into a bed, and back into a desk at the push of a button. The desk contraption lets him get away with sleeping in his office. Thankfully, this kind of subterfuge is no longer necessary in many modern work spaces!

Work spaces benefit when they have nap rooms for letting their employees catch up on sleep.

People tend to assume that couples have always slept in the same bed, but it’s actually a holdover from an era when few families could afford separate beds for every member. So should you and your partner sleep in separate beds if you can afford it? Not necessarily – sleeping together can also have the benefit of strengthening your relationship.

According to a 2014 study at the University of Hertfordshire, 94 percent of couples who sleep with their bodies touching each other are happy with their relationships. For couples who don’t sleep with their bodies in contact, the figure is 68 percent.

The cheetah is the fastest land animal on earth. Cheetahs can go from being stationary to running at 60 miles per hour in just a matter of seconds – but they also sleep as much as 18 hours in a day to rest after reaching such remarkable speeds. Unfortunately, human athletes aren’t always as wise.

People often perceive sleep deprivation as macho or tough in the sporting world. Jon Gruden, one of the youngest and most successful coaches in the National Football League, or NFL, even wrote a best-selling book called Do You Love Football?! Winning With Heart, Passion, and Not Much Sleep.

What’s the last thing you do before you go to bed? Watch an episode of House of Cards? Write some emails? Read up on the news? Those activities might seem leisurely, but make sure you don’t get addicted to your gadgets.

These days, people are increasingly addicted to electronic devices, and a surprising amount of people take them to bed! According to a 2015 Consumer Mobility Report survey, 71 percent of people keep their smartphones by them while they sleep.

Let’s say you’ve put away your computer and phone, but you still can’t get to sleep; it might be time for more direct action. You might not have guessed that sticking needles in your ear can help you get to sleep – but it can!

Acupuncture is an effective, natural way to improve your sleep. People have utilized it for centuries, but now even modern medicine has confirmed its efficacy.

Have you ever heard of wearable technology? Wearable technology doesn’t refer to T-shirts with screens or dresses with computer chips, but rather to devices you wear to monitor your biological functions – like sleep!

There are a few sleep-enhancing technological gadgets available now, like smart sleep monitors and sleep-friendly artificial light.