Resumo de The Promise Of Sleep - William C. Dement, M.D., Ph.D.; Christopher Vaughn

In kindergarten we learn patterns and even earlier, experientially, we learn rhythms of life. Circadian (latin pronunciation Kir-Kaid-ium) rhythms and sleep patterns develop throughout a persons life, yet there is some harder set, more basic sleep instinct that resets when given the opportunity. In The Promise of Sleep Dr. Dement drives home the point that current lifestyles don't fit neatly with natural sleeping patterns. Throughout the text, long discussions bring in the major reserach findings of Dr. Dement and his colleages as well as some ideas for improving the sleep debt common in modern society.

Sleep debt is the most important concept introduced in the text. Basically, what the author suggests is that anytime we are not sleeping we are accumulating sleep debt. Over a period of time if we don't pay back the sleep debt we become fatigued. Paying back the sleep debt occurs nightly or even weekly when we sleep longer and later. A common belief is that we can reset our sleep debt by getting one good night's sleep. Dr. Dement believes this is not true at all and that we must pay back every minute of sleep debt before we are completely rested and refreshed. Does this ever really happen? Doubtful.

What happens when the sleep debt goes unpaid? Carrying a heavy load of sleep debt will result in immune system failures, emotional problems and safety hazards. According to Dr. Dement, sickness waits for this sleep deprivation and takes advantage of the weakened immune system. Without sleep, the bodies' systems can't repair and recharge.

Another critical component of good sleep is brain development. Dr. Dement provides examples of research about brain development in children in respect to the sleeping brain. Though the brain craves stimulation, it must have the restorative characteristics of sleep in order to develop and grow. Again, sleep deprivation has a powerful and negative impact on human development.

Dr. Dement spends a chapter on dreams and dream interpretation. It is really a sidebar to the major thrust of the book and his research. The text would be complete without his digression into dream interpretation.

All in all, a good read for anyone interested in the process of sleep. If you, or someone you live with, has a problem falling asleep or staying asleep read the book. If you have a problem with chronic fatigue or depression or any immune system disorder you should also read the book. It is okay to skip over some of the redundant or verbose paragraphs. It is an extremely thorough book on modern sleep theory.

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