The nocturnal brain nightmares, neuroscience, and the secret world of sleep

"For Dr. Guy Leschziner's patients, there is no rest for the weary--either in mind or in body. Insomnia, narcolepsy, night terrors, apnea, and sleepwalking are just a sampling of conditions afflicting sufferers who cannot sleep--and their experiences in trying are the stuff of nightmares....

Full description

Main Author: Leschziner, Guy (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language: English
Published: New York : St. Martin's Press, an imprint of St. Martin's Publishing Group, 2019.
Edition: First U.S. edition.
Subjects:
Summary: "For Dr. Guy Leschziner's patients, there is no rest for the weary--either in mind or in body. Insomnia, narcolepsy, night terrors, apnea, and sleepwalking are just a sampling of conditions afflicting sufferers who cannot sleep--and their experiences in trying are the stuff of nightmares. Demoniac hallucinations frighten people into paralysis. Restless legs rock both the sleepless and their sleeping partners with unpredictable and uncontrollable kicking. Out-of-sync circadian rhythms confuse the natural body clock's days and nights. Then there are the extreme cases. A woman in a state of deep sleep who gets dressed, unlocks her car, and drives for several miles before returning to bed. The man who has spent decades cleaning out kitchens while "sleep-eating." The teenager prone to the severe, yet unfortunately nicknamed Sleeping Beauty Syndrome stuck in a cycle of excessive unconsciousness, binge eating, and uncharacteristic displays of aggression and hypersexuality while awake. With compassionate stories of his patients and their conditions, Dr. Leschziner illustrates the neuroscience behind our sleeping minds and explores the many biological and psychological factors that allow us to find the rest necessary to maintain our health and also improve our cognitive abilities and overall happiness."--Dust jacket.
Insomnia, narcolepsy, night terrors, apnea, and sleepwalking are just a sampling of conditions afflicting sufferers who cannot sleep-- and their experiences in trying are the stuff of nightmares. Demoniac hallucinations frighten people into paralysis. Restless legs rock both the sleepless and their sleeping partners with unpredictable and uncontrollable kicking. Out-of-sync circadian rhythms confuse the natural body clock's days and nights. Leschziner explores the many biological and psychological factors that allow us to find the rest necessary to maintain our health-- and also improve our cognitive abilities and overall happiness. -- adapted from jacket
Physical Description: 353 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (pages 330-341) and index.
ISBN: 9781250202703
1250202701
Author Notes: Dr. Guy Leschziner is a consultant neurologist and sleep physician, and a clinical lead for one of the largest sleep services in Europe, based at Guy's Hospital in Central London. An active researcher and teacher, he sees patients with a range of sleep disorders, including narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea and nocturnal epilepsy. He has also presented on the radio and worked in television, all related to sleep.