In dreams I have achieved everything. ― Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet
A necessary function, sleep can be many things to many people: celebrated or avoided, easy or difficult, empty or full of confusing dreams. The health benefits of sleep are endless, and the symptoms of sleep deprivation can set you back mentally and physically for days to come. And let’s talk about the wildness of dreams, themselves! What does it mean when we dream of something frightening or incredibly profound? How does our subconscious mind create such vivid situations in places we’ve never before visited?
If you’re as perplexed as I am about dreams, better sleep habits, and the art of snoozing in general, check out the following titles available in Mesa County Libraries catalog and put your curiosities to rest. (All title descriptions take from the catalog).
Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Dreams and Sleep by Matthew Walker
Sleep is one of the most important but least understood aspects of our life, wellness, and longevity. Until very recently, science had no answer to the question of why we sleep, or what good it served, or why we suffer such devastating health consequences when we don’t sleep. Compared to the other basic drives in life–eating, drinking, and reproducing – the purpose of sleep remained elusive. An explosion of scientific discoveries in the last twenty years has shed new light on this fundamental aspect of our lives. Now, preeminent neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker gives us a new understanding of the vital importance of sleep and dreaming.
Sleepyhead: The Neuroscience of a Good Night’s Rest by Henry Nicholls
Whether it’s a bout of bad jet lag or a stress-induced all-nighter, we’ve all suffered from nights that left us feeling less than well-rested. But for some people, getting a bad night’s sleep isn’t just an inconvenience: it’s a nightmare. In Sleepyhead, science writer Henry Nicholls uses his own experience with chronic narcolepsy as a gateway to better understanding the cryptic, curious, and relatively uncharted world of sleep disorders. We meet insomniacs who can’t get any sleep, narcoleptics who can’t control when they sleep, and sleep apnea victims who nearly suffocate in their sleep. We learn the underlying difference between morning larks and night owls; why our sleeping habits shift as we grow older; and the evolutionary significance of REM sleep and dreaming. Charming, eye-opening, and deeply humanizing, Sleepyhead will help us all uncover the secrets of a good night’s sleep.
Rediscover the pleasure of sleep. Through friendly guidance and dozens of easy exercises and doable practices, mindfulness teacher and dream therapist Tzivia Gover shows how lifestyle changes and dreaming can enhance a good night’s sleep. This holistic program – including meditation, relaxation, yoga, journaling, and dreamwork – not only helps you improve your sleep habits but extends into the walking hours, too, with tips for morning routines to foster more joyful, mindful living all day.
Dreams: Unlock Inner Wisdom, Discover Meaning, and Refocus your Life by Rosie March-Smith
Learn how to interpret your dreams and use your unconscious mind as a tool for self-help with this in-depth guide to dream analysis. Have you ever dreamt you were being chased? How about a dream that your teeth were falling out? With an open mind and some clear guidance you’ll be able to shed light on how the images and emotions we experience in sleep can be deeply connected to waking life. Explore the psychological function and meaning of dreams, and learn to unlock their power for self-improvement. With interpretations of key dream images and themes, Dreams will show you how you can interpret and control your dreams to address issues and imbalances in your life, as well as improve your psychological wellbeing.
Decode your Dreams: Unlock your Unconscious and Transform your Waking Life by Ian Wallace
Become your own dream analyst and begin a powerful journey of self discovery with bestselling author, psychologist and dream expert Ian Wallace. Dreams are no longer some largely indecipherable code. They are authored by our own subconscious. When you create a dream, you are encoding a meaningful story about how to fulfil your emotional needs, intentions and purpose in waking life. So who better to decode your dreams than you? Decode Your Dreams empowers you with all you need to know, from unlocking your unconscious and learning how it influences your experiences, to creating positive life changes in light of these insights. This easy-to-use guide offers an original, two-step method that nurtures the connection between the ever-evolving unconscious and conscious mind for transformational results. Wallace explains how to decipher dream meanings before answering each diagnosis with suggested waking-life actions. Reflect on the best solutions to recurring daily dilemmas, identify and heal anxieties that are holding you back, and confront and seize new opportunities to pursue your passions.
Restful Sleep: The Complete Mind-Body Program for Overcoming Insomnia by Deepak Chopra
Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of life, is ideally suited to help with the problem of insomnia, in which the mind is known to play a considerable role. In this volume, Dr. Chopra shows readers how to fall asleep easily, feel rested upon arising, identify and eliminate the imbalances causing insomnia, and more.
Yoga for Better Sleep: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science by Mark Stephens
Learn simple yoga techniques – poses, meditations, and breathwork – to sleep better and longer, from master yoga teacher trainer and author, Mark Stephens. As modern science unravels some of the mysteries of our sleeping, dreaming, and waking states, age-old yoga practices are helping us to enjoy better sleep, clearer minds, and healthier bodies. Over 65 percent of U.S. adults are sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation causes and worsens many ailments, including stress, heart conditions, high blood pressure, obesity, and depression. This book provides easy-to-do and effective yoga activities – including postural sequences, breathing exercises, and meditation tools – for better quality and quantity sleep across the life cycle from childhood to older age.
Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep by David K. Randall
Like many of us, journalist David K. Randall never gave sleep much thought. That is, until he began sleepwalking. One midnight crash into a hallway wall sent him on an investigation into the strange science of sleep. In Dreamland, Randall explores the research that is investigating those dark hours that make up nearly a third of our lives. Taking readers from military battlefields to children’s bedrooms, Dreamland shows that sleep isn’t as simple as it seems. Why did the results of one sleep study change the bookmakers’ odds for certain Monday Night Football games? Do women sleep differently than men? And if you happen to kill someone while you are sleepwalking, does that count as murder?