Bedtime Reads: The Nocturnal Brain

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

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 serious, 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, revealing the many biological and psychological factors necessary in getting the quality of rest that will not only maintain our physical and mental health, but improve our cognitive abilities and overall happiness