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Make Sleep Your Superpower: A Guide to Greater Health, Happiness & Productivity Kindle Edition
"When it comes to writing that clearly applies science to our everyday lives, Britt is among the greats. The way he writes about sleep here is so thoughtful, interesting, actionable, and potentially life-changing." —Amy Shearn, award-winning author of Unseen City and other novels
Sleep is the most underrated activity that affects physical well-being, energy level, mood, memory and thinking skills. Good sleep puts you in charge of your emotions, your actions and reactions, your productivity, your entire day.
Improving your sleep will make you better at everything you do, whether you’re a college student, an entrepreneur, an athlete, an artist, a parent, a teacher, a 9–5 worker or a 5–9 workaholic, a Millennial or a Boomer.
Better sleep can be your superpower.
However, much of what you hear about sleep is wrong or misguided. Pharmaceutical companies and others who make money off the myths want you to think we’re all sleep-deprived zombies, that snoring is always a bad sign, that older people can’t sleep well, and that drugs or expensive devices are the best and only solutions.
In plain language, health journalist Robert Roy Britt debunks these and other common sleep myths and misconceptions in a breakthrough book that reveals the important lifestyle factors behind a good night’s sleep, and how anyone can develop a simple and effective strategy to improve sleep quality and feel better every day. You will come to realize that just like your job, your relationships and other important things in life, good sleep deserves a little intention and effort.
You’ll learn practical, doable, science-based strategies for falling asleep faster, sleeping more soundly, and sleeping efficiently, especially in the most restorative and rejuvenating stages of sleep—without wasting time staring at the ceiling.
The book explains the importance of sleep and the remarkable clean-up and repair work done to your brain and body, and how to get efficient and effective sleep. It introduces a novel questionnaire to determine your Sleep Score, a benchmark from which you can measure improvement.
Britt reveals the many ways sleep can be degraded by outside forces and, often, the stupid things we do. You’ll meet your kryptonite—the behaviors and conditions that thwart good sleep and prevent you from living your best life. He then lays out 20 specific science-backed sleep tactics, concluding with sleep experts revealing how well or poorly they sleep, and what tactics they employ.
Finally, you'll learn exactly how to launch a sleep strategy and stick to it, including introduction of the 3x3 Sleep Challenge to jumpstart your measurable progress toward better nights and better days.
This book will help you create a virtuous cycle of healthy behaviors leading to greater health, happiness and productivity.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateNovember 1, 2022
- File size904 KB
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Praise for Robert Roy Britt's Make Sleep Your Superpower
"An Owner's Manual for great sleep. I recommend to anyone looking for an edge."
—Scott Mayer, editor of In Fitness And In Health on Substack and Medium
"A wonderful mix of fascinating science and practical tips, Britt's Make Sleep Your Superpower will keep you engaged and learning from cover to cover. You'll leave with a stark awareness of why sleep is so crucial to every aspect of life (and your health) as well as the motivation, and tools, to get started on identifying and quashing your personal sleep kryptonite."
—Jeanna Bryner, managing editor at Scientific American
"As a sleep enthusiast—and a longtime fan of Robert Roy Britt's writing—I couldn't be more pleased that this book exists. When it comes to writing that clearly applies science to our everyday lives, Britt is among the greats. The way he writes about sleep here is so thoughtful, interesting, actionable, and potentially life-changing. Read it, study it, and share it with the 'I'll sleep when I'm dead' people in your life."
—Amy Shearn, award-winning author of Unseen City and other novels
"Sleep is arguably the most important health behavior, due to its primal responsibility in regulating physiological repair and recuperation processes. In this fascinating read, Rob Britt taps into contemporary empirical research to explore the value of sleep and how it can help people unlock a healthier lifestyle."
—Dane McCarrick, PhD, a researcher in the Laboratory for Stress & Health Research at the University of Leeds in England, a graduate member of the British Psychological Society, and a fellow at the Higher Education Academy
"A rich and lucid treatment of sleep, a surprisingly unexplored subject, considering its relevance to billions. Robert Roy Britt, a gifted translator of vast, complex subjects, easily conveys the fascinating intricacies of this topic, providing scientific depth, righting misconceptions, and, like Hypnos himself, surely leading many readers to the bliss of a good night's rest."
—Kitta MacPherson, award-winning science journalist and former science editor at The Star-Ledger
"Make Sleep Your Superpower should be on your list of most important books to read. It will open your eyes to the life-altering power of closing them. You'll be stunned at what you'll learn, but more important, at how easy it is to change habits that will lead to a healthier, happier life. What's more, it's exquisitely written, funny, and brainy, but in a way that will make you feel smarter. Do not wait to read this book."
—Fritz Nelson, vice president of content operations for Oracle Corporation
"We spend a third of our adult lives trying to sleep. Many of us are doing it badly. There's a better way—and Rob Britt has found it. He's taken the best that science has to offer us and laid out a reasonable, thoughtful and refreshing path toward a good night's sleep that will make us healthier, happier and more productive. Read Rob's book. Learn how you can make sleep a superpower. And always remember: Better nights equal better days."
—Jeff Nesbit, author of This Is the Way the World Ends and Poison Tea
"Part how-to, part myth-busting, and thoroughly eye-opening with healthy doses of neuroscience and clinical data, this book succeeds in establishing proper sleep as fundamental as exercise and nutrition to human health and productivity. In our overstimulated world of lights and noise and digital distractions, our primal need for sleep is under assault—with deadly consequences in terms of sickness, accidents, and poor decision-making tied to a chronic lack of sleep. Britt's brilliance here is detailing how better sleep not only is within your reach but a core inner strength for you to master."
—Christopher Wanjek, author of Food at Work: Workplace Solutions for Malnutrition, Obesity and Chronic Diseases (ILO, United Nations)
"I would not have thought I would use words like 'thought provoking' and 'stimulating' to describe a book on sleep! Rob Britt's depth of research and ease of explanation was fascinating."
—Stan Bassett, executive at several tech start-ups
From the Author
Over the past four years, I've dug through countless research papers and interviewed dozens of experts to write hundreds of articles about what keeps people physically healthy and mentally well through all phases of life.
Other than breathing, eating and drinking water, it's become clear that prioritizing sleep—putting intention into improving it by applying a science-based strategy—is the simplest and most effective way to enhance every aspect of life, making sleep a superpower that fuels a virtuous cycle of physical health, mental wellness and, ultimately, happiness.
I hope you find reading this book as enlightening and helpful as researching and writing it has been for me.
Product details
- ASIN : B0BJBYFQCB
- Publisher : Ink • Spot Books (November 1, 2022)
- Publication date : November 1, 2022
- Language : English
- File size : 904 KB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 318 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #913,504 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #137 in Chronic Pain (Kindle Store)
- #359 in Memory Improvement (Kindle Store)
- #555 in Pain Management (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Robert Roy Britt is the author of "Make Sleep Your Superpower: A Guide to Greater Health, Happiness & Productivity," and "5 Days to Landfall," a science-based disaster thriller, along with the Eli Quinn detective mystery series: "Closure," "Drone" and "First Kill."
Rob writes weekly about physical health and mental wellness at robertroybritt.medium.com, putting the latest scientific research into plain language with ample context to help people of all ages improve well-being. Separately, his "Age Wise" newsletter on Substack focuses on aging well, no matter how old you are now.
He was the founding managing editor and later editor-in-chief of Live Science, and also editor-in-chief of Space.com, then chief content officer of a media company, leading the launch and growth of several health, science and technology publications. His first journalism jobs were in newspapers, back when a typo could be fixed with an X-Acto knife between press runs. He was an infographics artist at the Asbury Park Press and later an editor at The Star-Ledger in New Jersey.
The writer lives in Arizona with his wife and two dogs, while their three grown children are scattered around the world. When not writing, he's happiest hiking, mountain biking or camping in remote mountain and desert locales with his wife, in search of solitude and the amazing restorative powers of being out there.
Website: robertroybritt.com
Facebook: Robert Roy Britt
Twitter: @robertroybritt
Customer reviews
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This book puts you to sleep... in a good way
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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The good news is that with some practical and often small lifestyle changes, one can improve sleep AND overall health. You don’t have to read this book from cover to cover. You can easily jump from one chapter to another to hone in on your specific interests or areas of concern. I especially like how Robert respects that not one size fits all when it comes to tackling this particular problem or what might be the causes of individual sleep issues.
I had come to the conclusion that getting older just meant not sleeping well, but that definitely isn’t the case. I have already begun to use some of the suggested “Proven Tactics for Better Sleep” and am finding some success. It has certainly given me hope for a better night’s sleep.
The book opens with a good bit of verbiage outlining the process of sleep and the often eye-opening reasons that getting good quality sleep is vital to your health and well being. It is good reading, for sure, but be forewarned, that part might keep you awake at night! There’s also surprising information on “Sleep Kryptonite,” or the things that get in the way of good sleep.
To be honest, I haven’t tried all the 20 techniques, but two useful ones for me are “Make Some Noise” (such as white noise in the background) and “Be Mindful” (meditation). I 've used these with success, but the other 18 may be more useful to you.
I feel that this is a highly worthwhile book, but I do have one negative comment. I don't like the term, "Superpower." I know I'm in the minority here, but I think we add "super" to too many things these days.
(Note: I received an advance copy of the book, but no other benefit, perk or remuneration. This review is given willingly without any expectation of favor. Also, I have known Robert Roy Britt (exclusively through the Internet) since he was the editor-in-chief at the website Space.com in the 1990s, so I am familar with the quality and integrity of his writing.)
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2022
The book opens with a good bit of verbiage outlining the process of sleep and the often eye-opening reasons that getting good quality sleep is vital to your health and well being. It is good reading, for sure, but be forewarned, that part might keep you awake at night! There’s also surprising information on “Sleep Kryptonite,” or the things that get in the way of good sleep.
To be honest, I haven’t tried all the 20 techniques, but two useful ones for me are “Make Some Noise” (such as white noise in the background) and “Be Mindful” (meditation). I 've used these with success, but the other 18 may be more useful to you.
I feel that this is a highly worthwhile book, but I do have one negative comment. I don't like the term, "Superpower." I know I'm in the minority here, but I think we add "super" to too many things these days.
(Note: I received an advance copy of the book, but no other benefit, perk or remuneration. This review is given willingly without any expectation of favor. Also, I have known Robert Roy Britt (exclusively through the Internet) since he was the editor-in-chief at the website Space.com in the 1990s, so I am familar with the quality and integrity of his writing.)
Top reviews from other countries
This book isn't a well-being "follow my words if you want to succeed type of book", it's a series of well informed scientific researches that help me understand my own sleep pattern and habits and correct them accordingly.
It's more like metagognition: awareness or analysis of one's own thinking processes and sleeping habits.