The Nocturnal Brain, Dr. Guy Leschziner
The Nocturnal Brain, Dr. Guy Leschziner
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The Nocturnal Brain
Nightmares, Neuroscience, and the Secret World of Sleep

Author: Dr. Guy Leschziner

Narrator: Dr. Guy Leschziner

Unabridged: 9 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/23/2019


Synopsis

This program is read by the author.

A renowned neurologist shares the true stories of people unable to get a good night’s rest in The Nocturnal Brain: Nightmares, Neuroscience, and the Secret World of Sleep, a fascinating exploration of the symptoms and syndromes behind sleep disorders.

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 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 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 rest that will not only maintain our physical and mental health, but improve our cognitive abilities and overall happiness.

About Dr. Guy Leschziner

DR. GUY LESCHZINER is the author of The Nocturnal Brain, as well as a professor of neurology and sleep medicine in London. He sees patients with a range of neurological and sleep disorders, and is actively involved in research and teaching. He has also presented series on sleep and neurology for BBC World Service and Radio 4.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Liam on May 06, 2021

A collection of clinical stories (in the spirit of Oliver Sacks, who is explicitly cited in the introduction as an influence) about parasomnias from a sleep neurologist? What a fantastic idea for a book! I was excited to read this, especially after reading the indispensable Why We Sleep: Unlocking t......more