Why Do We Sleep?

5 May

As someone who doesn’t sleep very well, I found ‘Why Do We Sleep?’ a really engaging and informative read. Starting with why we need sleep, the book explores all manner of sleep related subjects, including how we benefit from a good night’s rest.

The book introduces sleep related terms like ‘circadian rhythms’, ‘atonia’ and oneirology’, clearly explaining these in context, helping readers to develop a deeper understanding of how we sleep. A glossary at the end of the book offers additional explanations.

Busy, collage style illustrations fill every spread with text presented in small, accessible chunks spread across the pages. Snippets of additional information are shown in speech bubbles or text boxes. The font used in these is one which mixes upper and lower case letter which is something which really jars with me and detracts from the book which is a shame. However, this said, the information presented is fascinating!

As well as looking at the sleeping habits of humans, the book looks at how various animals sleep and dream, including hibernation. Readers are also introduced to myths from around the world linked to sleep such as Fylgja, a guardian spirit from Norse mythology and the Baku, a creature from Japanese legend.

Perfect for enriching learning and broadening the curriculum, this book also helps children to understand the importance of sleep, with suggestions for developing positive bed time habits, including a ‘sleep flow chart’ designed to help improve sleep quality. I will definitely be trying this out!