Comedian David Baddiel is an insomniac with many sleep related problems and a lifetime of experience trying to fix them. In Sleeping with David Baddiel, he discusses them with sleep expert Dr. Guy Leschziner over the course of 6 chapters/episodes in an attempt to learn more about sleep and how to get more of it.
Unfortunately for me, I didn't learn anything new here. I was already very familiar with the topics discussed and they never seemed to delve into any detail.
However, what frustrated me the most was the seemingly complete lack of commitment shown by David Baddiel to attempt much of what was suggested to him by Dr. Guy.
Baddiel freely admits he has always identified as an insomniac and I suspect he isn't motivated enough by his poor sleep patterns to ditch this identifier and make any significant changes to his habits.
While Sleeping with David Baddiel by Geoff Jein didn't have much to offer, I can happily point readers in the direction of three other books which were much better.
- At Day's Close - A History of Nighttime by A. Roger Ekirch (5 stars)
- What We Did In Bed: A Horizontal History by Brian Fagan & Nadia Durran (4 stars)
- The Secret Life of Sleep by Kat Duff (3 stars)
Sleeping with David Baddiel by Geoff Jein is recommended listening for those who know very little about sleep hygiene and sleep disorders and those seeking a surface level examination of the main subjects.
Carpe Librum!
Carpe Librum!
As a lifetime insomniac who has tried most things, I’ve given up on these type of books. But your five stars for At days Close interests me, I may have to look that one up.
ReplyDeleteFrom one night owl to another, At Day's Close won't help with your insomnia but it's just a fascinating read, I loved it! Especially the section about how we used to have two sleeps and sleeping through the night without interruption is a much more recent evolution or expectation. I hope you give it a go.
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