Fast Asleep: How to get a really good night’s rest

The author seems to believe that almost all sleep problems are the result of being overweight and if you buy his diet books, you will be cured. I am not overweight in the least and I still can’t sleep

This book does not need to exist. Plenty of good books, articles, and podcasts on sleep already exist. This book is not as good as others and it does not add much to the topic. A book published in 2017 titled Why We Sleep is better than this one. One thing that does distinguish this book from the others on the market is an emphasis on diet and the impact obesity has on sleep.

Dr. Michael Mosley does not appear to have been a practicing doctor or professional scientific researcher in the past 35 years. He is a professional journalist and broadcaster. People devote their careers to sleep research, and some of those people have written books. Michael Mosely is writing this book as a journalist who had insomnia and researched how to fix his personal issue. As such, this book has a narrow focus. It is not comprehensive coverage of all the sleep science and tips. There is no groundbreaking sleep science in this book. About 30% of this book is about having a healthy diet, such as recommendations to eat fish three times per week and follow the Mediterranean diet. I didnt read a sleep book to get nutrition advice. I realize nutrition plays a role, but it isnt important enough of a factor to devote so much to the topic and there are thousands of better books on nutrition.

I listened to the audiobook. The narration was below average. The author has a thick British accent that is sometimes hard to listen to as an American. I tried to listen to this while going to sleep, but in several places he yells or speaks loudly, making it an audiobook that you should not listen to while falling asleep.

I would score the content as a 3, since the content is a fine starting point for someone who knows nothing about sleep. I am subtracting a star because the cover, and some of the promotional reviews, trumpets the author being a doctor as a way to sell books. I am also subtracting a star because the cover claims groundbreaking research, which is a false claim in my view. I did not know who the author was when I started reading this book and assumed he was a practicing doctor in the field of sleep research.

The biohacking community has been doing actual groundbreaking research and the information found on those blogs, forums, and podcast are a great source of information if you want to know about the latest information, gadgets, and supplements. Some content providers that routinely put out information on sleep include Ben Greenfield, Dave Asprey, Tim Ferris, and Peter Attia.

Perhaps related to my recent review of “I’m So Effing Tired” (great book), I also have trouble falling “Fast Asleep.” So I was excited to read this book by Dr. Michael Mosley, a British doctor with a fascinating background as a BBC commentator and a host of shows about mysterious medical diagnoses, as well as an author of several other bestselling medical books. Even if you don’t struggle with insomnia, who among us could not use a better night’s sleep? Especially in times like these. So I would recommend this book to absolutely everyone, not just poor sleepers like me.

Dr. Mosley provides a fascinating scientific history about the early science of sleep. He breaks down the different stages of sleep (REM, deep, light) and the purposes of each. For example, I had no idea that deep sleep actually cleans your brain and helps your memory. I also did not know that REM sleep and its vivid dreams affects our emotions and emotional processing in the daytime .

Dr. Mosley suggests various methods of tracking your sleep, through journaling or similar (I use an app). He goes past the usual culprits that most of us have tried already (caffeine, blue light) and helps you understand things like your own internal clock (there is a quiz and I was surprised by my results!) It is also surprising and somewhat distressing to learn how much sleep is related to weight gain and weight loss. He discusses eating to create a “sleepy biome” He also has an idea I never heard before: if you are an “extreme lark” (on an early morning clock), maybe you wake up at 3 am and start your day then. While that sounds a little crazy he has some pretty compelling evidence that it works – Mark Wahlberg and Tim Cook are living life this way apparently and getting the same amount of stuff done (or more) before going to bed at 7:30 pm. And finally there is a LOT of discussion about diet and the gut…my least favorite, since I love eating carbs and sugar. But his evidence is compelling.

Overall a great book for people who have tried absolutely everything – there is a ton of new information in here to try and a specific program to follow along with a diary to fill in of factors that may be affecting your sleep. There are also recipes! (I have not tried these yet but I am going to! The breakfasts in particular look fantastic and include some fun stuff like potatoes.) A very complete, science-based book that is also fun to read. Highly recommended for all my insomniac buddies or for anyone who wants to be less tired and enjoy better sleep.

Thanks to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and Dr. Michael Mosley for the advance copy! 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this opportunity. My review opinions are my own.,.
Dr. Michael Mosley is a British doctor .a BBC commentator and an author of several bestselling books. I was pleased to read this book for review as I suffer from lack of sleep for years from chronic pain. I do not believe in sleep aids and use natural methods and sensible eating which I had great success with.

This was a exemplary body of work on the subject of sleep. The author covers how our usual suspects as sleep, weight gain and poor eating can affect our sleep. As a vegan who practices healthy eating I was pleased to see the section on eating habits and how they can affect our sleep to a great degree. Many people do not correlate how critical eating is in reference to good sleep. I myself do not eat after 6 pm and found that works wonders for me in regard to sleep. The receipes here are outstanding and sensible. The author has suggestions for making your room cooler which is a critical factor for me as well as managing our stress and what to do when we wake up at night. All in all I learned a lot of new information to put into my own sleep practice and enjoyed what I learned from this excellent body of work.

First the very minor negatives. A lot of padding at the beginning. Some may find the background information interesting, but as someone who was suffering with increasingly consistent insomnia, I wanted to get to the “good stuff”.

Essentially it’s a mix of diet, and lifestyle advice with minor mentions of exercise. There is a recipes section in the latter half of the book.

He recommends slightly varied regimes based on how bad your sleep is. Luckily mine was not too bad, but it was beginning to affect mood, appetite and ability to concentrate for work so this book was just what I needed.

In summary, I’ve found the techniques work, I’ve implemented some of the relaxation techniques and taken on board the advice. The ‘acute’ regime is tough. You restrict hours in bed at the beginning and then go to bed slightly earlier each week as your sleep improves. I’m only on my first week and it’s tough but seems to be improving things-I was waking at 2.30am-3am having gone to bed at 10.30 or 11pm and I’m now sleeping a little better, but I have a few more weeks to go before I’m back to going to bed at a normal time. Anway, I recommend it, it works for me but everyone is different I guess.

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