We spend a third of our lives in bed, but how much do we really understand about what happens when we go to sleep? What s the right amount? Why do we experience jet lag? Is snoring normal? Enter Dr. Meir Kryger, a world authority on the science of sleep, with a comprehensive guide to the science of slumber that combines detailed case studies, helpful tables, illustrations, and pragmatic advice. Everyone needs sleep, and many of us will experience some difficulty sleeping over the course of our lifetimes (or know someone who does). Kryger's comprehensive text is a much-needed bedside resource for insomniacs, those who can t stay awake, and the simply curious. Uniquely wide ranging, this is part scientific history and part handbook of sleep and the disorders that affect it.-- Source other than the Library of Congress.

Part one.A good night's sleep -- Chapter 1. Why do we sleep? -- Chapter 2. Sleep requirements in the life stages -- Chapter 3. -- The reproductive years -- Chapter 4. Pregnancy and postpartum -- Chapter 5. When sex hormone levels decrease: Menopause and andropause -- Part two. Do I have a sleep problem? -- Chapter 6. How to identify a sleep problem -- Chapter 7. Secondhand sleep problems -- Chapter 8. Resetting the body clock -- Chapter 9. A world that never sleeps -- Part three. Can't sleep, can't stay awake -- Chapter 10. Insomnia -- Chapter 11. Restless legs syndrome -- Chapter 12. Sleep apnea -- Chapter 13. Narcolepsy -- Chapter 14. Fear of sleeping and other unusual ailments -- Chapter 15. Medical conditions that affect sleep -- Chapter 16. Psychiatric disorders that affect sleep -- Chapter 17. Medications that contribute to sleep disorders -- Part four. Getting help -- Chapter 18. At the sleep clinic -- Chapter 19. Beating insomnia without pills -- Chapter 20. Medications that treat sleep disorders -- Chapter 21. Time for bed.