Sleep disorders affect 1 in 3 French people according to INSERM studies, which highlight not only the reduction in our time spent sleeping (1.5 hours less than 50 years ago!) but also the impact of sleep problems on health: hypertension, diabetes, obesity, anxiety, depression, and even a decrease in your immune defenses.
If you are also part of the insomnia team and are desperately looking to get back to having good nights of sleep, here is our top 5 books on the subject, with valuable advice and natural remedies to finally sleep soundly.
"Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker
If we could only recommend one book on sleep, it would definitely be this one. This bestseller is an essential guide to easily understanding the mechanisms of sleep and, above all, helping you get a good night's rest.
It’s quite simple: this book condenses more than 20 years of research and work by the professor of neuroscience and psychology (who also directs the Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory at UC Berkeley—Mr. Walker certainly knows his stuff), while making it accessible even if you don't have a PhD in medicine.
Throughout the pages, we learn how our sleep works (physiological mechanisms, circadian rhythm, among others), the importance of a good night's sleep, the risks of sleep disorders on our health, and we realize why it is crucial to fix them.
"Bien dormir, ça s'apprend !" (Sleeping Well Can Be Learned!) by Benjamin Lubszynski
Another classic of the genre—we couldn't miss this one!
"Bien dormir, ça s'apprend ! 2 mois de programme pour retrouver le sommeil" (Sleeping Well Can Be Learned! A 2-Month Program to Rediscover Sleep) written by psychotherapist Benjamin Lubszynski is a practical guide to knowing everything about sleep and regaining nights worthy of the name. The book contains both crucial information on the subject (sleep cycles, the different phases, for example) and a specific eight-week program to overcome sleep disorders.
As a bonus: a CD with 30 relaxation sessions to help you fall asleep better, self-assessment tables, and other practical tools are included in this book.
💡 Good to know: the author also offers meditation and hypnosis sessions, as well as keys to regaining good sleep, on his YouTube channel.
"La Formule Du Sommeil" (The Sleep Formula) by Morgan Aldo
The author of this book is a general practitioner near Lyon, and what he offers here is simply expert answers to sleep disorders, clear explanations of how it works, and concrete ways to sleep better at night.
Everything is covered, including: the causes, the signs to recognize, the importance of good lifestyle habits, optimizing body temperature, bedroom setup, the harmful effects of artificial blue light on your circadian rhythm, and the different routines to implement for bedtime and the morning.
"Mieux dormir chaque nuit, être en forme chaque jour : Les secrets d'un sommeil profond et réparateur" (Sleeping Better Every Night, Being Fit Every Day: The Secrets of Deep, Restorative Sleep) by Joëlle Adrien
Another comprehensive book for understanding the mechanisms of sleep and helping you sleep well.
Joëlle Adrien is a sleep expert: she is a neurobiologist, research director at INSERM, and president of the Institute for Sleep and Vigilance on Sleep Disorders, and she regularly organizes workshops on this absolutely fascinating subject. If you are looking to learn everything about sleep, but especially to have peaceful and restorative nights, this book will interest you!
It will allow you to discover how to reset your internal clock to the sleep rhythm that suits you, and easily adopt practical tips to overcome obstacles to quality sleep. A complete and informative book!
"Antifatigue : En 4 semaines, retrouvez 100 % de votre énergie grâce au sommeil" (Anti-Fatigue: In 4 Weeks, Regain 100% of Your Energy Through Sleep) by Pierre Philip
Behind this title, which may seem ambitious, is a complete sleep guide divided into two main parts: essential information and data to better understand how and why we sleep (and why we don't, which is why we are here) and advice that is easy to implement in everyday life to finally find where that pesky "sandman" is hiding.
In this guide, the professor shares his experience as a sleep specialist, but above all, a step-by-step method to regain sleep in less than a month, with sound advice and a touch of humor.
Rediscovering Sleep: Our Bonus Tips
If this selection wasn't enough to satisfy your curiosity on the subject, we would like to remind you that we have written a complete guide: how to sleep well with our practical tips and tricks to reconnect with Morpheus.
But since we know that a lack of sleep harms motivation and concentration (nothing to do with your laziness to click to go read it, no, no), here is a little reminder of the fundamentals:
- 🔵 No artificial blue light in the evening, and even less in your bedroom: blue light directly influences your circadian rhythm and can therefore disrupt it, which leads to sleep problems you could well do without. So reduce your screen time, banish that smartphone from your bedroom, and get yourself some anti-blue light glasses with unbeatable value for money.
- 🥗🏃A healthy (and rested!) mind in a healthy body: there is no secret; a poor lifestyle will inevitably have an impact on the quality of your sleep. Paying attention to your diet, staying well hydrated, and practicing regular physical activity is the first step to take to get back to better nights.
- 🙏 Fight stress: we don't need to tell you, stress and anxiety are one of the main causes of insomnia and disrupted sleep. So to sleep better, why not try relaxation through breathing, meditation, or yoga?
- 🕰️ Keep the rhythm! Define regular bedtimes and wake-up times to give your body good habits.
Final word: the best books on sleep
- 1 in 3 French people sleeps poorly; that is a fact. There is a strong chance you clicked on this link because you are precisely one of them. Sleep worries can have painful consequences on your daily life, which is why we wrote an article dedicated to books on the subject.
- If you are looking to understand everything about sleep, but also (and above all) to find advice from recognized specialists on the subject, we recommend Matthew Walker's bestseller "Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams" as well as the practical guide written by Benjamin Lubszynski "Bien dormir, ça s'apprend ! 2 mois de programme pour retrouver le sommeil".
- We also advise you to read "La Formule Du Sommeil" by Morgan Aldo, "Mieux dormir chaque nuit, être en forme chaque jour : Les secrets d'un sommeil profond et réparateur" by Joëlle Adrien, or "Antifatigue : En 4 semaines, retrouvez 100 % de votre énergie grâce au sommeil" by Pierre Philip.
- Exercising, eating better, taking care of your mental health, and being wary of artificial blue light are all avenues to explore to regain better sleep.
