Williamsburg Regional Library

The nocturnal brain, nightmares, neuroscience, and the secret world of sleep, Guy Leschziner

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 330-341) and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

The nocturnal brain

bibliography

1085576579

Guy Leschziner

nightmares, neuroscience, and the secret world of sleep

"For Dr. Guy Leschziner's patients, there is no rest for the weary--either in mind or in body. Insomnia, narcolepsy, night terrors, apnea, and sleepwalking are just a sampling of conditions afflicting sufferers who cannot sleep--and their experiences in trying are the stuff of nightmares. Demoniac hallucinations frighten people into paralysis. Restless legs rock both the sleepless and their sleeping partners with unpredictable and uncontrollable kicking. Out-of-sync circadian rhythms confuse the natural body clock's days and nights. Then there are the extreme cases. A woman in a state of deep sleep who gets dressed, unlocks her car, and drives for several miles before returning to bed. The man who has spent decades cleaning out kitchens while "sleep-eating." The teenager prone to the severe, yet unfortunately nicknamed Sleeping Beauty Syndrome stuck in a cycle of excessive unconsciousness, binge eating, and uncharacteristic displays of aggression and hypersexuality while awake. With compassionate stories of his patients and their conditions, Dr. Leschziner illustrates the neuroscience behind our sleeping minds and explores the many biological and psychological factors that allow us to find the rest necessary to maintain our health and also improve our cognitive abilities and overall happiness."--Dust jacket

Greenwich Mean Time -- In the still of the night -- Disney was right -- Rumblings -- The sleep-talking bus driver -- Weak with laughter -- Buzzing bees -- Seized by the throat -- Floating eyeballs -- Jekyll and Hyde -- The waking effects of coffee -- A peculiar fairy tale -- Inception -- Losing sleep -- Epilogue: Some general thoughts on sleep

adult