This book brings together an unprecedented number and range of contributions relating to sleep from different disciplines in one comprehensive volume. The contributors explore the history of sleep, both in literature and in science, and consider its sociological aspects. Sleep problems, sleep quality and the effects of drugs such as caffeine, nicotine and alcohol on sleep are discussed, together with the importance of sleep for daytime performance and the science of the human body clock. Medication and polysomnography (the measurement of sleep) are also explored, alongside the forensic aspects of sleep, and how it can be affected by medical and psychiatric conditions.This groundbreaking book will be of interest to academics, professonionals and students across a wide range of disciplines, as well as anyone else who wishes to discover more about this fascinating topic.
Foreword by David Nutt, Edmond J. Safra Chair in Neuropsychopharmacology, Imperial College, London, UK. Preface. Introduction: The University of Sleep. Andrew Green, Specialist Occupational Therapist, The Burden Centre for Neuropsychiatry, Bristol, UK and Alex Westcombe, Clinical Psychologist, Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, UK. 1. The Science of Sleep: What is it, what makes it happen and why do we do it? Louise Paterson, Neuropsychopharmacology Unit, Imperial College, London, UK. 2. Chronobiology: Katharina Wulff, Senior Research Scientist, Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Circadian and Visual Neuroscience, University of Oxford, UK. 3. Cultures of Sleep. Brigitte Steger, Lecturer in Modern Japanese Studies, Department of East Asian Studies, University of Cambridge, UK. 4. Medical Anthropology and Children's Sleep: The Mismatch Between Western Lifestyles and Sleep Physiology. Caroline Jones and Helen Ball, Department of Anthropology, Durham University, UK. 5. Beyond 'Death's Counterfeit': The Sociological Aspects of Sleep. Robert Meadows, Lecturer in Sociology, University of Surrey, UK. 6. A Question of Balance: The Relationship Between Daily Occupation and Sleep. Andrew Green, Specialist Occupational Therapist, The Burden Centre for Neuropsychiatry, Bristol, UK. 7. Polysomnography. Nigel Hudson, Department of Neuropsychology, Derriford Hospital, Surrey, UK. 8. Broken Sleep. Jane Hicks, AWP, Bristol, UK and Andrew Green, Specialist Occupational Therapist, The Burden Centre for Neuropsychiatry, Bristol, UK. 9. Sleep and Psychiatry. Dietmar Hank, Jane Hicks, AWP, Bristol, UK and Sue Wilson, Psychopharmacology Unit, University of Bristol, UK. 10. Medication and Sleep. Sue Wilson, Psychopharmacology Unit, University of Bristol, UK. 11. Too Tired to Sleep: Relationships Between Sleep and Fatigue. Alex Westcombe, Clinical Psychologist, Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, UK and Hazel O'Dowd, CFS Service, Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, UK. 12. Ambivalent Attitudes Towards Sleep in World Religions. Stephen Jacobs, University of Wolverhampton, UK. 13. That Sweet Secession: Sleep and Sleepnessness in Western Literature. Lee Scrivner. 14. Sleeping On It: An Overview. Andrew Green, Specialist Occupational Therapist, The Burden Centre for Neuropsychiatry, Bristol, UK and Alex Westcombe, Clinical Psychologist, Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, UK. Glossary. List of Contributors. References. Index.
It provides an overview of the nature of sleep and sleep-related problems in general and clinical populations. Several interesting sleep-related issues are discussed in the text, such as cultural and social influences on sleep patterns and sleep habits as well as the relationship between daily activity and sleep... this book is an excellent syntheses of a variety of sleep-realted topics, opening a fascinating window to the world of sleep science. Whilst the text is not fully clinically oriented, it is likely to be useful for health care professionals who may not be in the sleep-realted field but would like to explore the science of sleep from multi-disciplinary perspectives.
