The 8-Hour Sleep Paradox: How We Are Sleeping Our Way to Fatigue, Disease and Unhappiness – Dr. Mark Burhenne, DDS

Nonfiction / Health

131 pages / 8703 KB

5 Stars

Shall we dispense with the legalities first? I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. There are many first rate reviews of this book already listed on Amazon.com, Goodreads.com, &c, and I shall try not to duplicate too much of those reviews.

When the chance to read and review this book came across my screen, I jumped at it. I've suffered from insomnia since I first became a mother. (Yes, I think there might be a correlation, and though my kids no longer live at home, I truly wonder if insomnia, in this case, became a habit I need to learn to break? Or is there a more sinister, underlying cause?)

I quite literally read this book in one sitting; I found it that well written and that informative. As a child (post tonsillectomy) I required 9-10 hours of sleep a night, as an adult, that time dropped to around 8, and I now consider myself lucky to get 7. Do I snore? I don't know. No one has ever complained about it, but I am going to get one of the apps for my phone to find out.

And I am going to ask my dentist the questions Dr. Burhenne recommends. In fact, I have ordered a copy of the book to give him well before my next visit so he will have a better idea of why I'm asking the questions. I am also going to talk to my MD about the possibility of a sleep study. 

If you sleep, I recommend you read this book. If you sleep but don't sleep well, this book could, literally, save your life. If your sleep partner snores, snorts, mumbles, &c, in her/his sleep, this book could save his/her life—and possibly your partnership.

One of the first things I noticed is the use of footnotes v. end notes. Dr. Burhenne gets extra points for that (I hate end notes). The second thing I noticed is they are grey, not black; however, they are mostly bibliographical not informational, so I'll give him a pass on that one.

This book is well researched, and very well written. Although the subject is serious, deadly serious, the writing is easy to read, interspersed with personal stories, and totally accessible by the average reader. I have already recommended this book to friends of mine who are on CPAP machines (I finished reading it yesterday). He doesn't just tell you how to get checked out, he tells you how to get through the maze of insurance forms, and he gives you check lists in the appendices to help you determine if you need to be checked out by a sleep specialist, and to copy and take the forms with you. And he explains the hows, the whys, and the options and alternatives to CPAPs.

Who would think that a dentist, of all people, would be an expert in sleep disorders? Who would even think of asking their dentist about their sleep disorder? I certainly didn't! But I will now. I hope Dental Schools read this book, and consider developing a class, mandatory, for all dental students, so they are at least aware of it. Dentists are, after all, our first defense against disease. Who knew?

Buy this book. You need it. It may save your life. Honest. Trust me.