BEING INFORMED ABOUT AND KNOWING the physiology of how and why we sleep is an important part of undertaking any study and practice of conscious dreaming.

In Dreamland David Randall does a thorough job of giving not only the chronology of development of concepts about sleep but brings the reader up to the present-day efforts of researchers working to understand the physiology of sleep. Randall’s journey of inquiry began when his own history of talking in his sleep and of restless legs and sleepwalking culminated in his waking up one night in a hallway in his home laying on the floor howling in pain after having sleepwalked into a wall.

A senior reporter at Reuters Randall undertook a detailed investigation that took him through sleep research centers around the US as well as in other countries. He interviewed and studied the reports of doctors, chemists, physiologists, surgeons, sports coaches, psychologists, lawyers and even research in the US armed forces each looking at different aspects of the nature of sleep. He recounts some of the more bizarre extremes of rare individuals whose sleep disorder is so severe as to cause them to sleepwalk out of their homes, sometimes placing them in physical danger, sometimes even driving automobiles and sometimes even committing terrible crimes. An examination of the research into the physiology responsible for such actions reveals how different parts of the brain function almost autonomously and out of synch with one another. These investigations led Randall to have conversations with lawyers about legal systems and showed how they are struggling to be informed in order to create laws to deal with the sometimes harmful sometimes lethal consequences of this class of sleep disorders. He spent time investigating the nightmares of soldiers returning from traumatic events on battlefields and reports on the therapeutic efforts to alleviate the suffering they cause. He also examines the role sleep and dreams play in solutions to technical problems as well as how dreams are often the source of many innovative ideas.

Randall examines the development of stimulants of various kinds meant to prevent sleepiness on one hand and recounts the history of the development of medications aimed at eliminating insomnia. He discusses the connection between sleep deprivation and depression and addresses the often-fatal consequences of falling asleep while driving. He talks about the stages of sleep most people naturally default to in the absence of disturbances caused by our technology and also informs us about how sleep for teenagers is very different from that of adults which also differs from sleep patterns of the retired and the elderly. He addresses obstructive sleep apnea, its prevalence in nearly a fourth of the US population*, the toll it takes on those who suffer from it and the invention of the CPAP machine that successfully prevents it in most cases.

Other chapters include information on the study of sleep in relation to periods of deep sleep, REM (rapid eye movement), and light sleep and how to benefit from an understanding of them. Some managers of sports teams for instance study how to adjust sleeping patterns to counteract jet lag and produce optimal performance in their team members. Others study REM sleep through wearing personal instrumentation that monitors sleep patterns. These devices report to users how much time in a given night is spent in deep sleep, how many periods of REM sleep took place, and how much sleep was disturbed then returns a quality score. Users then adjust their sleep habits and patterns to yield the best restorative effects.

Overall the book does a fine job of informing the reader on the physiology of sleep, on current research, and on ways we can benefit from applying the best ideas for obtaining optimal sleep. For the subject matter itself it deserves a rating of at least 4.0.  It does not directly address the cultivation of active dreaming as an exploration of consciousness but nevertheless anyone pursuing dreaming will only benefit from better understanding her or his body and achieving the best healthy sleep possible. This serves as an important foundation for self-investigations into subtle states of consciousness. So, the rating of 3.5 is more about relevance to the focus at the SubtleRealm site than to quality of scholarship and value.

For those who want to know more the book includes an extensive bibliography.

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* https://aasm.org/rising-prevalence-of-sleep-apnea-in-u-s-threatens-public-health/