Sleep to Save Your Life: The Complete Guide to Living Longer and Healthier Through Restorative Sleep

In this thorough rundown of various sleep disorders and their cures and causes, Lombardo relies on anecdotes, research and his clinical experiences to describe the misconceptions about and effects of poor sleep habits and sleep disorders, though the sterile writing may be enough to cure some readers' mild insomnia. Lombardo, an associate professor of clinical medicine at Weill Medical College of Cornell Medical Center, describes at length various sleep disorders, which now number over 70, and concludes many people plagued by poor sleep don't realize they may be suffering from breathing disorders, including snoring and sleep apnea-a suffocating breathing disorder linked to high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. He also details narcolepsy and movement disorders, such as Restless Legs Syndrome. Noting that ""there is a new focus in sleep medicine to help both mind and body return to a natural rhythm of active by day and quiet by night,"" Lombardo claims a combination of new, non-addictive medication and therapy will rehabilitate insomniacs. The final chapters detail problems of specific demographics: children are increasingly sleep-deprived, women generally have ""huge"" sleep deficits, as do the elderly, though the causes are different. As the doctor says, ""Like the tides, our bodies still operate on a schedule that doesn't easily change just because we want it to."" Those missing some of their 40 winks will want to keep this on the nightstand.