Customer Reviews

Good Night: The Sleep Doctor's 4-Week Program to Better Sleep and Better Health

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After more than 25 years of insomnia I've read my share of books on sleep and this is by far the best.

It provides a great guide to sleep hygiene which includes everything from choosing the best mattress, to sound proofing your room, developing good bedtime habits and understanding your own issues.

The book is full of handy quizzes that help you identify problem areas and provides comprehensive solutions for you to address these issues and get a good night's sleep. The book is full of examples and helpful tips and includes worksheets for you to record your sleep during the four week program.

If you're impatient to jump into the 4 week program you can start that immediately but I would strongly recommend reading the preceding chapters so you can eliminate problems from light, noise, pets, uncomfortable pillows and the like.

Good Night covers all the basics of getting a good night sleep, including recommendations on snacks to help you get to sleep and ideas for decorating your room to minimise distractions.

The book distinguishes between disordered sleeping and sleep disorders covering off the common sleep disorders and how they are diagnosed. The pros and cons of various remedies including sleeping pills and alternative remedies are also covered.

For anyone interested in weight loss or wanting to look younger or remove those black circles under the eyes, Good Night tells you why sleep might be interfering with your energy, appetite and appearance as well as providing guidelines to look and feel younger healthier and slimmer. What could be better?

I thought I'd heard every statistic and help tip that existed re: sleep problems and sleep hygiene -- keep your room cold and dark, wear earplugs, etc. But refreshingly, this book had a few tips I hadn't seen or heard elsewhere -- including descriptions of several yoga-like relaxation and meditation exercises to help you unwind.

I'm particularly fond of the concept of a "power down hour" where you spend a full, committed hour to unwinding before bed. Though it sounds unrealistic in the modern world, that anyone would take a full hour to do this, the cool thing is that 1/2 of this wind-down hour is meant to be devoted to doing what the author calls "mindless chores" like folding laundry. Makes a lot of sense to me, to save these chores for late night, when doing them may actually help put you to sleep!

There are a lot of tips like this in the book. Highly recommended overall.

Surely all of us, at one time or another, have gone a few rounds with insomnia. When you've had trouble sleeping, you drag yourself out of bed in the morning feeling all achy and exhausted, just as if you had been in the ring battling an opponent all night. In his book Good Night: The Sleep Doctor's 4-Week Program to Better Sleep and Better Health, Dr. Breus coaches you on all the effective ways to overcome insomnia - ways that many of us would never even think of! - and put it down for the count. I found his book expertly written in a conversational and friendly style with suggestions and instructions that are easy to understand and follow.

Part I of the book is called "Quick-Fix Sleep Solutions" and includes the first four chapters. You know what a bad night's sleep is, but what exactly is a good night's sleep? In chapter one, Dr. Breus explains enough about the science of sleep to give you a good foundation for understanding how and why a good night's sleep is necessary to feeling good and looking younger. Chapter two introduces you to the "Three Most Troublesome Culprits in Disordered Sleep...and How to Conquer Them." (If you guessed that caffeine is one of the three, you're right; however, the third culprit might surprise you!) The discussion in chapter three is about the people in your life - your partner, children, and business associates - and how you can manage the disruptions in sleep they may cause. Chapter four is "The Extreme (but Easy!) Bedroom Makeover" and is one of my favorite chapters. In it you learn how to make small changes in the bedroom that add up to a big difference, enabling you to improve your quality of sleep!

"Part II: From Waistlines to Face Lines: You Are What You Sleep" includes chapters five, six, and seven. Did you know that a poor night's sleep can undermine your diet, exercise, or combination weight-loss program? The first chapter in part two discusses how the body chemistry behind a good night's sleep can not only enhance your weight-loss, but acts as a "cosmetic medicine" that empowers your cells to rejuvenate and reverse the damage caused by age, stress, environment, and other factors. Chapter six talks about the important role played by quality sleep in the areas of exercise and sex, and how the right kind of sleep can not only perk up your love life, it can enhance those intimate moments with your partner. If you have ever thought that a nap in the afternoon was a good idea, chapter seven will show you how right you are, and Dr Breus explores different types of naps to help you choose the one that will deliver just the right amount of rest and energy without adversely impacting your sleep that night.

Part III launches the remarkable four-week program, "28 Nights to Sound Sleep Forever" developed by Dr. Breus. Chapter eight takes you step-by-step through the first week of his comprehensive and detailed program to improve your rejuvenating, regenerating sleep. He leads you through a series of small changes from scheduling sleep time to relaxation techniques while you keep a Sleep Diary to record your reactions. Evaluation is the keyword for chapter nine; here you will take the second week to review your Sleep Diary entries from the previous chapter so that you may evaluate the effectiveness of each change, and try some new techniques if you need to. You also receive friendly reminders that help you to stay on track. Weeks three and four of the program comprise chapter ten; here you finalize and follow your personalized sleep program by combining and practicing all the bedtime routine, relaxation, and other techniques that worked well for you.

"The Sleep Aid Industry" is the topic of Part IV of the book. Dr Breus answers a few common questions concerning sleep-aid supplements and pharmaceuticals. As a holistic practitioner myself, I especially value this information about the hazards of using medications or other "quick fix" techniques in attempting to attain quality, restful sleep. To close, The Sleep Doctor offers some excellent guidelines to follow in order to reap the benefits of a completely natural night's sleep for business and vacation travelers, and people who work evening or night shifts.

The two appendices at the end of the book include a reminder list in outline format along with Sleep Diary charts, and a list of additional resources.

I am delighted to have this book in my toolkit to recommend to stress-management clients as well as to other holistic practitioners. You can learn more about Dr. Breus and his book Good Night: The Sleep Doctor's 4-Week Program to Better Sleep and Better Health, by visiting his website www.soundsleepsolutions.com . You will find many articles about a variety of sleep problems, and you may also subscribe to his free "Sleep eNewzzzletter!" You should also visit "The Insomnia Blog" http://www.theinsomniablog.com/ where you may find not only great posts to read, but you can listen to several podcasts of Dr. Breus sharing his expertise in order to help you to overcome your sleep problems!

I have never reviewed any products before, but, this book and the 28 day program has helped me so much that I felt I had to. I want as many people to know this book is out there and can help everyone who needs it.
-Barry

I have read my fair share of books which have put me to sleep. This is the first book that actually helped me sleep. Thank you Dr. Breus! I took the 28 day plan, changed my sleep habits and it has changed my life. I feel so much better, my family and friends say I even look better. Good Night!

Almost everyone has occassional problems with sleep, and of course some people have serious problems. This book is directed at both groups. It is divided into four parts. The first is a series of questionaires, the second is related to how sleep affects your weight, the third is a 28-day "boot camp" to help you sleep better, and the last deals with sleeping pills.
The author gives some interesting statistics early in the book, pointing out that the average American gets 6.8 hours of sleep on weekdays, and 7.4 hour on weekends, for an average of 6.9 hours. He points out, however, that not only is the amount of sleep you get important, but also its quality. (As everyone knows, it is possible to get 8 hours of sleep and still feel unrefreshed.) He emphasizes that stress is one of the major things that stops you from getting enough sleep, and he also discusses the role that caffeine plays. With many of the topics he gives a quiz along with a suggested plan of action.
Something I haven't seen in other sleep books is a detailed discussion of the importance of your mattress in relation to sleep. He dispels some of the myths, and also makes several suggestions on how to select a mattress. Another chapter that is quite different is one on the relationship between lack of sleep and weight gain. He gives some valuable insights into this problem, and it is a topic that has got considerable media interest lately.
One of the central features of the book comes in part three, namely, a "sleep boot camp." It is a 28-day program that would be particularly useful for anyone suffering from sleep problems. Some of the things emphasized in it are: establishing how much sleep you need, developing a better bedtime routine, and preparing your body for bed. One of the best suggestions, however, is to keep a sleep diary, and to use it effectively.
Finally, he has an excellent discussion of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), and points out that if properly used, it is more effective than sleeping pills.
Overall, the book is up-to-date, and it definitely fills a need. It is shorter than William Dement's classic book "The Promise of Sleep," and covers many of the same topics, but it does cover things that Dement's book does not. The author's writing style is personal, easy-to-read, and interesting, and he uses a lot of examples from his practise. The book is filled with "boxes" containing tips about sleep that are quite useful. One slight drawback is his lack of diagrams; he could use more.
Barry Parker, author of "Feel Great Feel Alive."

By understanding the science of sleep and the busy lives of his patients, Dr. Breus offers a workable program for developing and keeping successful sleep habits. The author touches on the entirety of the sleep experience, from bedroom decor to daytime stress to the effects of alcohol, caffeine, room temperature and ambient light. I learned a lot about sleep and its effects on memory, work performance and, surprisingly, weight loss. There is help here for the busy mom on the go to the business traveler. Easy to read with usueful hints and facts on sleeping right.

I've been sleeping poorly for 30 years. Finally with more pain than I can handle I went to various doctors to get me started on a program to lose pain. I also knew my sleeping was terrible and partially because of that I was 40 pounds overweight.

My new doctors told me to lose weight and exercise. Easier said than done.

Went and got a book for an arthritis diet ( Mediterranean diet) and started exercising fast walks around the block with heavy hands weights. next bought an inverter table and tread mill. So I am exercising and lost 28 pounds. Still on diet 3 months...no processed foods. Will probably be on the rest of my life. Still bad sleep.

Bought Dr Breus book Good Night with the 28 day program. He is a PHD sleep doctor, so I figured why not.

His book is great and has lots of info to get started on a sleep program.

First thing I did was buy his monogrammed Latex Foam bed at Famous Tate to reduce pressure points. Helped relieve 20% of pain. Next bought two new pillows and eye sleeping patches/shades. Then put coatings on windows and darkened the room. Next plan to go to bed everyday the same time and get up same time ( 8 hours). No TV or computer in bedroom and no TV or computer during the "sacred" 1 hour before bed time. No eating 3 hours before bed time.

Getting up 2 times during the night to urinate. Possibly enlarged prostate. Now taking prostate supplements plus Dr Breus says if you have to get up during the night keep lights as low as possible and on for as short a time as possible. Scheduled for prostate and bladder biopsy.

So far maybe 10% better sleep. A small improvement but I hope to get even better sleep as I stay on the program longer.

Also Dr Breus has a free down-loadable meditation listening part to reduce tension. Also various stretching and good hygiene programs. Do your exercise sun salutes , take a multivitamin daily, take a warm bath before bed and change into clean bed clothes. Also the pros and cons of taking Melatonin, various herbs and herbal tea and much more. Lots of info to combat insomnia. Dr Breus does say if you have a bonafide sleeping disorder to see your doctor.

What really helped in the book was Dr Breus insight into proper diet and exercise has on proper sleep. If you don't exercise you usually will put on weight if you don't sleep good and get your proper sleep cycles. Different hormones like GH and others are released will you sleep and help your brain tell you when you are hungry and not. Without proper sleep your hormone system gets out of whack. Also important was not having lights on in the room as lights wreck your sleep cycle. Much much more important information.

I'm starting on the 28 day sleep program now.

The one part of the book I was disappointed with was very little discussion about what pain does to proper sleep and how to releave pain without prescription or over the counter medications.

Would of given the book 5 stars if more pain relief information given as an aid to better sleep. Recommended 4 stars.

I have been the worst sleeper for years. Who knew that the finish of your walls could make the difference. Dr. Breus. gives insightful advice on how to get to sleep soundly. I am so excited to start the progam. Give it a try for a great nights sleep.

The most valuable thing in this book is a longish list of sleep hygiene tips nestled within the four week progeram. It includes things like replacing all the bulbs in your bedroom to those that put out a maximum of forty watts, and taking a power down hour before bed where nothing can be done but mindless chores, hygiene, and stretching. The rest of the book is filled with product plugs and unnecessary facts. The four week program would cause even more anxiety in me about sleeping. For a truly wonderful book on sleep, and one that will help those already on medications without lambasting them, try the Insomnia Answer by Paul Glovinsky.