It’s not often that you read a book that significantly impacts your mindset.  But that’s what Good Night - Dr. Michael Breus’s book - has done for our bloggers.

Even without yet completing the entire four-week program, our first five reviewers - one of whom has “dealt with significant insomnia for eight years” - have seen a positive change in both their sleep habits and their attitude toward sleep in general.  In short, this book has convinced them that “sleep is not a luxury, it’s a necessity“.

Why did our bloggers come to this realization?  Not only does the research presented in the book “make a convincing case for the link between sleep and overall quality of life and health“, but “Dr. Breus impressed [them] with his open and conversational style and pragmatic approach“.  Perhaps even more importantly, he made it clear that he understands the demands we parents - especially mothers - face:

“Given my experience I’m inclined to admit that women, as a gender, appear to bear numerous stresses due to the multi-faceted nature of their roles in today’s society. Mom. Wife. Employee. Chauffeur. Cook. Cleaner. Business Owner. Family manager. Caretaker, etc. When I sit and talk with my female patients…we discuss everything from pregnancy to menopause, to career, to marriage, and that word “balance,” and I know I’ve got it much easier than many of them.” (as quoted from page 25 of Good Night)

That sort of appreciation for the demands of motherhood is rare.  Hats off to Dr. Breus for that statement alone!

The book begins with “several assessments, checklists and questions to help you identify what your barriers to a good night sleep are.”  ”After exploring the reasons we don’t get enough sleep, Dr. Breus then offers a sleep routine.”  Our insomniac blogger reports that: “The first week, I was too scared to start Sleep Boot camp full-on, but even with my own modifications to the program, I started sleeping better within 48 hours.”    

Beyond the obvious benefits of more (and better quality) sleep - namely, feeling rested and alert during the day - Dr. Breus outlines some other benefits of sleep - “lift depression, enhance productivity, strengthen our relationships, and even lead to a better sex life” - that make the skeptics among us shake our heads.  Until we read about the compelling research and evidence to back up these claims, especially the one about “how the sleep debt might be accruing at our waistlines“.  That’s enough to make almost any woman sit up and read the fine print.  Without getting into the physiological nitty-gritty here, “Breus presents a myriad of other endocrinological details that support the claim, and let me say it’s not just because we’re heading towards the fridge in the wee hours.”

While anecdotal evidence should always be taken with a grain of salt, statements in the book from “actual patients who have completely turned their lives around, simply by working this program” keep it interesting and help us relate on a personal level to those people Dr. Breus has already helped.

But the anecdotal evidence that has impressed me most of all comes from our insomniac blogger:  “For the past two weeks, I’ve been very faithful to Dr. Breus’s recommendations (not perfect, but I try) and I can say that I haven’t felt this good in a very, very long time.”

See the schedule below for the upcoming blogger reviews and the Round-Up Review!

Tuesday, 3/27 - Mama Maven
Friday, 3/30 - Midwestern Mommy
Monday, 4/2 - Chaos Theory
Thursday, 4/5 - Cheese Party
Monday, 4/9 - Her Bad Mother
Wednesday, 4/11 - Round-Up Review on PBN