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The best science-backed books that will help you (finally) sleep better in 2024

The best reads that can help you rest better in 2024.

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Thomas Ling

Published: March 31, 2023 at 1:30 pm

Sleep: a biological marvel that not only restores your energy levels, but also consolidates memories, wards off depression, aids weight loss and even stops you from becoming an unsympathetic jerk.

However, there’s a catch. If you’re one of the third of people in the UK who regularly wrestle with insomnia, you’ll know that easily getting to sleep – and enjoying a night of full, quality and uninterrupted kip – is no easy feat.

So, if you struggle to grab your forty winks, how can you reset your rest? While speaking to your doctor is a key step, there are also several science-backed books, written by sleep experts, that contain simple, actionable advice that may help you get a night of sound slumber. We’ve rounded up the best available below.

The best books to help you sleep better in 2024

The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken And How To Fix It

Dr W Chris Winter

With 24 years' experience in the field of sleep research at the time of writing, Dr W Chris Winter is an expert worth listening to. In The Sleep Solution, he unpacks the most significant studies of the past 20 years, illuminating what is happening in your brain when you’re struggling to sleep, and the science-backed solutions that can help you drift off.

Featuring useful illustrations, The Sleep Solution offers a plethora of fixes for different sleep disorders (including insomnia and restless leg syndrome) that are likely to fit your lifestyle and routine.

The Circadian Code: Lose Weight, Supercharge Your Energy And Sleep Well Every Night

Dr Satchin Panda

Simply put, your circadian rhythm is your inner body clock – the biological processes that impact each one of your cells. And it’s a big deal: your circadian rhythm has a huge influence on almost every part of your health, from weight, energy levels and, critically, sleep.

As The Circadian Code unpacks how, by identifying your circadian type (through a simple questionnaire), you can make simple changes to your daily life that will keep you in sync with your body clock – and better your rest.

The Sleep Fix: Practical, Proven And Surprising Solutions For Insomnia, Snoring, Shift Work And More

Diane Macedo

Don’t drink caffeine, make sure you go to bed at the same time every night, and expose yourself to plenty of light during the day. If you struggle with your slumber, it’s all probably advice you’ve heard before. But what if it’s impossible for you to act on it? What if, for instance, you’re a shift worker who has an ever-changing sleep pattern? Or you’re kept awake at night by your partner’s snoring no matter what you do?

According to US journalist Diane Macedo, there is still probably a fix for you. Drawing from her experience as an overnight TV news anchor – as well as reams of experts and peer-review studies – she explains achievable, actionable and often counterintuitive sleep solutions for people who feel like they’ve tried everything.

Smart, entertaining and packed with advice you can actually follow.

The Secret World Of Sleep: Journeys Through The Nocturnal Mind

Prof Guy Leschziner

What actually happens in a healthy brain when it’s asleep? That’s one question author Guy Leschziner – professor of neurology and sleep medicine at King's College London – comprehensively answers in The Secret World Of Sleep.

However, even more intriguingly, the book also dives into what’s happening in the brains of people who suffer from conditions such as insomnia, night terrors, narcolepsy and more. Using stories of real-life patients, Leschziner also underlines the biological and psychological factors necessary in getting the rest we all need.

Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams

Prof Matthew Walker

If you’re a sleep geek, it’s likely Why We Sleep has been recommended to you before. And for good reason. Not only does author Matthew Walker – professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley – have advice that can better your rest, but he’s also infectiously enthusiastic about sleep.

While many books on the topic can emphasise the health drawbacks of not getting your eight hours, Walker celebrates the health benefits of sleep, going as far as to call it a human superpower. In Why We Sleep, he also expertly explains the intricate inner workings of your snoozing, before giving a comprehensive yet accessible account of how to improve the length and quality of yours.

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Thomas Ling

Digital editor, BBC Science Focus

Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.
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