Why We Sleep is certainly one of those books that I feel like everyone should read – after all, we all sleep and should hence understand it better. And it's hard to think of a better teacher than Matthew Walker, he manages to give an utterly convincing, science based and comprehensive look into the development and benefits of sleep, and the different factors affecting it. The science is plentiful but easy to understand and the writing compelling, conveying urgency. That adequate sleep has benefits is self-evident, yet the true implications of sleeping too little, or having bad quality sleep, are not commonly known. If they were, we wouldn’t underappreciate sleep like we do now. It could not have been for nothing that we have evolved to spend a third of our lives in this curious state.

I particularly recommend this book for the current state of crisis due to the Coronavirus, because like Walker says, “The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep”, and social distancing should make extra sleep easier to achieve.