October 2001
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THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SLEEP AND SLEEP DISORDERS Reviewed by Lynne Lamberg |
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Like most encyclopedias, this one-volume work
invites casual browsing as well as serious research. It is a second
and much expanded version of a book first published in 1991. Browsers will find curious facts to drop into
conversation or enliven a talk or paper: Charles Darwin reportedly
wrote Origin of Species while lying in bed. Benjamin Franklin
allegedly had four beds in his bedroom, so as to enjoy slipping into
a fresh bed when he awakened in the night. Louis XIV of France used
to hold court from his posh bed. Along the way, browsers will learn useful facts
about sleep: Sleeping in a strange bed, no matter how luxurious, almost
always is discomforting. Playing tape recordings while you sleep won't
help you learn new information. Studying right before you go to sleep,
though, may help you remember facts better. Going to bed late on Friday
and Saturday nights makes it hard to fall asleep at your usual time
on Sunday. This experience often induces Monday morning blues. While most entries in the book are succinct, sleep
disorders appropriately get more substantive coverage. Mini-reviews
discuss causes and outline treatments. The authors, Michael Thorpy,
director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Medical
Center in Bronx, New York, and Jan Yager, a medical sociologist and
veteran reporter, thus provide a useful service to people with newly
diagnosed sleep disorders and their families. Several sections of the book explore insomnia,
the most common sleep complaint. In a guest essay, Arthur Spielman,
PhD, of the City College of New York, and colleagues review psychology
and sleep, highlighting the interdependence of sleep and waking states.
They discuss the vicious cycle that occurs when sleepless nights prompt
anxious days and lead to self-fulfilling fears of poor sleep the next
night. The alphabetic entry for insomnia describes the
peculiarly subjective nature of this problem: some people who report
sleeping poorly get a normal amount of sleep. When their sleep is
monitored in the sleep laboratory, they may sleep without interruptions
or disruptions. Numerous cross references point readers to further
information about psychological causes of insomnia, and about medical
disorders that disturb sleep, such as disorders of breathing, limb
movements, and neurological illnesses. The authors describe the appropriate
use of sleeping pills and specific drugs in this category. The book's introductory essay likely will prove
useful to students pursuing homework assignments. Thorpy reviews the
history of sleep from ancient times to the present, covering such
topics as sleep in the Bible, and the discovery of the biological
clock. References aid further research. The book has some curious oversights: --The entry for "Ambien" says "see
hypnotics." Under the latter entry, this brand name does not
appear. There is an entry for "zolpidem," describing it
as "the most widely used hypnotic in the United States."
Zolpidem is Ambien's generic name, though many readers likely will
not know that. This entry runs only 4 lines, much fewer than those
for less-used medications. Despite such shortcomings, this book will be a
useful addition to school and public libraries, and to libraries of
sleep disorders centers. Insomniacs may even find the book soothing
bedtime reading, as it offers the reassurance that much is known about
sleep and that help for poor sleepers is widely available. |
Copyright (c) 2001
Websciences |