This book is based on an in-depth conversation between Howard Burton and Matthew Walker, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology and Founder and Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science at UC Berkeley. This extensive conversation gives a clear and compelling picture of our recent understanding of sleep's essential role in our daily lives, from reinforcing learning and memory to regulating emotion.

This carefully-edited book includes an introduction, Dreams of a Final Theory, and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:

• Awakenings - From dementia to sleep, and now back again


• Stages of Sleep - Deconstructing sleep architecture


• Parasomnias and Evolution - Getting it right, most of the time


• Learning and Memory - Three vital aspects


• Sleeping Better? - Pharmacological effects and self-improvement


• Emotional Regulation - How sleep helps keep us balanced


• Sleep and Aging - Grappling with the inevitable


• Sleep Stigma - Lazy thinking


• Further Questions - Motivation, narcolepsy and vicious circles


• Lots To Do - Outstanding mysteries and public education

About Ideas Roadshow Conversations Series (100 books):

Presented in an accessible, conversational format, Ideas Roadshow books not only explore frontline academic research featuring world-leading researchers, including 3 Nobel Laureates, but also reveal the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. Howard Burton holds a PhD in physics and an MA in philosophy, and was the Founding Director of Canada’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.