Notes from the book The Promise of Sleep by Dr. William Dement
"Half of us mismanage our sleep to the point where it negatively affects our health and safety." p.3
"Every night nearly every person on the planet undergoes an astounding metamorphosis. As the sun sets, a delicate timing device at the base of our brain sends a chemical signal throughout our body, and the gradual slide toward sleep begins." First page of Chapter 1, p. 13
The pineal gland releases hormones into the blood stream during sleep. pp. 18-19
"Sleep also is characterized by electrical changes in the brain." p.18
During the first deep sleep of the night, the body secretes a pulse of growth hormone. This hormone helps cells divide and multiply, building new tissue for his growing body and rebuilding damaged tissue. [He goes on to say that some hormones have their highest release during sleep, like prolactin] p. 21
"This led me to formulate the hypothesis that if people were not allowed to have REM sleep, they would start becoming mentally unstable." p. 43
"our bodies have developed a remarkably precise biological clock that ticks like a metronome to regulate sleeping and waking. The clock is an internal chronometer that marks time by basic molecular mechanisms that scientists now are beginning to unravel....the daily rising and setting of the sun and the seasonal flux of the light's transit into darkness have shaped this molecular timepiece....The rotation of our planet as it spins its way around the sun is represented in miniature within our cells..." Study after study has confirmed that people who don't sleep with this cycle under-perform both physically and mentally. pp. 75-76
"In general, light exposure in the evening and into the first part of the nocturnal hours will have an increasing potency in delaying the clock." p.96
"In virtually every aspect of contemporary living - from electric lights to all-night television to split shifts at work--we are literally punching the clock that maintains the synchronicity of our mind and body." p. 98
...(paraphrase) hormones are secreted into the bloodstream at night. Lack of sleep stunts this process. p. 115
"Melatonin is the hormone that seems to communicate the pulse of the biological clock to every cell in the body and is a crucial factor in the body's maturation." p. 115
"Adolescents are even more impaired by sleep loss than are the rest of us [adults]." p. 116
"...teens need at least as much sleep as children do."
"A few nights of little or no sleep can make you unsafe to yourself and others." p. 137
"Sticking to a regular sleep schedule seven days a week is a sacrifice worth making if it helps you maintain peak condition throughout the week...I have had to excuse myself early from many a dinner party because I needed to be in bed." p. 150
Avoid stimulating activities before going to bed..."focusing on things that cause psychological arousal right before bed is more likely to disturb your sleep and undermine productivity the next day." p. 151
"What we do know about melatonin is that it is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain that lets the body know that it is dark outside." p. 154
"Quality of sleep before infection is a statistically significant factor in determining whether someone gets a cold." p. 265
"I've witnessed these students achieving a remarkable level of energy and zest for life by learning to manage their sleep." p. 332
"We often end up thinking about work when we should be preparing for sleep, which makes about as much sense as trying to save time by drying off before the shower is over...Every day he was throwing away his peak period. It was like someone using his best shirts to scrub the floor.....If you are serious about your health, nutrition, and fitness, you need to be serious about your sleep." p.422
"....there is a great triumvirate of health: good nutrition, physical fitness, and healthy sleep." p. 429
"...exercise in fit individuals increased stage 3 and stage 4 sleep - the deepest stages of sleep." p. 431
"Every night nearly every person on the planet undergoes an astounding metamorphosis. As the sun sets, a delicate timing device at the base of our brain sends a chemical signal throughout our body, and the gradual slide toward sleep begins." First page of Chapter 1, p. 13
The pineal gland releases hormones into the blood stream during sleep. pp. 18-19
"Sleep also is characterized by electrical changes in the brain." p.18
During the first deep sleep of the night, the body secretes a pulse of growth hormone. This hormone helps cells divide and multiply, building new tissue for his growing body and rebuilding damaged tissue. [He goes on to say that some hormones have their highest release during sleep, like prolactin] p. 21
"This led me to formulate the hypothesis that if people were not allowed to have REM sleep, they would start becoming mentally unstable." p. 43
"our bodies have developed a remarkably precise biological clock that ticks like a metronome to regulate sleeping and waking. The clock is an internal chronometer that marks time by basic molecular mechanisms that scientists now are beginning to unravel....the daily rising and setting of the sun and the seasonal flux of the light's transit into darkness have shaped this molecular timepiece....The rotation of our planet as it spins its way around the sun is represented in miniature within our cells..." Study after study has confirmed that people who don't sleep with this cycle under-perform both physically and mentally. pp. 75-76
"In general, light exposure in the evening and into the first part of the nocturnal hours will have an increasing potency in delaying the clock." p.96
"In virtually every aspect of contemporary living - from electric lights to all-night television to split shifts at work--we are literally punching the clock that maintains the synchronicity of our mind and body." p. 98
...(paraphrase) hormones are secreted into the bloodstream at night. Lack of sleep stunts this process. p. 115
"Melatonin is the hormone that seems to communicate the pulse of the biological clock to every cell in the body and is a crucial factor in the body's maturation." p. 115
"Adolescents are even more impaired by sleep loss than are the rest of us [adults]." p. 116
"...teens need at least as much sleep as children do."
"A few nights of little or no sleep can make you unsafe to yourself and others." p. 137
"Sticking to a regular sleep schedule seven days a week is a sacrifice worth making if it helps you maintain peak condition throughout the week...I have had to excuse myself early from many a dinner party because I needed to be in bed." p. 150
Avoid stimulating activities before going to bed..."focusing on things that cause psychological arousal right before bed is more likely to disturb your sleep and undermine productivity the next day." p. 151
"What we do know about melatonin is that it is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain that lets the body know that it is dark outside." p. 154
"Quality of sleep before infection is a statistically significant factor in determining whether someone gets a cold." p. 265
"I've witnessed these students achieving a remarkable level of energy and zest for life by learning to manage their sleep." p. 332
"We often end up thinking about work when we should be preparing for sleep, which makes about as much sense as trying to save time by drying off before the shower is over...Every day he was throwing away his peak period. It was like someone using his best shirts to scrub the floor.....If you are serious about your health, nutrition, and fitness, you need to be serious about your sleep." p.422
"....there is a great triumvirate of health: good nutrition, physical fitness, and healthy sleep." p. 429
"...exercise in fit individuals increased stage 3 and stage 4 sleep - the deepest stages of sleep." p. 431