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The Sleep Essentials Quick Guide
What You Absolutely Must Know About Sleep
Each and every one of us spends roughly about a third of our lives asleep. Contrast that with the amount of knowledge most people have about this large chunk of their lives and the result is rather amazing, almost criminal in fact.
But that reality leaves you with an incredible opportunity! In less than an hour, you can become more knowledgeable about sleep than 99.9% of the population!
While knowledge about sleep is vitally important, we understand that not everyone can become an expert on every facet of the subject. With that in mind, we have created a Sleep Essentials Quick Guide to walk you through the facts and mechanisms of sleep that everyone should know--the essentials of sleep knowledge.
If you spend such a large portion of your life sleeping, don't you think you should know a thing or two about sleep? Well, you're in the right place.
After progressing through the "Sleep Steps" below you'll be equipped with the knowledge you need to achieve healthy sleep and to optimize your daytime alertness levels and productivity (as well as be able to spout out some pretty awesome facts to your friends). What are you waiting for? Get started now!
Go "Sleepwalking" Through The Sleep Essentials Quick Guide
Note: We are just beginning to launch the Sleep Essentials Quick Guide, so not all segments are currently published. Get a start with the ones below, and check back for more in the near future.
Ready to go "sleepwalking" through our crash course of essential sleep knowledge? Here you will learn vital and practical information about the basics of sleep health, the mechanisms that govern it, and the disorders that thwart it.
Sleep Essentials Table of Contents
Sleep Step 1 - The Importance of Sleep - Why learn about sleep and how the knowledge will save your life.
Sleep Step 2 - What Is Sleep? - We all sleep every day, so you'd think this would be a simple question to answer, right? Surprising defining characteristics.
Sleep Step 3 - The Stages Of Sleep - The Journey Through The Night, delving into REM & NREM sleep
Sleep Step 4 - Alertness & Fatigue - The Journey Through The Day
Sleep Step 5 - Sleep Disorders
Sleep Step 6 - Practicality - Making Use of Sleep Knowledge To Optimize Your Life
Go from the Sleep Essentials Quick Guide to learn more about who we are, Stanford Sleep and Dreams
What Is Lucid Dreaming? Something very, very cool. Learn About It!
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About This Site
Welcome! This site is continuously being created by students of Dr. William C. Dement's Sleep And Dreams course at Stanford University.
We made this site as a call to action for people all over the world to live healthier, happier, safer, and more productive lives by learning about their own sleep. We have faith that reading the information provided on this site will motivate you to be smart about your sleep deprivation and strategic about your alertness in order to live life to your fullest, most energetic potential.
In fact, we challenge you to do so! What do you say, are you up for the challenge?
Interviews With Sleep Specialists: Insights Into the Worlds of Sleep Medicine & Sleep Business
America's Most Dangerous Disorder: What Is Sleep Apnea Doing To Your Sleep?
Sleep Debt: How Much More Will You Achieve When You Reduce Yours?
The Stages Of Sleep: The Journey Through The Night
Delayed Sleep Phase: You Want To Sleep But You're Not Tired Yet
Paralyzed at Night: Is Sleep Paralysis Normal?
Sleep In Words: Smart, Strange, and Funny Quotes About Sleep
Sleep Disorders In Children: What's Keeping Your Child From A Full Night's Rest?
Attacks of Pavor Nocturnus (a.k.a. Sleep Terrors, Night Terrors, or Incubus Attacks)
The Stanford Sleep Book
Dr. Dement's pioneering textbook has been the core text for Sleep and Dreams since 1980, but it has just recently been made available to the wider public for the first time.
In it you'll find a more detailed account of the most important things you need to know about sleep, alertness, dreams, and sleep disorders. Studies, statistics, plus plenty of Dr. Dement's classic anecdotes painting the history of sleep medicine.
Preface | Intro | Contents | Get A Copy
More Sleep Resources
The Zeo
A revolution in personal sleep tracking, the Zeo is a wireless headband that transmits your brainwaves in realtime to a dock (pictured here) or your smartphone. The result? You can wake up and see exactly what stages of sleep you were in during the night! Unprecedented personalized sleep knowledge.
Sleep Paralysis: A Dreamer's Guide
Ever woken up paralyzed? A surprising number of us have, believe it or not. But few know the actual causes of this phenomenon, and fewer still how to exert control over it. Dream researcher and sleep paralysis expert Ryan Hurd shares breakthrough insights into how to do just that.
Important Disclaimer
Please Note:
The information found on this page and throughout this site is intended for general information purposes only. While it may prove useful and empowering, it is NOT intended as a substitute for the expertise and judgments of healthcare practitioners.
For more info, see our
Terms of Use.