Notes on The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington

I'm kind of obsessed with sleep (baby and adult), and I just finished reading The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington. The first half kind of dragged on about all the problems associated with too little sleep (I got the point pretty quickly), but the second half about various solutions and routines was helpful. I also enjoyed the very detailed appendix that included lots of solutions, gadgets, and even hotel recommendations that are sleep-friendly. The advice on travel was also useful.

​My full notes on the book are below.

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Intro
Sleep critical
Part 1 wake up call
1 our current sleep crisis
Sleep deprivation leads to weight gain and worse mental performance
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2 sleep industry
Sleep aids bad

3 sleep throughout history
Dreams sacred to ancients
Industrial revolution led to sleep deprivation and shaming of sleep

4 science of sleep
Never waste any time you can spend sleeping
Brain shrinks in size and loses neurons and ages faster due to sleep deprivation
Irreversible injury from sleep loss
Leads to more false or manipulated memories
Sleep is most efficient way to learn and save memories
8 hours or more of sleep helps prevent cold
Bed is medicine
Better and easier labor with more sleep

5 sleep disorders
6 dreams
Dreams help us solve problems

Part 2 the way forward
7 mastering sleep
Baby sleep
Later school start times improve test scores and attention and happiness

8 sleeping together
Going to sleep at same time linked to better relationship

9 what to do and not
Less light
Stop phone 30 min before bedtime
65 degrees best temp
Regular physical activity 
Fit it in any time u can even close to bedtime
No caffeine 6 hours before bed
Eat dinner earlier
No spicy food before bed
No late night ice cream or sugar or scary movies or salty food
Nightcap bad
Lavender tea, salt, smell
Valerian root
Gaba
Meditation even at night
Start counting your blessings when you wake up in middle of night
4/7/8 pranayama breathing to fall asleep (in/hold/out)
Trying to stay awake at night actually makes you fall asleep faster
Shut down the day with routine. Stillness. 
Accompanying PDF has guided meditations
No workout clothes to bed

10 naps, jet lag, and time zones
Naps are good even when getting good night sleep
30 min nap can restore immunity and lower blood pressure 
Naps increase mental performance
Avoid red eyes
Fast on plane at special times

11 sleep and workplace
12 Hollywood to washington
Noise reduction in hospitals
See sleep as actual appointment 

13 sports ultimate enhancer
12 hours of sleep
Circadian coaching
Optimizing hotel rooms

14 putting tech in its place, not nightstand 
Epilogue