The average human spends one third of their life asleep, yet most people know relatively little about what goes on when their head touches the pillow and their eyes close for the next eight hours. This book brings together an unprecedented number and range of contributions from different disciplines relating to sleep in one comprehensive volume. This important multidisciplinary volume opens with a look at the history of sleep, both in literature and in life, and goes on to consider sociological aspects. Sleep problems, sleep quality and the effects of drugs such as caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are all discussed, together with the importance of sleep for daytime performance and the science of the human body clock. Medication and polysomnography (measuring sleep) are also explored, alongside forensic aspects of sleep, and how it can be affected by medical and psychiatric conditions. This groundbreaking and insightful book will be of great interest to students, academics and professionals in a wide range of disciplines, and anyone else who wishes to discover more about this fascinating topic.
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