Deep Sleep for beginners: Sleep Smarter Book

by A. J. Cameron

104 pages, Paperback

Published January 2, 2024

Reviews

[François G · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Deep Sleep for Beginners", a potential sleep sherpa, unfolds some unusual nuggets.

Yet, here comes the plot twist! The chapters, unfortunately, read like a broken record, stuck on replay.

Take the "Melatonin Use" chapter, for example, resembling the dry monotony of a medicine label – introduction, myths, studies, risks, and finito. This snooze-inducing rhythm persists across all ten chapters, wrapping up with the riveting "Additional Resources."

It's akin to watching paint dry – no personal flair, no tales from the sleep-deprived trenches, just clinical facts about melatonin and the wonders of white noise.

While I’m all for a good sleep hack, there’s an undeniable craving for the human touch, a cozy chat about our collective insomnia struggles.

So, if you're in the market for a sleep manual with a no-nonsense vibe, dive right in. However, if you're yearning for a bedside conversation about navigating the twists and turns of the sleep maze, this might be a lullaby you’d consider skipping.

The clinical precision is commendable, like a sleep algorithm ready to be programmed, yet a bit too robotic for those seeking a comforting, relatable narrative.

In essence, it's a a handy tool (but no practical in the end) for the sleep-deprived toolbox, but it might leave you longing for a bit more warmth in its delivery. Here's to hoping your dreams prove cozier than this read!

[Chriseee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to follow tips

"Deep Sleep for Beginners" provides an excellent overview of the factors you can influence to improve your sleep. The book addresses a wide range of issues that can disrupt sleep, from physical problems like sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome, to daily stressors that lead to nighttime worrying, emotional challenges such as anxiety and depression, and lifestyle habits like excessive caffeine consumption or irregular sleep schedules, often due to night shifts.

The book begins by explaining the different cycles of sleep and identifying various sleep disorders. It then offers practical advice on creating a sleep-conducive environment, including tips on selecting the right pillow, covers, and mattress, and maintaining the optimal bedroom temperature.

The author offers a wealth of tips for enhancing sleep quality, ranging from stress management techniques, such as relaxation and meditation, to ensuring adequate daytime exercise and choosing the right foods at the right times to support healthy sleep. The book also emphasizes the importance of establishing good bedtime routines and discusses supplements that may aid sleep, as well as alternative solutions like brown noise and weighted blankets.

[Helga]

Great beginners guide.

I've always struggled with getting a good night's sleep, so when I picked up The Sleep Solution by Cameron I was hopeful but skeptical. To my surprise, this book actually helped me understand my sleep issues better.

What I appreciate most is how practical the advice was. It's not just a bunch of scientific jargon – there are tips I could start using right away. I particularly liked the suggestion about bamboo sheets (which I'm now considering buying) and the eye-opening info on how my late-night phone habit affects my sleep.

While it's aimed at beginners like me, I found plenty of suggestions for digging deeper into topics that caught my interest. It's like a friendly guide that gives you the basics but also shows you where to look if you want to know more.

I'll admit, the nice cover design first caught my eye and made me curious about the author's other books. But it's the content that really matters, and on that front, this book delivers. If you're like me and need a starting point to tackle your sleep problems, I'd say give this book a try. It might not solve everything, but it's definitely given me some new ideas to work with.

[Joan Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

In ‘Deep Sleep for Beginners,’ A.J. Cameron delivers exactly what he promises. This short book covers a lot of ground, describing the scientific nature of sleep and its different cycles, and different sleep disorders, and then proceeding to give wide ranging advice on how to achieve ideal sleep patterns. Each section, whether it be on creating a perfect sleeping environment, relaxation techniques, or stress management, is concise and easy to digest, and never over technical. It is the ideal simple self- help book for someone who may be struggling with sleep. Although many of the suggestions may not be new, such as controlling one’s environment in the run up to bed, the role of nutrition and exercise, or the importance of sleep to one’s mental health, by bringing all these ideas together it helps the reader to focus on this issue. That said, there does seem to be a lot of repetition of ideas under the different headings. But this is an important subject at the heart of everyone’s well- being, so its contribution is definitely welcome.

[Zeenat Mian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good book when it comes to understanding sleep in its entirety, its patterns, what affects it and how to improve it. It is perfect if one is seeking to gain knowledge about the subject or seek out remedies without spending too much time researching. It is indeed very well tailored for a beginner.
The book covers a lot of topics without going too deep into them or becoming too scientific and so it provides a very concise but broad insight about the subject. It is very easy to read and also to remember where information is located within the book.
Even though this book is full of tips I value the fact that it always reverts to seeking professional advice should one be experiencing persistent sleeping issues.
My favorite is when it mentions “patience and persistence” are required given into account nowadays we all expect immediate results.
I also find the case studies very interesting and helpful.

[Kimberly Burnstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep Sleep for Beginners was a very informative read. I have always struggled with getting a good nights sleep. I worked for many years with a rotating schedule where I would need to be up the entire night working and then the following day wake up at 3am to go to work. I have tried many many tricks to get enough sleep.

This book contained many of the techniques I had already tried, such as; dark room, no screen time before bed, no large meals right before bed, noise canceling devices, etc. The take aways for me were both room temperature and general comfort. I normally have the room temperature set at 75 degrees when optimum is closer to mid to high 60s. Who knew? I also will try getting more comfortable sheets and using a nice scent on the linens. This advice definitely resonated with me.

The book also addressed medical reasons that affect many people and cause sleep disturbances. Over all, a fantastic read.

[Helena Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sleep Solution is a great resource for those who are wanting to improve both the quantity and quality of their sleep. As we are learning, lack of sleep has become one of the biggest health issues of our modern times and this book addresses both the why and what we can do about it.

There are no unheard of secrets in the book, but the author lays a lot of information out in an easy to read format that brings together all the current research on sleeping better and longer. As well as common sense ideas such as having a dark and cool environment, there are other things to consider, such as reducing or removing technology from your bedroom.

While there was a lot of information in the text, much of it was fairly surface level without many references to further research etc. Some topics were also only mentioned briefly without much supporting evidence. However, if you are new to the topic and not wanting to get too deep into it, this book will give you a lot of food for thought.

[Sally A · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sleep Solution: Deep Sleep for beginners by A. J. Cameron is a small but mighty guide full of tips and tricks to solve your sleep problems – whether that be falling asleep, staying asleep or not getting enough deep sleep. This book is packed with helpful tips such how to establish a sleep routine, how to create an optimal environment for sleep, the effect of nutrition and exercise on sleep, how to overcome the effect of stress and anxiety on sleep, sleep supplements and more. There is advice for shift workers and frequent travellers across time zones. Getting a decent night’s sleep is so important to all aspects to our physical and mental lives- when we don’t sleep, nothing feels right – and this book is a great guide to overcoming some of the problems we have with our sleep habits. Definitely lots of food for thought for me in this guide.