What I liked about the book: It was well-written with tons of interesting facts and a lot of references to sleep and dreams in literature. Although it is often scientific and serious, Martin throws in the occasional joke. It made me feel less guilty about all the naps I take and gave me some hints that I think I can use to get a better night’s sleep.

What I didn’t like about the book: Nothing really, although it was a little dry in some places. There are some short sections on the evolution of sleep, of course, and a few brief digs at the Bible, but not many.

The most interesting quotes:

— If society were to recognise the true importance of sleep, then attitudes toward tiredness on the roads and in the workplace might become more enlightened. Napping during working hours would be tolerated and even encouraged rather than stigmatised as a sign of sloth.

— Drivers who had been awake for 21 hours (hardly a remarkable feat) performed as badly as drivers with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 per cent. So, next time you miss a night’s sleep, try to remember (if you can) that your driving ability will be as bad as if you had a blood-alcohol level that would be illegal in most countries.

— One experiment found that after 36 hours without sleep, adults in their twenties had a performance profile similar to that of non-sleep-deprived people aged about 60. So, if you are in your twenties and you want to know how it feels to have the brain of a healthy 60-year-old, just stay up all night.

— You can make yourself fall asleep faster if you are minded to do so. Researchers proved this by giving volunteers a financial incentive to fall asleep quickly at various times during the day. The paid volunteers fell asleep faster than subjects who had no financial incentive.

— Caffeine, otherwise known as 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine, is present in more than 60 species of plants, including coffee, tea, cocoa, cola and guarana (the source of a stimulant drink popular in South America). It is probably most familiar as the active ingredient of coffee, which accounts for just over half of all the caffeine consumed. Like many of the several hundred other chemical constituents that combine to give coffee its delicious taste, caffeine evolved originally as a toxin to protect the coffee plant from being eaten or parasitised. In other words, caffeine is a natural pesticide.

— Groucho Marx unhelpfully recommended subtracting sheep as a tactic for those who wish to stay awake. Not every folk remedy for insomnia involves sleep. When Marcel Proust could not sleep, which was often, he liked to read a train timetable. Charles Dickens dealt with his insomnia by going on long nocturnal walks.

Recommendation: If you have trouble sleeping, are often tired or want to learn how to remember your dreams, you should read it.

Further Comments: Caffeine is mildly addictive, but evidently harmless apart from the two or three days of headaches and nervousness associated with withdrawal. It is proven to make us more alert and productive, especially early in the morning. But any caffeine consumed within seven hours of sleep affects the quality of that sleep.