An overview of the nature of sleep discusses the field of sleep research, sleep disorders and their treatments, and the sleep patterns of children and the elderly Most of us take sleep for granted, except of course on those long nights when it refuses to come. But for Peretz Lavie, head of the Sleep Laboratory at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, sleep is every bit as important as wakefulness. Amidst the anecdotes, stories and literature can be found revealing sleep research such as the study of a group of students in Israel during the Gulf War, who, five weeks into the conflict, reported that half their dreams dealt with the war and that the most common recurring image was the gas mask. Lavie, who received most of his professional training in the United States, is currently dean of the medical faculty and head of the Sleep Laboratory at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa. In this wonderfully detailed and engrossing account, Lavie describes our historical fascination with sleep and reviews notable research in the field. Among the topics he covers are the physiological changes that occur during a normal period of sleep, sleep disorders, the purpose of dreams, and the "evolution" of the sleep cycle from birth to old age. His discussion of what a patient undergoes during a typical night in the sleep lab is especially compelling. This excellent overview of the sleep process is both authoritative and elegantly written. Highly recommended for students and for general readers in public and academic libraries.?Laurie Bartolini, Legislative Research Unit, Springfield, Ill. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. Sleep has captivated humans since time immemorial. Why do we sleep? What happens when we sleep? Why do we dream? How much sleep do we need? Is consciousness truly suspended during sleep? What causes sleeping disorders? Leading sleep researcher Lavie answers these questions and more in a book devoted to explaining the latest findings in sleep and dream study. Weaving facts and scientific observation with case histories, ancient myths about sleep, anecdotes, and personal reflections, Lavie covers a vast range of material, including how sleep patterns develop, the wide variety of sleep habits in animals (including fish), sleep-deprivation experiments, and narcolepsy (the sleep disorder in which brief attacks of deep sleep occur when a person should normally be awake). Emphasizing the importance of sleep in maintaining good health, this quirky, enjoyable book also provides suggestions for dealing with insomnia and excessive sleepiness. Kathleen Hughes An entertaining albeit at times rather academic discussion of what research has uncovered about the nature of sleep and sleep disorders. Lavie, a sleep researcher and dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the Technion--Israel Institute of Technology, is clearly enthralled with his subject, and his enthusiasm shines through the sometimes stilted presentation. The author gives a brief history of the young field of sleep research--the first sleep recordings of brain-wave activity were conducted at Harvard in 1935, and the discovery of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, the sleep of dreaming, was not made until 1953--describes what goes on in a sleep laboratory and outlines what science has learned about biological clocks, dreams, the sleep of animals, and sleep deprivation. Memorable facts emerge: The dolphin, it seems, sleeps with half its brain awake, and humans can go without food longer than without sleep. In the second half of the book Lavie concentrates on sleep disorders and their treatment. His discussion of insomnia includes a fascinating account of research conducted in Haifa during the Gulf War, which concluded that while people were afraid to go to sleep for fear of missing the warning alarm of a Scud missile attack, once they fell asleep, they slept normally. Lavie describes the use of phototherapy, or light therapy, in the treatment of jet lag and sleep timing disorders; mechanical solutions to the problems of sleep apnea, in which the sleeper stops breathing; and the strange malady of narcolepsy, which is marked by sudden, uncontrollable attacks of daytime sleep. For parents, there are explanations of children's sleep patterns and advice on dealing with their sleep problems, and for the elderly, there are cruel truths about the fragility of sleep in old age. An eye-opening trip through the land of sleep by a thoroughly professional guide. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Dr. Lavie makes such an engaging raconteur ... that we willingly follow him to the land of alpha, theta, and delta waves, where the spindles and K-complexes roam. -- The New York Times Book Review, Dava Sobel