Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
Counting Sheep: The Science and Pleasures of Sleep and Dreams
 
 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

Counting Sheep: The Science and Pleasures of Sleep and Dreams (Paperback)

by Paul Martin (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


2 used from £3.95
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 19 used & new from £7.88

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Sleepfaring: A journey through the science of sleep

Sleepfaring: A journey through the science of sleep

by Jim Horne
4.7 out of 5 stars (3)  £5.08
Sex, Drugs and Chocolate: The Science of Pleasure

Sex, Drugs and Chocolate: The Science of Pleasure

by Paul Martin
4.7 out of 5 stars (3) 
Mind Hacks: Tips & Tricks for Using Your Brain: Tips and Tricks for Using Your Brain

Mind Hacks: Tips & Tricks for Using Your Brain: Tips and Tricks for Using Your Brain

by Tom Stafford
4.3 out of 5 stars (3)  £11.84
Making Happy People: The Nature of Happiness and Its Origins in Childhood

Making Happy People: The Nature of Happiness and Its Origins in Childhood

by Paul Martin
4.8 out of 5 stars (4)  £6.39
Willing Slaves: How the Overwork Culture is Ruling Our Lives

Willing Slaves: How the Overwork Culture is Ruling Our Lives

by Madeleine Bunting
3.7 out of 5 stars (6)  £6.48
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Flamingo; New edition edition (7 April 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0006551726
  • ISBN-13: 978-0006551720
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.4 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 18,729 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #14 in  Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical > Biology > Human Biology
    #25 in  Books > History > Other Historical Subjects > History of Science
    #95 in  Books > Science & Nature > History & Philosophy

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

A good kip, a nice nap, forty winks--we all know how agreeable it is to hit the hay. In Counting Sheep, Cambridge scientist Paul Martin, onetime Director of Communication at the Cabinet Office, analyses quite why sleep is so biologically and psychologically rewarding.

The book is divided into seven sections, with titles like "Preliminaries, Mechanisms and Origins". Using this scaffolding Martin confidently builds his thesis, that sleep is an adaptation for resting the weary body, which Homo sapiens has since cannily put to other uses (like dreaming).

But this is no dry Darwinian text. Martin is a plausible and highly engaging writer who has a gift for the telling anecdote: witness the Empress of Russia who employed an old woman specifically to tickle her feet so as she could drop off, or the famous-but-sleepy pianist who could only be roused by his wife playing an unresolved chord. Other enlightening diversions take Martin through the pros and cons of hypnotics, sleepwalking, snoring, late night milky drinks, nightmares, fatigued politicos and bedmates. Every section is enlivened by lots of pithy and well-chosen quotes, like James Joyce's blissfully simple: "warm beds, warm full-blooded life".

The author concludes with a chapter on sleeping problems. Many people have trouble getting the right amount of kip from time to time, and Martin gives sage advice on the best sleep regimens and remedies. But you don't have to be a narcoleptic or an insomniac to enjoy Counting Sheep: almost anyone should find this perfect bedtime reading. --Sean Thomas --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.



Review

'A fascinating book...which makes a powerful case for spending more time unconscious and explains the damaging effect on our lives of not spending enough. Martin makes an overwhelming case for valuing sleep more... If you read Martin's book, you will be persuaded to buy the most comfortable bed and mattress that you can afford. It could be the best investment you ever make.' Mary Ann Sieghart, The Times 'Energetic and immensely readable... This is as good a popular science book as I have read, which is to say it treads lightly but comprehensively across a relatively complex subject without shirking its responsibility to explain and illuminate. Martin's achievement is to do this with such vivacity and infectious enthusiasm that by the end of the book you'll be racing for your bed to try out a few sleepy experiments for yourself... I've read countless books on sleep, but rarely have I encountered one as sure-footed and hospitable as this.' Melanie McGrath, Evening Standard 'Bracingly clear and thoroughly researched ... a masterpiece of efficiently and entertainingly delivered information. ... you will find no more brisk and intelligible account. ... a compendious celebration of the delights of sleep.' Bryan Appleyard, New Statesman 'Paul Martin's novelty is his polemical verve...He writes what I still rejoice in calling natural history. He knows the research and quotes widely and appropriately from literature. You could see Counting Sheep as an antidote to the symptoms of the frenetic society delineated by James Gleick in Faster. I hope it does as well, either as in instant hit or as a sleeper.' Guardian 'Like many parents of small children, I have become obsessed by sleep, to the point where it strikes me as a more gripping subject for a book than almost any other... Reading Paul Martin's account of Charles Lindbergh crossing the Atlantic in 1927 in a one-seater plane, I experienced strong feelings of identification, almost of kinship, with the nocturnal desperado for whom sleep is at once an enemy and an object of desire... Even if you don't buy into the dark side of sleep deprivation, Martin's mourning of the lost pleasures of languor might win you over... To me, at least, it sounds irresistible.' Rachel Cusk, Daily Telegraph
See all Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The most important book i have ever bought!, 4 Aug 2005
By A Customer
The information contained in this book has allowed me to completely transform the quality of my life! I have for sometime being suffering from depression, tiredness, decreased concentration levels, lack of memory, lack of good judgement and even skin problems (i.e. acne.) And now due to the essential knowledge I have gained from this book into the workings of sleep I can "UNEQUIVOCALLY" attribute all of these problems were due to lack of good quality un-interrupted sleep. Regardless of what conclusion you may have reached by what I have said, I urge you to please read on, it may be a very important 2 minutes for you. I could write an essay of almost unlimited length regarding the knowledge I have gained from this book. But I will try to stick to the fundamentals.
I believe that knowledge should be put to good use, or why on earth should it even be obtained? So I must include within this review exactly what I have gained from reading this book. I have completely got rid of my depression problem, my mental ability and concentration levels have also increased dramatically. I also make fewer mistakes, and have MUCH better judgements. And my acne condition is almost no existent. When reading this, please bare in mind that I have done nothing other than change my sleeping pattern to regular and un-interrupted. Basically, I go to bed at a regular time every night with only the occasional late weekend night, and sleep for as much as I need. This can be achieved my constantly monitoring the amount of sleep you get in relation to how you feel. Eventually you will be able to work out exactly how much you need in relation to your life's activities.
Ok, now I must also tell you why increased sleep has positively affected each former problem area of my life. I have got rid of depression, because various chemicals in my brain are working as they should, and I also have decreased levels of "Cortisol" in my blood stream. Cortisol is the stress chemical... it decreases with the amount of sleep you get. My mental ability and concentration levels have increased, as I wake up every morning feeling refreshed and full of energy and life. Something that I could not even begin to comprehend before changing my sleeping pattern. I had pretty bad acne (I.e. pimples and spots). This problem is almost non existent now that I am getting proper sleep; my complexion has completely cleared up. This I believe can be directly attributed to my hormonal balance returning to near normal, which has directly affected the amount of sebum typed oil being secreted from the sebaceous glands in my skin. Your hormonal balance is regulated mainly when you sleep. Oh and by the way for anyone suffering from obesity, this is an absolute must for you, it will show you links with lack of sleep, depression = comfort eating and sleep apnoea which can stop you from losing the weight you want. Don't laugh this off, read and see! But the main area of my life which has been most positively affected has got to be my ambition. Due to lack of depression and increased energy levels I now feel that I can use this to my advantage and try to create a really good life for myself.
In conclusion, although before reading this book I had a ruff idea that it was my lack of good sleep that was my real problem... gaining knowledge into the real workings of sleep proved every belief I had regarding lack of sleep, and it also disproved many thing others have told me in the past. I urge you to have a read at this book, the knowledge contained in it might just full the missing link in your life.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Counting Sheep by Paul martin, 18 Jan 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Counting Sheep: The science and pleasures of sleep and dreams (Hardcover)
This book I found very hard to put down; There were times I had to force myself to stop reading it! The standard of writing flowed naturally, it had flair and wit. It was a wonderful experience to try out a few of the dream and sleep experiments. What a worthy book to read and a 100% recommendation to all new and yet to begin Paul Martin readers.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent popular science book on sleep and dreams, 2 Jul 2003
By A. Dominguez Burgos - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Counting Sheep is a tantalizing book that tells you lots
of useful and not so useful but interesting facts about what scientists currently know regarding sleep and dreams.
People tend to give over and over again too little thought to
this so important part of our lives.
How dangerous is it really to be sleep-deprived?
How do dolphins sleep? What is there to sex and sleep?
How do cows dream? What can be done regarding sleep apnea?
How can you influence your dreams?
Martin tells about these facts and more sprinkling scientific
facts with excellent quotations of well-known writers and many funny anecdotes.
I hope this book will be translated soon into my mother tongue, Spanish. If you like sleeping or if you don't, if you sleep well or bad, if you snore or know somebody who does, if you remember your dreams or not, this book may interest you.
There were some parts that could have been kept shorter and Martin bit around the bush a wee bit, but in general, it was an excellent book.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Very readable and very interesting
This was an extremely interesting insight into sleep and dreams. I learnt a lot about not only how important sleep is and what happens when you don't get enough, but also about... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Hazel M.

4.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should read this book!
Everyone should read this book just to understand what sleep is and why it is so important. Neglect your sleep at your peril after reading it.
Published 14 months ago by R. P. Sedgwick

4.0 out of 5 stars It's ironic, but you will fight sleep to finish this book
According to the sub-title of this book, Paul Martin set out to uncover "the science and pleasures of sleep and dreams". Read more
Published on 13 Jun 2007 by Mr. S. Miller

4.0 out of 5 stars Sleeping Tight
It's inadvisable to read much of this book in bed: you'll either be kept awake by your interest or else by sheer fright. Read more
Published on 29 May 2004 by Jonathan Posner

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb title - absolutely fascinating
The book magaes to cover so much ground in an informative and easy to read manner. It's packed full of useful information and fascinating stories, facts and tips about every... Read more
Published on 7 Jan 2004 by Mark Tilbrook

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful and hugely informative read
This is probably the best popular science book I have ever read. Martin does a hugely comprehensive job on one of the areas of life so vastly overlooked. Read more
Published on 30 Jun 2003 by Mr. Paul J. Bradshaw

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book, A must read for all sleepy people!
This book explains everything you need to know about sleep. If we all took more notice of the sleep we require, we wouldn't be spending so much money or NHS Prescriptions or other... Read more
Published on 3 Jun 2003 by craigsutcliffe

4.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing approach to the subject
Martin's book is a refreshing change from the obsessions with dreams and dream analysis. Instead he focuses on sleep itself - what it is, why we need it, what happens when we go... Read more
Published on 6 Aug 2002 by Tea Drinker

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject











i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.