This book derailed Sleep.ist.

This blog was supposed to be about easy hacks to improve your sleep. Gizmos and tricks to instantly help suffering slumberers. Then I read The 8-Hour Sleep Paradox, and realized that we were chasing the fundamentally wrong question.

The book makes it clear that improving your sleep isn’t about improving your sleep – hence the “Paradox” in the title. It isn’t about getting your 8 hours, or having a pitch black bedroom. It’s not about blue blockers or sleep trackers.

It’s about something more simple, but infinitely complex:

Better sleep starts with breathing.

If you’re not breathing well in your sleep, you’re not gonna live very long. In the book, Doctor Burhenne points out:

“….[the] restoration that the brain and body go through during sleep is so powerful that brushing off sleep is akin to saying, ‘Yep, I’m okay with a little brain damage every day for the rest of my life.’

“…People with untreated sleep disorders have a 20% shorter life expectancy.”

There could be many causes of sleep breathing issues: from craniofacial developmental deficiencies to excess weight and allergies. Every body is different. The Doctor goes over basic at-home diagnoses, then helps the reader navigate the confusing world of professional diagnosis, treatment and even insurance coverage.

He doesn’t dismiss CPAP machines, but also gives hope that it’s not the only solution. He covers alternative cures, devices and the potential to combine treatments to address every person’s unique situation.

This is the “who am I kidding?” of sleep books. Before trying sleep hacks or the latest gadgets on the market, fix your breathing first. Nothing else matters. Before jumping into Matthew Walker’s seminal “Why We Sleep,” start with Doctor Burhenne’s opus sleepus, The 8-Hour Sleep Paradox.