"Sleep, It Does a Family Good" by Dr. Archibald D. Hart

"I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart
when I'm awake, you know?"
— Ernest Hemingway

Like Ernest Hemingway, I love sleep.  I NEED sleep.  Yet, I feel like I've been without sleep for over 3 years now, thanks to my two sweet children.  It really does make it hard to be all that I can/should be each day without adequate rest.  So, when I recently received an invitation to review Dr. Archibald D. Hart's new book, "Sleep, It Does a Family Good," I literally laughed out loud.  If there's anything I need more of these days, it's definitely sleep.  

I'm pretty certain that way too many of you can relate to my sleep deprivation woes.  It is actually a rapidly growing crises in our country.  According to several polls from the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), about 70 million Americans suffer from some sort of sleep disorder.  And even many more suffer from some form of periodic sleep deprivation.  Because of these blaring figures and the toll that sleep deprivation took in his own life, Dr. Archibald D. Hart wrote his newest book, "Sleep, It Does a Family Good."  He sincerely believes that "bad sleeping habits in either children or parents can have a devastating effect on the spiritual, emotional, and physical health of the whole family."  Ohhhh, I'm right there with you, Dr. Hart!

The book is divided into three sections:

1. Part 1: Understanding Your Family's Need for Sleep
2. Part 2: Determining Your Family's Sleep Problems
3. Part 3: Overcoming Your Family's Sleep Deprivation

Within each section, he teaches about the issues of sleep disorders and how to address them.  Also included are various aids, such as a guide for creating a sleep diary and "sleep aid package."  The book is very informational, and yet a bit wordy at times.  But for anyone who is looking to take a true look at sleep and its function, this is a wonderful resource.

So, now I'm off to put to practice what I've learned from "Sleep, It Does a Family Good."  Time to catch some zzzzz's (I hope...)

A copy of this book was provided to me at no cost by Tyndale House Publishers in order to facilitate my review. I was not required to provide a positive review, only an honest one. The viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

For my fellow readers...

One of my favorite things to do is read.  Considering I have two munchkins running around the house these days, it's really hard to find quality (if any) time to read.  As crazy as it sounds, I absolutely love reading non-fiction books.  Once in a while I'll stray from my norm and blaze through a popular Nicholas Sparks work, or something similar.  But my literary desires are most satisfied when my nose is buried in a bestseller that's going to offer me new advice that I've never considered.

Since we started BluEyEdea Media recently, I've been racking up on books about business, money, self-employment and the like.  Often I find myself frustrated because there are more titles on my reading list than my free time allows.  When I do have a brief moment to read a few pages, I feel unfocused and rushed.  I've been thinking that I need to develop a new system, not of what I read, but of the WAY I read. 

Earlier this evening, I was glancing through all the new posts in my Google Reader and stumbled upon this blog post by Michael Hyatt- How to Read a Non-Fiction Book.  These pointers gave me a new reading plan with fresh focus and direction.

I hope many of you find Mr. Hyatt's ten reading practices helpful, as well.  I would love to hear your feedback once you try them.