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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Highly recommended for anyone who has suffered from insomnia Nov 14, 2009
I happened upon this book by accident while searching online for helpful books about insomnia. I can't recommend it highly enough. "Insomniac" is extremely informative, well-written, and entertaining. For me, the fact that it's written by an insomniac only adds to its worth and gives it more credibility. I've read several books about sleep and insomnia over the years and found this one to be more valuable than all of them combined. It contains lots of practical information (about sleep science, the pros and cons of both drug- and non-drug approaches, and lots more) written from a critical perspective (by a clearly very intelligent person) but also with a sense of humor. Gayle Greene is an English professor at Scripps College and a writer, so this is a more enjoyable read than some of the drier books on the subject (but still very serious and packed with information). She interviewed real people suffering from insomnia and writes about her own years battling it as well. Greene traveled to sleep conferences attended by top scientists working in the field and interviewed numerous researchers for the book. I came away with new approaches to try and new knowledge about sleep disorders and sleep in general. I'm so glad I found this unique gem of a book.
Like talking to a good friend Oct 13, 2009
Greene is a wonderful writer. She ventures to sleep clinics and seminars, acupuncturists and hypnotists, trying everything at least once like an explorer intent on filling the entire map, all the while taking note of the often unexpected happenings around her. There's a powerful stream-of-consciousness in her prose, a moment-by-moment intimacy one rarely finds outside the minds of Holden Caulfield or David Foster Wallace; for a journalistic work Insomniac often reads like a novel. The situational humor sometimes reaches heights of absurdist comedy, and Greene takes it all in stride, playfully adapting to the ridiculous characters and settings she frequently meets. Moments such as her exclaiming "Ta-da!" after donning a tangled mass of EEG headgear and her sardonic thoughts of "at least we're well-fed" as she munches on the hors d'oeuvres at a national sleep seminar that turns out to be more of an advertisement than a research symposium will never leave my mind.
I've tried reading plenty of books on insomnia, most too dull to finish. This one I read for fun.
A book that inspires a sleep coach May 05, 2009
This book is written from the perspective of a life long insomniac and describes her journey in searching for a cure. She talks to leading figures in the field of sleep research and uses herself as a guinea pig for many of the techniques that are described. She shares her successes and disappointments in a very vivid fashion. Most of the other books I have read about sleep disorders were written by researchers who focus on scientific observations. The majority of researchers have not suffered from sleep disorders themselves and use numbers and statistics to get their message across. The author, Gayle Greene, provides an incredibly unique perspective. She has suffered from chronic insomnia since childhood and the book weaves her personal journey and struggles to find a cure with the latest research to create lessons that anyone with sleep problems can identify with. She writes humorously about the way people react to insomniacs. When someone mentions his inability to sleep a standard response is often "oh, as soon as I get into bed I go to sleep right away". It's like saying to a paraplegic "oh, I can walk all day long".
After reading this book, I have a much better understanding of the distinctions between transient and life long insomniacs. The book also demonstrates the limitations of the current approaches available to help individuals suffering from sleep disorders. On a personal level this was the book that inspired me to bring solutions from my field of expertise in coaching people around health issues and apply them specifically to those who are looking at improving their ability to get a good night's sleep.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Groundbreaking work from someone who really, truly, finally gets it Apr 28, 2009
It's unfortunate that I had to read this book in the first place - I really wish I had no interest in the subject matter. But the reality is that I'm a chronic insomniac.
After receiving so much inadequate, inaccurate, unhelpful and even downright dangerous advice (including from "top notch" doctors who've prescribed various benzodiazepines to me for 18 years), I am grateful that someone finally decided to get to the bottom of the problem and lay out a comprehensive and current state of affairs.
Unlike every other book on this subject matter that I've seen, Gayle Greene doesn't have a vested interest in any one avenue of treatment or research, and as a result, covers them all, with passion, curiosity, empathy and humor. She has a keen intellect, and her excellent prose might have something to do with the fact that her day gig is as a college English professor.
Perhaps the most important function of the book is as a call to arms to the research community to understand that insomnia has a physiological component that has been ignored for far too long, and that the only serious hope of any treatment or cure will lie in that relatively untapped vein.
Oh, and assuming you're a fellow sufferer - there is hope. Although it is not the intent of the book, during the course of my reading it, my sleep has improved markedly. The book does cover a multitude of suggestions on what works for various people, some of which I'd never heard of before and which I've incorporated.
My success is probably mostly due to having successfully kicked all sleeping meds as of a year ago (under a CBT doctor's supervision), and lifestyle improvements. But this inspiring and illuminating work has given me a basis of understanding my condition that has given me great comfort, and reassurance that within these pages may lie the inspiration for the future Jonas Salk of insomnia.
Readable and Informative Feb 13, 2009
A great read while I'm awake in the early hours. It explains WHY I'm awake. This book is an unusual combination of an overview of the latest reasearch combined with the author's lifetime experience with insomnia. She is a professor of English Literature, so it is well written and the whole thing works.
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