The War On Sleep
How it started
How we lost
How you can recover
By Michael Voss
Copyright 2020 by Michael Voss
All Rights Reserved
Published in the United States of America
ISBN Number: 978-0-578-17602-4
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition September 2020
For the millions of people who think they are sleeping fine, but who in reality are not, and the millions of others who know they are not sleeping well. Soon, you will all know the life-changing joy of good sleep.
Contents
Section 1: Background and Preparation
Disclaimer: Read This First
What you are about to read is the culmination of over a decade of my personal research and experimentation. Sometimes my experiments and observations were accidental, other times they were thoroughly planned and scientifically executed. The consistent factor is that they were always performed with one thing in mind: getting a better nights sleep. My secondary objective was to never damage my health and, whenever possible, to improve it. Fortunately, I discovered that improving ones health goes hand in hand with improving ones sleep, and I encountered few if any downsides.
It is important that you read this book fully understanding that, while I do not consider myself much different from many other people whose sleep could use improvement, no two people are quite the same when it comes to sleep. Some things that work for me may not work for you and some things that didnt help me at all may work like magic for you. It is my hope that I can impart to you the overall understanding I have developed of the sleep process so that you can make informed decisions that will lead you to the most optimal outcome. I do not intend to give you a fish, instead I intend to teach you how to fish for yourself.
Because sleep is a critical component of health, it is imperative that you be screened by a physician and, preferably, one who is a sleep specialist before making any radical changes to your lifestyle, habits, or medications. Some of the things described in this book cannot be obtained without the assistance of a physician anyway so, at some point, you may need to consult one. Something worth bearing in mind when searching for a doctor is that there is wide variability in the quality of physicians and sleep specialists, so you may want to read this book entirely before setting about finding one.
Do not let this disclaimer scare you off; much of the time during which I was doing my research, I did not have assistance from physicians nor the benefit of health insurance. The conditions under which I evaluated my own health and sleep were not always optimal. However, they were what I had at the time and I made due. You can, too. If Ive done my job, this book should provide you with better tools and a starting place much further along the path to good sleep.
My original intent was not to write a book nor to share my findings in any way. I was only trying to resolve my own terrible sleep issues. However, after improving my own sleep, I became attuned to the deep suffering of people around me and noticed that not only were they in dire straits, they didnt have the tools to get out of the mess they were in. Whenever I bring up the subject of sleep and discuss my experiences, people are always eager to ask questions and learn more. In my 15+ years of research, it has become obvious to me that sleep deprivation is nothing less than an epidemic (indeed, in the intervening period, the US Centers for Disease Control have made that exact declaration) and this book is my attempt to put an end to it. It is my sincere belief that sleep disorders are underlying our national epidemics of obesity, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, cancers, and shortened lifespan, ailments which have only come to be leading causes of death in the past 120 years or so. I have greatly improved my own life, and I hope that I can do the same for the millions of people out there by sharing what I have learned to avert a current or future health disaster.
With that said, please be careful and take all reasonable precautions when following any of the advice in this book. I have done my best to always give accurate supporting information and, wherever possible, I have quoted research, facts, sources and statistics. Where I have described my own experiences, I have also been careful to be as accurate as possible. I am not a physician, and your health is the most valuable thing you possess, so it is your responsibility to take all reasonable precautions and consult with a physician before following any advice in this book or if you experience any adverse effect at any time.
Now, with that out of the way, lets find out how the War on Sleep got started, and how we can put an end to it.
Preface
One of the wisest people I have ever known once said that no good thing happens quickly. I have come to find this to be very true.
The work you are about to read has taken me nearly 15 years to complete. My research and experimentation are ongoing and many times I was sure I had gotten to a point where I needed to get what Id learned out into the world, only to hit a new obstacle that had to be solved. Other times, science would crack yet another of the mysteries of sleep in a way that needed to be included. Or, perhaps Id find I needed more data to really determine for certain what I had observed in some instance. Never in my life have I put so much time and effort into any one thing, and it has been worth every minute.
When I first began to try to solve the puzzle of sleep for myself, it was becoming a life and death need for me, although I may not have known it at the time. It was during the run up to the Great Recession of 2008 when the world was an uncertain, frightening place. Compounding the loss of income and wealth I had suddenly suffered, like many others, I had long been suffering from major depressive disorder accompanied (as it generally always is) by terrible sleep disturbances. Climbing out of that deep chasm was a long, arduous process and many times along the way I thought I was ready to complete this book, but I wasnt. As I came to learn, nothing good happens fast.
Today we find ourselves, once again, in a devastating and uncertain time as COVID-19 rages across the globe like wildfire causing the greatest disruption to human life that I have ever seen. As I absorb the daily updates and wonder when life will get back to anything resembling normal, I have realized two important things: the first is that all I have learned about sleep is the most valuable thing I have. I sleep every night since this crisis began at literally the best levels ever despite some of the worst conditions I have ever seen. Secondly, I have realized that NOW is the time to share all I know with everyone I can as quickly as possible. There will never be a time when being able to sleep well will be more difficult and of greater value to more people, so I have dropped everything to do final assembly of all I have learned and get it out to all who can benefit from it.
The COVID-19 pandemic has served as a sort of a final test for me. While the quarantine and shutdown of most things sounds idyllic for better sleep on the surface, far more people are having trouble sleeping due to the offsetting worry about their loved ones, jobs, income, homes, and everything else that is suddenly at risk. While I cannot cure the current or future issues that will affect us all, I can help you to sleep well no matter what the future may hold.
Michael Voss
