Book Report

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KD5fO_P10l9TTHTzmNcda8Ec_pEKHIvy/view?usp=drive_link

Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker is a fascinating and honestly eye-opening look at how important sleep really is. The book explains what sleep is, why we need it, and what actually happens to our brains and bodies when we don’t get enough of it. Walker shares research that connects sleep to everything from memory and learning to mental health, immune function, and even how long we live. One of the biggest takeaways is that sleep isn’t just “rest”—it’s an active, essential process that keeps us functioning. He also talks about how modern life—like caffeine, alarms, and staying up late with screens—is hurting our natural sleep cycles more than we realize. After reading it, I definitely see sleep differently.
My favorite part of the book was the section on how sleep helps with learning and memory. I’ve always believed that staying up late to study is just part of student life, but this book completely changed my perspective. Walker breaks down how sleep—especially deep sleep—helps lock in what we’ve learned, and how REM sleep actually boosts creativity and problem-solving. It really clicked for me because we’ve read in class about how memory works and how repetition isn’t enough—you also need rest to process and retain info. Now I will try to get more sleep before tests instead of staying up all night, and I honestly feel like I’ll perform better.
This book connects a lot to what we’ve been learning about motivation. One example is how lack of sleep affects our self-control and decision-making. Walker explains that when we’re sleep-deprived, the brain becomes more impulsive and focused on short-term rewards—which lines up with what we discussed about how motivation and the reward system work. It also ties into the idea that our environment can either support or hurt our goals. In this case, if we’re constantly exhausted, we’re way less motivated to eat healthy, stay focused, or reach any of our goals.
To take this further, I actually started tracking my own sleep after reading the book using a free app, just to see if it would make a difference. I also recorded a short podcast-style audio clip talking about my experience and how the book changed my mindset—especially around late-night studying. I realized that sleep isn’t just about feeling rested; it affects how I learn, how I feel emotionally, and how motivated I am throughout the day. This book made me think about how much better things could be if schools and jobs encouraged healthy sleep—maybe we’d all be a little sharper, calmer, and more productive if we just got enough rest.