The Paradox of Sleep: The Story of Dreaming

by Michel Jouvet

Book Overview

A world-renowned researcher presents the history of sleep and dream research -- including his own controversial ideas. Michel Jouvet is perhaps the world's leading sleep and dream researcher. He... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0262100800
• ISBN13: 9780262100809
• Release Date: July 1999
• Publisher: MIT Press (MA)
• Length: 227 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.7" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A world of dreams

Why do humans sleep? This question offers many answers. Physical rest at first seems the logical answer, but individuals deprived of sleep but allowed physical rest are often just as tired as those who worked thru the night. Resting the brain might be the next logical answer. This book looks at the latter reason, and takes it several steps further. Specifically, Dr. Jouvet argues that the primary purpose of sleep is to dream, and that dreaming is genetically hard-wired into the human organism, and is essential a human function as breathing, eating and drinking. The author goes over the history of sleep research, of which he is a reknowned expert. He examines research done on both humans and other animals, and shows us what we know, and what we don't know, about sleep and dreaming. He cites experimental data that shows how dreaming is often the central part of sleep, and how those allowed to sleep, but prevented from dreaming, can suffer numerous medical and psychological problems. Overall, this is an interesting book. The book serves as a good introduction to the science of sleep, dreaming, nuerology, and psychology. The book also is well-referenced, and gives good background on this topic. Overall, I recommend this book.

A magnificent tour de force revealing the human psyche

This is an excellent work describing the new thought in the scientiic study of sleep. Finally, a work that describes why we see strange situations in our dreams without resorting to mysticism.