Restless Nights: Understanding Snoring and Sleep Apnea

Rating:
Summary: A Must Have Reference
Review: For those with sleep afflictions, or those interested in sleep afflictions, this is a must have reference.
As a sleep apnea patient I highly recommend this book. Professor Lavie has dedicated a significant portion of his life to sleep related medical conditions. His historical exploration of sleep disorders and the derivation of current treatments are very informative and worthwhile. But it's his lucid and informed explanations and evaluations of current sleep disorder treatments, including their probable efficacy, that to me are most valuable.
Only recently have physicians become aware of the detrimental effects of sleep disorders and it has been my experience that most practitioners just are unaware and/or disinterested in such "mundane" afflictions.
For me, and for you, if you're involved in sleep disorders, Professor Lavie's book is a must have reference.

Rating:
Summary: Not a Sleep Inducing Book
Review: If you know anyone who falls asleep easily and regularly during the day, you probably know someone with sleep apnea. But who'd have thought sleepiness could be so fascinating? In addtion to a thorough update on the latest findings about this common disorder that affects quality of life and could be life threatening, the book offers a gripping account of the medical sleuthing that brought us to our current level of understanding. Prof. Lavie is both a great scientist and a great storyteller.

Rating:
Summary: Not a Sleep Inducing Book
Review: If you know anyone who falls asleep easily and regularly during the day, you probably know someone with sleep apnea. But who'd have thought sleepiness could be so fascinating? In addtion to a thorough update on the latest findings about this common disorder that affects quality of life and could be life threatening, the book offers a gripping account of the medical sleuthing that brought us to our current level of understanding. Prof. Lavie is both a great scientist and a great storyteller.

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding book!
Review: Restless Nights is a wonderful book. It takes a serious medical subject, sleep apnea, and explains it in a way that is both intriguing and fascinating. The book is a comprehensive yet readable explanation of this potentially serious medical problem, as well as its many serious health and quality-of-life consequences.
Like his earlier book, The Enchanted World of Sleep, (which I found also a captivating read), Restless Nights explains the science of the syndrome, the most current research, implications for public health (such as its impact on transportation safety, work and general quality of life), and proposals for reform of treatment approaches. Most importantly, Lavie discusses the syndrome in the larger context of its impact on general health, particularly cardiovascular disease.
The layperson will find this book readable and engrossing-Lavie's style interweaves scientific information with practical examples, including his historical and literary survey of sleep apnea. Remember Joe from Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers?
The medical professional will also find this book must reading. Recent research-some of it performed and published by Lavie and his Technion colleagues-is beginning to shed light on the connections between sleep apnea and general health.
Lavie is particularly well-qualified to write this book. According to the book, he has helped establish and administer sleep research and treatment centers on several continents, including a group of clinics at major hospitals affiliated with Harvard. He is the past Dean of the Medical Faculty of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. I also know from my past reading that Lavie has also been among the pioneers and leading researchers in sleep medicine for the past quarter century.
I recommend this book highly.

Rating:
Summary: Worth Staying Up For
Review: Restless Nights is as engaging as it is knowledgeable. Both lay and medical professional will find the book presents a stimulating analytical perspective which is interestingly embellished with relevant anecdotes and historical references. A most excellent read.