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by John Weidman
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"Desperately Seeking Snoozin'" starts out with a warning: "Please be advised that reading the following can and will be extremely habit forming, resulting in nightly recurrences of extreme drowsiness followed by a state of suspended consciousness, better known as sleep."
Wiedman admits right up front that he is not a doctor. But he does know insomnia and has a close, personal relationship with it. In fact, Wiedman says he is a "professional insomniac" based on his years of on-the-job-training.
Wiedman also states that he is not a writer. This is not true. He writes with skill, compassion and humor. I recommend "Desperately Seeking Snoozin'" to anyone who suffers from insomnia.
The author, frustrated and literally "tired of" his night after night of wakefulness, decided to devise a plan to end his insomnia. He discovered that much of his trouble could be blamed on poor sleep habits, many of them of long duration. The plan worked so well for him that he wanted to share it with other people who suffered from insomnia. And that's how this book came about.
The first third of the book recounts the years of struggle Wiedman had with insomnia, and his discovery that he might have other disorders, including an eating disorder. He recounts his experience with sleep clinics and with prescription and over-the-counter medication. It relates his frustration with the entire process, and how a lack of proper rest led to his eventual irritability and depression.
The next section of the book is called "The Solution." Here the author explains how he came up with a plan that works. He then leads the reader through it step by step. He encourages insomniacs to follow the same steps in the same order as he did. He emphasizes that every step is important, and missing some, or trying to follow them in the wrong order will probably lead to failure of the plan. There's nothing complicated or costly about these steps. Anyone can understand and follow them. They consist almost entirely of lifestyle changes and keeping track of progress.
In the last section of the book, Wiedman talks about his results at seven, ten, fourteen and eighteen weeks. He then recaps with a four-page summary of the information in the book. He also includes feedback he received from friends, insomniacs and doctors who read the finished manuscript.
Throughout the book John has included postings from Internet Insomnia forums, from people who were also suffering from insomnia. The similarity of the symptoms illustrates that insomnia is a very real, very debilitating and pervasive disorder that attacks people from all walks of life.
The Appendix gives samples of John's worksheets and his daily log that other insomniacs can copy and use. There's also a comprehensive section called the Internet Resource Guide where the reader can seek further information and support.
In his afterword, John Wiedman tells insomniacs that they no longer need to feel helpless. He sums it up: "You now need to put your heart and soul into changing your sleep habits. Now is the time --- to discover you have what it takes."
| Related Reviews | Related Resources | |
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• The Terror That Comes in the Night |
• Before You Buy Books • Insomnia - the Whole Ball of Wax • Those Insomnia Blues • Treating Insomnia |
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