In his book Why We Sleep, neuroscientist Matthew Walker reminds us that sleep is not wasted time—it is a form of deep self-care, a biological necessity, almost an act of love towards oneself.
Walker starts from a simple yet revolutionary idea: sleep is not a luxury, it is the foundation of our mental, physical, and emotional health. While we sleep, the brain clears toxins accumulated during the day, processes memories, regulates emotions, and repairs the body. Every night is like a tiny internal laboratory, quietly working to restore our energy, balance, and clarity.
Reading Why We Sleep feels like rediscovering something we always knew, but somehow many of us have forgotten. Walker combines scientific rigour with clear, empathetic communication: he doesn’t judge, he guides. He shows how our modern habits—the blue light from screens, frenetic schedules, the “I’ll sleep later” culture—have turned sleep into a luxury, when it is actually our first form of natural beauty.
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“Sleep is not a luxury. It is a fundamental biological necessity, as vital as eating or drinking. Without it, our brains and bodies begin to falter: emotions destabilise, memory fades, the immune system weakens. Sleep is our greatest source of natural energy.”
— Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams / Allen Lane (UK), Scribner (US) —
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The message is powerful: sleeping doesn’t slow us down, it restores us. It is not a sign of weakness, but of biological intelligence.
And perhaps the book’s most valuable lesson is this: true beauty—both what shows on the face and what we feel within, begins when we close our eyes and allow the body to do what it was designed to do:
regenerate.
