Interesting book about sleep disorders and sleep in general. I was very interested in this subject and learned many new things. I liked reading about the sleeping tests.

The Woman Who Couldn't Wake Up by Quinn Eastman is a fascinating and sobering look at sleep disorders, especially that of idiopathic hypersomnia, and debilitating effects. As a sleeping disorder sufferer I can relate to Anna whose case is discussed in detail. I did not realize people can sleep up to 50 hours at a time; I struggle to sleep at all. Dangers involved are many and it was discovered that her case was akin to constantly being sedated for a colonoscopy. Going to bed not knowing you may sleep two days, missing meetings and meals would be horrifying. After testing it was discovered Anna had a benzodiazepine-like substance in her body. Another patient is Lloyd who risked his health for an experiment of flumazenil implants. Interesting stuff. Imagine sleeping away much of your life!

The sleep studies and other tests are intriguing, having been through many myself. The photographs add a personal touch. I really appreciate learning more about GABA receptors and like that there are Snooze Cruises and success stories. The author writes about the "spoon theory" which is familiar to those with chronic illnesses and/or sleep disorders.

Those interested in how the body functions with(out) sleep and medical studies ought to read this book. It is science heavy so would especially appeal to those affected by sleeping disorders.

My sincere thank you to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this compelling and informative book.

Not very accessible, there was a lot of jargon and this read more like a guide/textbook for medical students than something that would be super helpful to the average person. Interesting information overall, but the delivery seemed exclusivist.

The Woman Who Couldn’t Wake Up: Hypersomnia and the Science of Sleepiness by Quinn Eastman (Colummbia University Press, August 2023) is a medical examination of figuring out the rare condition of idiopathic hypersomia (IH), including the history of the diagnosis and the pharmacological treatment the condition. As the title suggests, it begins with the story of Anna, who often would sleep for 40-60 hours at a time and had difficulty waking. It is a dense nonfiction book ideal for those with medical training and an interest in sleep disorders, including the pharmacological interventions and discoveries related to the highly unique and newly addressed issue of hypersomnia.

I was interested in this book since I have family and friends with narcolepsy and sometimes I wonder about myself, as I get those “just can’t stay awake” moments during the day sometimes. My situation and narcolepsy’s effects on those with the condition are nothing compared to IH, which is the majority of the discussion in this book. From a layperson’s perspective, The Woman Who Couldn’t Wake Up is interesting only insofar as it touches upon the basic how’s and why’s about the brain, studies on how the condition may be genetic in the cerebrospinal fluid of affected individuals, and how circadian rhythms and the body’s natural melatonin helps mediate our sleep. Otherwise, although the stories of actual people were quite interesting, the book was much too technical for me to follow and continue to find interesting.

(Rated 2 from my perspective, probably rated 4 from a medical professional perspective, for an average of 3.)

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance review copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It's pretty dry overall. Kind of reads like a really long WebMD page with regular disruptions by names of prescriptions.

The book is interesting. Despite being written in a friendly style the book requires more of general science knowledge to get to the end.