A great nonfiction book that would be a fun book club read along with Nightbitch. The blurb compares this to Wintering and the cozy essay style does give the same vibes.

I loved this even more than I expected to! It was a bit different than what I was expecting in that it didn't involve much about how to ease your own sleeplessness (or how the author did this herself). Rather, it's her story of why she had a prolonged period of sleeplessness and the solace she found during that time in learning about other women who had discovered creative or working potential during the night. Some are better known literary figures (Emily Dickinson, Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath) and others were new to me (artist Louise Bourgeois, among others). As she tells their stories, she weaves in science and psychology around so many different topics, like the changes our bodies and brains undergo in the night versus daytime and why some of this may be more conducive to types of creativity, research, etc.

She also undertakes journeys similar to what her subjects have gone through – nightwalking, including in the woods (!), night swimming, sleeping outisde. This ended up encompassing so much more than what I was expecting and I loved all of it. I found it soothing and reassuring, even if the only practical advice was that you will sleep again. I didn't want self help at all, but I was more curious about her own process. I think she told that in a much bigger way, though. It's a quietly remarkable journey to take with her.

Beautifully written exploration of insomnia. I appreciated how Annabel Abbs-Streets wrote about her father's passing during covid, covered with tenderness and care. "Awake at night, we might feel more deeply, imagine more vividly." <3 Thank you for the ARC.

Sleepless is a fascinating look at why we may be awake in the middle of the night and, unlike most books on the topic, why this is not necessarily something that needs fixing. Drawing on her own experience, Annabel Abbs-Streets explores what she calls the Night Self: a creative, un-bound creature who can use this time when everyone else is asleep to do wondrous things. She dives deep into research on sleep patterns and behaviors, showcases women from history who used sleeplessness to write or otherwise use that time — and encourages us to do the same. My main takeaway: yes, sleep is better than insomnia, but if you’re awake anyway, don’t lie there, staring at the ceiling and wishing things were otherwise. Meet your Night Self and see what happens!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital galley.

I enjoyed reading this overall. Annabel Abbs-Streets is a good writer and storyteller.

It was intriguing to explore the positive aspects of insomnia. Also, the delicacy she uses to discuss her father and the anguish from his death was very moving. But I wish the perception was balanced by being a bit more honest and candid about the challenges that come with it as well.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! Sleepless by Annabel Abbs-Streets was an absolutely fascinating read! If you're someone who like myself deals with insomnia, this book is a must read. It strikes me as so well thought out and well-researched, especially with the examples of historical women who found something valuable in their insomnia. This book will help you be happy for when you can sleep but no longer scared to meet your Night Self when you can't. I loved the chapter about Annabel Abbs-Streets' time in the Arctic Circle. It just resonated so strongly with me. I think anyone, especially any woman, who has insomnia will find something in her research and her experiences within this book that resonates with them as well.

Annabel Abbs-Streets was plagued by insomnia following her father’s death. Her journey moves from anxiety about lost sleep to embracing the time the night gives her.

This was a very interesting and informative book. What starts as the author’s struggle with sleep, morphs into a scientific investigation of insomnia and the night in general. It also includes many examples of historical women who have struggled with sleep in the past. It was nice to see insomnia isn’t an isolated issue and the extra time can be used for more than staring at the ceiling.

My only critique is the downside of lost sleep wasn’t fully explored. I understand this given the focus of the book is how to positively reframe insomnia and I wish the author had touched more on the health hazards of chronic insomnia.

An excellent book overall.