Dr Michael Mosley: Why is sleep so important?

If, like us, you love to read a good science book, (and thanks to this podcast we’ve read a fair few over the years), you’ll probably recognise the feeling of having more questions about its subject at the end of the book than before you even turned page one.

It’s because of this that we decided to launch the Science Focus Book Club, where we pick out what we think is an excellent, thought provoking science book and ask your questions to its author.

You can sign up for the newsletter to find out which book is coming up next, but to give you a taster, in May, our legion of science book fans read Fast Asleep, by Science Focus columnist and BBC presenter Dr Michael Mosley.

In this week’s podcast we’ve selected a few of our favourite Q&As where he explains everything you need to know about sleep; from what it is, why we need it and how to get more of it.

Let us know what you think of the episode with a review or a comment wherever you listen to your podcasts.

• Subscribe to the Science Focus Podcast on these services: Acast, iTunes, Stitcher, RSS, Overcast
• Read the full transcription [this will open in a new window]

This podcast was supported by brilliant.org, helping people build quantitative skills in maths, science, and computer science with fun and challenging interactive explorations.

Listen to more episodes of the Science Focus Podcast:

• Dr Guy Leschziner: What is your brain doing while you sleep?
• Alice Gregory: How to get a good night's sleep
• Brian Sharpless: Exploding Head Syndrome
• Dean Burnett: The neuroscience of happiness
• John Lennox: Is religion compatible with science?
• Emma WhispersRed: Why ASMR gives you tingles

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