'Astonishing ... an amazing book ... absolutely chocker full of things that we need to know' Chris Evans 'Matthew Walker is probably one of the most influential people on the planet' Evening Standard THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER TLS, OBSERVER, SUNDAY TIMES, FT, GUARDIAN, DAILY MAIL AND EVENING STANDARD BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2017 Sleep is one of the most important aspects of our life, health and longevity and yet it is increasingly neglected in twenty-first-century society, with devastating consequences: every major disease in the developed world - Alzheimer's, cancer, obesity, diabetes - has very strong causal links to deficient sleep. In this book, the first of its kind written by a scientific expert, Professor Matthew Walker explores twenty years of cutting-edge research to solve the mystery of why sleep matters. Looking at creatures from across the animal kingdom as well as major human studies, Why We Sleep delves into everything from what really happens during REM sleep to how caffeine and alcohol affect sleep and why our sleep patterns change across a lifetime, transforming our appreciation of the extraordinary phenomenon that safeguards our existence. 'Startling, vital ... a life-raft' Guardian 'A top sleep scientist argues that sleep is more important for our health than diet or exercise' The Times 'Passionate, urgent . . . it had a powerful effect on me' Observer
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A TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2019 An intimate and compelling exploration into the unique psyche of the heart surgeon, by one of the profession''s most eminent figures. Although Professor Stephen Westaby was born with the necessary coordination and manual dexterity, it was a head trauma sustained during university that gifted him the qualities of an exceptional heart surgeon: qualities that are frequently associated with psychopathy. His thirty-five-year career has been characterised by fearlessness and ruthless ambition; leaving empathy at the hospital door as thousands of patients put their lives in his hands. For heart surgeons, the inevitable cost of failure is death and in The Knife''s Edge, Westaby reflects on the unique mindset of those who are drawn to this exhilarating and often tragic profession. We discover the pioneers who grasped opportunities and took chances to drive innovation and save lives. Often difficult, uninhibited and fearless, theirs is a field constantly threatened by the risk of public failure. Like those before him, Westaby refuses to draw the line in his search of a lifetime solution to problems of the heart. His determination is unerring - a steadfastness underpinned by his unusual mind. But as we glimpse into the future of cardiac surgery, for all its remarkable scientific advancement, one question remains: within the confines of socialised medical healthcare systems, how can heart surgeons - individuals often hardwired with avoidance of self-doubt, a penchant for glory and a flagrant disregard for authority - truly flourish?
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A TIMES BEST BOOK OF 2019 An intimate and compelling exploration into the unique psyche of the heart surgeon, by one of the profession''s most eminent figures. Although Professor Stephen Westaby was born with the necessary coordination and manual dexterity, it was a head trauma sustained during university that gifted him the qualities of an exceptional heart surgeon: qualities that are frequently associated with psychopathy. His thirty-five-year career has been characterised by fearlessness and ruthless ambition; leaving empathy at the hospital door as thousands of patients put their lives in his hands. For heart surgeons, the inevitable cost of failure is death and in The Knife''s Edge, Westaby reflects on the unique mindset of those who are drawn to this exhilarating and often tragic profession. We discover the pioneers who grasped opportunities and took chances to drive innovation and save lives. Often difficult, uninhibited and fearless, theirs is a field constantly threatened by the risk of public failure. Like those before him, Westaby refuses to draw the line in his search of a lifetime solution to problems of the heart. His determination is unerring - a steadfastness underpinned by his unusual mind. But as we glimpse into the future of cardiac surgery, for all its remarkable scientific advancement, one question remains: within the confines of socialised medical healthcare systems, how can heart surgeons - individuals often hardwired with avoidance of self-doubt, a penchant for glory and a flagrant disregard for authority - truly flourish?
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THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ''Impossible to read with dry eyes or an unaltered mindset'' Sunday Times How should we think of death and how can we prepare for it? With the End in Mind is a book for us all: the grieving and bereaved, the ill and the healthy. By turns touching and tragic, funny and wise, it tells powerful human stories of life and death. Eric, the retired head teacher who even with Motor Neurone Disease gets things done. Sylvie, 19 and diagnosed with leukaemia, sewing a cushion for her mum to hold after she has died. Nelly and Joe, two people enduring loneliness to shield their beloveds from distress. A powerful and emotional book based on a lifetime''s clinical experience, With the End in Mind offers calm, wise advice on how to face death, live fully and find a model for hope in dark times.
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Explore the physiology of 30 key yoga poses, in-depth and from every angle, and master each asana with confidence and control. Science of Yoga reveals the facts, with annotated artworks that show the mechanics, the angles, how your blood flow and respiration are affected, the key muscle and joint actions working below the surface of each pose, safe alignment and much more.

Bring more laughter--and all its physical and emotional benefits--into your life with this definitive guide by the founder of the worldwide laughter yoga movement. "I've tried it, and it works." --Oprah Winfrey Could you use a good laugh? This book will show you how to bring laughter into your life at any time of day--no special equipment needed, no new wardrobe, no expensive classes, not even a sense of humor! Laughter yoga is all about voluntary laughter--how you can learn to laugh even in the absence of humorous stimuli, and reap the extraordinary, scientifically proven benefits, which include stress reduction, pain relief, weight loss, heightened immunity, and, especially, enhanced mood: If you act happy, you'll become happy--your body can't tell the difference! Children laugh more than 300 times a day, adults fewer than fifteen. But it's easy to start laughing again. The exercises in this book combine voluntary laughter with yogic breathing to give you a full body-mind workout. And it turns out that laughter is the fastest way to reduce stress and the best kind of cardio: Ten minutes of hearty laughter is equal to thirty minutes on the rowing machine. With Laughter Yoga, join the growing worldwide movement and discover how laughter really is the best medicine.
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Rachel Clarke should be essential reading for all of us . A few years ago she wrote Your Life in My Hands , an account of her time as a junior doctor. Now she has written an even better book . . . It is in part a love letter both to her father, whose life and death she describes with great tenderness and unflinching directness, and her patients, but it is also a touching and profound meditation on what it means to be human . . . It is a remarkable book

Put an end to dieting and replace weight loss struggles with this easy approach to a healthy, plant-based lifestyle, from the bestselling author of How Not to Die . Every month seems to bring a trendy new diet or a new fad to try in order to lose weight - but these diets aren't making us any happier or healthier. As obesity rates and associated disease and impairments continue to rise, it's time for a different approach. How Not to Diet is a treasure trove of buried data and cutting-edge dietary research that Dr Michael Greger has translated into accessible, actionable advice with exciting tools and tricks that will help you to safely lose weight and eliminate unwanted body fat - for good. Dr Greger, renowned nutrition expert, physician, and founder of nutritionfacts.org, explores the many causes of obesity - from our genes to the portions on our plate to other environmental factors - and the many consequences, from diabetes to cancer to mental health issues. From there, Dr Greger breaks down a variety of approaches to weight loss, honing in on the optimal criteria that enable success, including: a diet high in fibre and water, a diet low in fat, salt, and sugar, and diet full of anti-inflammatory foods. How Not to Diet then goes beyond food to explore the many other weight loss accelerators available to us in our body's systems, revealing how plant-based meals can be eaten at specific times to maximize our bodies' natural fat-burning activities. Dr Greger provides a clear plan not only for the ultimate weight loss diet, but also the approach we must take to unlock its greatest efficacy.
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In Self-care for Tough Times , Suzy Reading shows the reader how to be their own safe place during periods of stress, grief, loss or change. A gentle yet powerful process is included for developing a self-care toolkit to call on during difficult periods, such as relationship breakdown, illness or death in the family, financial strain or simply feeling completely exhausted by life. * It addresses many of the rising mental-health issues, such as anxiety, depression and burnout, and includes practices to promote resilience, self-worth and self-compassion. * It addresses how stress and emotional trauma are held in the body, and how these may be gently released through touch, movement and breath. There are three main parts to the book with self-care practices tailored to each: Stress & overwhelm, Grief & loss, Change & transition. The practices included are designed to promote healing and hope, and many are designed to be quick and easy for times when the reader feels exhausted or vulnerable.
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From the brilliant psychoanalyst behind Strictly Bipolar and What is Madness, a short and fascinating guide to the history of human sleep - and why we can't seem to sleep any more One in four adults sleeps badly. Sleeping pill prescriptions have increased dramatically over the last three decades, as have the incidence of sleep clinics. Sleep used to be a natural state, easy as breathing, but increasingly it is an insecure commodity. ...Isn't it? Our relationship to sleep surfaces and resurfaces throughout human history, each time telling us something new about our indivudual and collective psychology. From the industrial revolution to blue-light on our phones, from the ancient art of dream interpretation to the modern science of Freud, sleep is connected to wider social patterns, to shifting norms and expectations. Weaving together cultural, social, economic and psychoanalytic influences, Darian Leader delves into the truth about this universal human experience.
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