The Well-Rested Woman: 60 Soothing Suggestions for Getting a Good Night's Sleep Reviews

• Excellent Information On Sleep -And It's Not Just For Women!

  
  By A3UV7L5ND3EH8T on 2004-07-17
  "Even if you do think you're getting the amount of sleep you should, you may wonder why you feel so tired and unrefreshed much of the time. This is not surprising. More than half the women surveyed in a recent National Sleep Foundation Women and Sleep Poll reported insomnia symptoms sometime during every month. Various studies and polls indicate that nearly 30 million American women claim they long every day for a good night's sleep." -Janet Kinosian, in The Well-Rested Woman - 60 Soothing Suggestions for Getting a Good Night's Sleep
  
  For many women, a good night's sleep is a luxury. However, restful and deep sleep is an innate biological need. It's only in the deeper stages of sleep that the body releases growth hormones and regenerates, restores, and repairs organs and tissues.
  
  With the demands of modern life, women often juggle work, family, and household-and are just plain exhausted. Beyond not getting enough shut-eye, there are very real sleep disorders that rob individuals of precious, rejuvenating sleep. Surprisingly, it was only until 1996 that the American Medical Association recognized sleep medicine as a secondary specialty. The real kicker is that until the early 1990's, women were often excluded from sleep studies because it was believed that their hormones would skew data. The result? Women don't have a whole lot of scientific history for help with sleep difficulties.
  
  The good news is much of this is changing, with sleep researchers finally studying women's sleep cycles, as well as factors such as hormones, age, fertility, work, children, health, pain, etc.
  
  The Well-Rested Woman - 60 Soothing Suggestions for Getting a Good Night's Sleep, author Janet Kinosian shares what she has learned about sleep-not as a medical doctor or a Ph.D., but as a female insomniac.
  
  While Kinosian briefly discusses the stages of sleep and sleep disorders, as well as female-related issues like perimenopause, menopause, postpartum, and PMS, the bulk of this book is dedicated to practical ways to promote a good night's rest. And except for the first 30 pages, these welcome remedies are just as applicable to men.
  
  This 212 page book is filled with tips on creating the right environment for sleep, de-stressing the mind, fine-tuning the body, soothing the soul, sleep hazards and more. Also included are an extensive resource section, listing books, music, organizations, and websites to help you on the journey to restful sleep.
  
  Some of the great ideas you'll get from The Well Rested Woman:
  
  *Accept Larks Versus Owls
  *Keep A Sleep Log
  *Know Your Sleep Positions
  *Set Regular Wake-Up Calls
  *Befriend Time
  *Use Phototherapy
  *Sleep Strategies For Shift Workers
  *Silence Snoring Spouses
  
  I'm the type of person that is not only a night owl, but also one that doesn't battle insomnia. (And for that, I am grateful.) Yet, I found a wealth of wonderfully simple ways that I can enhance my sleep, and feel more rested. Fellow insomniacs will bless Kinosian for sharing the results of her 15 year search for a good night's sleep, and those of us who are just plain busy and tired will benefit from the practical insights. A final note: this book isn't just for women! Men will also benefit from Kinosian's sage advice.
  
  

• It's a good thing

  
  By on 2003-06-03
  It's a good thing I found this book as I've been sleepless -- I get about 4 interrupted hours nightly -- since menoupause. I've tried everything; read most of the books, spent a fortune on doctors, new age treatments, etc. I read this book not knowing what to expect -- I didn't need 'soothing suggestons' I needed powerful ones that worked! I really must say I'm not disappointed and can without qualm recommend this book to any woman who has trouble sleeping. No stone is left unturned in her passion to help other women her were like herself - sleepless and hopeless. Excellent& well-researched book. It offers real solutions women can live with and understand. Grateful to Ms. Kinosian for her efforts on behalf of we "sisters-in-sleeplessness," as she poetically puts it.
  
  

• a well-worth read

  
  By on 2004-01-02
  I just got this book, The Well-Rested Woman, for xmas and have finished it with a hopeful attitude. I'm certainly an un-well-rested woman and I found Janet Kinosian's efforts to be top-notch and excellent. I've read many books on insomnia to help with a chronic poor sleep life and this is the first to address me as a women from a woman's voice and point of view. She's obviously been there.

  I haven't seen her chapters listed here so I suggest you take a look at the them - Creating the Right Environment[mattresses to feng shui]; Destressing the Mind [worry books, journals to sleep biographies]; Fine-Tuning the Body [hot baths to herbs and sleep positions]; Soothing the Soul [anger management; nightmares etc. MY FAV CHAP; Sleep Hazards [no-nos like sleeping pills and food allergies] and chps on accupunture, hypnosis, biofeedback and chiropractic.

  Yep, she covers all the bases in a delightful read. Can't wait to get started on my first 6 suggestions. A useful Christmas present this year.
  
  

• women need rest! in Australia

  
  By on 2003-12-28
  If you're a chronically under-rested and understlept woman, this is your book. I was given it by my mother, and it's been a godsend. It discusses just about every and anything that has to do with women, sleep, insomnia, and how to go about improving your sleep AND your life. Hormones, medications, herbs, alternative medicine, sleep diaries, exercise, foods, allergies, even fung shei and sleep positions are explained. Wonderful job. Very well written and a pleasure to read. It's got all the science you need but without question it's written by a (smart) woman and not an MD. The best book I've read on the subject and I've read far too many.
  
  

• Brilliant from A to ZZZZZ!

  
  By on 2003-06-23
  I LOVE this book. A well-written and breezy read, it's organized in 60 bite-size and easily doable tips on how to design your life to encourage healthy sleep patterns. Some of the ideas are so wonderfully simple it's embarrassing I didn't think of them myself (think skip the doom-saying evening news and eliminate clocks that glare at you while you toss and turn). Others are thought provoking (like why to reserve lolling in bed only for times of rest or how food and exercise influence snooze time). All are practical and easy to apply. Even normal sleepers will benefit from the ideas here. I bought this book for an insomniac friend, but had to read it first since for this sleep-lover even one restless night is too many.
  
  
• want to share some slumber
  By on 2003-12-09
  I was recommended this little book by my physician and it has helped me learn how to get rid of all the bad habits I've developed that keep me from getting the good night's sleep-- the kind I used to have as a teenager. I've learned with this book, not only some unique and great anti-stress techniques, but also nutrition, good healthful sleep habits, and what hormones have to do with it all. A wonderful book to cure insomnia - or any type of sleep problem you may have as a woman. It's clear this lady has a hopeful, healthy life and perspective. A great read, too.
  
  
• Let Janet be Your Guide in Feeling Well Rested
  By A29IH6640UH17D on 2005-10-21
  If we can't sleep well, we really don't function well.
  Janets book is a must have if you or a close one is
  having difficulty or can use some improvement with
  her or his quality of sleep. This is simply a book
  of sleep solutions. It kicks off with why we need
  sleep & explains several types of sleep disorders.
  You may be surprised to learn you should go see a
  particular doctor & why. There's important
  information for women on how your hormones &
  reproductive system affect your sleep.
  What follows it are 60 wonderful suggestions that
  will help you to feel more alive as you will
  be a more well rested woman(or man). Some of this
  we already know but wish to be reminded of while many
  other suggestions will seem more new to us.
  There is also a helpful list on other sleep books,
  a list of CD music choices for sleep , an organization
  list with addresses, web addresses & phone
  numbers for the AARP, Academy of Sleep Medicine,
  Medical Women's Association, & many more.
  If you wish to feel better,
  well-rested, & more alive, then
  "The Well-Rested Woman" is for you.
  So remember, count your sheep.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• nightmares helped
  By on 2003-05-23
  I saw this great little book in a magazine review and decided to check it out, as I've had problems with nightmares for many years. A friend just read and liked it, and had helped her a lot and that it had a lot to say about bad dreams, check it out. This is honestly the first time I have learned that my nightmares are actually something called night terrors and occur during a different stage of sleep. The author is also very caring and comforting about this issue as she's obviously been there. I've looked many places for help and this is the first I've found it. So if anyone needs help with nightmares she has lots of information and sources and suggestions. An excellent book.
  
  
• top notch
  By on 2003-06-19
  This is one of the best sleep books I've read and I've read too many to count. They bascially all say the same thing because they're written usually by the same type of man; a male, MD. or research doctor, who has or hasn't been there. Just great!!to hear from an intelligent,caring female who HAS been there, gets it, got over it and in a wonderful way tells us how she did it.
  Some things are overlaps from other books, but the fresh approach is fresh air and there are many ideas original to the Well Rested Woman. No disappointments.
  
  
• Slow Wave Seeker
  By on 2003-01-01
  At last! Real help compressed into an easy to read book. In Janet Kinosian's The Well Rested Woman, she speaks from experience as an insomniac and offers more than sixty soothing and realistic suggestions to help women regain restorative sleep. I particularly found the chapters addressing stress and anxiety as barriers to sound sleep helpful because they are full of realistic, easy-to-adopt solutions. I ended up giving six friends this book as a Holiday gift this year and each one was received with great enthusiasm for the subject. Every woman needs this book on their reference book shelf!
  
  

• Beauty Sleep: Look Younger, Lose Weight, and Feel Great Through Better Sleep
• A Woman's Guide to Sleep Disorders
• No More Sleepless Nights
• The Harvard Medical School Guide to a Good Night's Sleep (Harvard Medical School Guides)
• Desperately Seeking Snoozin' : The Insomnia Cure from Awake to Zzzzz