With a simple and easy-to-understand assessment scale that helps to explain the types of insomnia, this book offers straightforward steps toward improving sleep quality and achieving a healthy, happy life.

Statistics show that the global annual consumption of sleeping pills is on the rise. Taking note of the increasingly serious sleep issues affecting society, psychologists Wu Chia-Shuo and Yang Chien-Ming have applied their extensive clinical experience to write The Sleep Your Body Wants, an approachable text promoting improved sleep through lifestyle changes.

Starting with the basics of how and why we sleep, the book introduces readers to sleep stages and cycles, defines insomnia, and provides an overview of the arousal System (A system), circadian rhythm system (C system), and the sleep/wake homeostasis system (H system). Each chapter ends with homework intended to help readers observe, evaluate, and record the details of their sleep.

Aimed at those with insomnia, the book uses cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia as its frame of reference: as a first step, the reader completes an assessment questionnaire (case formulation) to determine which of the eight types of insomnia best describes them; they can then read the recommended chapters based on their result (customized plan). Once they have determined their type of insomnia, readers can find out about the sleep behaviors relevant to them and learn cognitive behavioral therapy techniques that will assist them in getting better sleep. For example, insomniacs with an overactive arousal system can establish personal bedtime rituals, whereas those with irregular wake/sleep patterns may want to start by determining the amount of sleep they need and then use sleep displacement to reset their internal body clocks. Two to four weeks of practice and journaling with this approach addressing both knowledge and behavioral aspects will allow readers to find the best method for improving their sleep.