Includes bibliographical references (pages 255-295) and index.

Sleep 101 -- Sleeping like a baby: sleep in the first years of life -- Preschool and school-aged children: the rainbow of sleep problems -- Laaazzzy? Adolescents' sleep -- Sleep in youth: sleep, atypical development and mental health -- Becoming an adult: a sleep a day helps us to work, rest and play -- Sleep during the rush-hour years of our lives -- It's along hard night: the sleep of older adults -- A ticket to the Land of Nod: tips to get your best sleep and make dreams come true.

Sleep is vital to the way we learn, remember and forget, to how we feel about family and partners, our wellbeing, and our mental and physical health. It is essential for life itself. In Nodding Off, renowned sleep researcher Alice Gregory explores every aspect of sleep, from the different stages of sleep and how our sleeping patterns change throughout our lives, to what happens when things go wrong and getting some shut-eye becomes more of a trial than a pleasure.