“Why We Sleep” Is Riddled with Scientific and Factual Errors
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HN comment orderSomething doesn’t quite sit right with me about him linking to a couple things that mention Walker’s rebuttal https://sleepdiplomat.wordpress.com/2019/12/19/why-we-sleep-... but not linking to it directly. If you are trying to get people to think critically about the book it seems like they should at least be given the opportunity to see the authors response to your criticism.
That's interesting, but when reading the book my takeaways weren't really whether some cancer risks doubles or so. They were * what are REM/NREM, light and deep NREM sleep for? * some fascinating study about lucid dreaming * effects of coffein and sleep medication * sleep hygiene tips * some other things I can't recall right now Yes, you can read about these things elsewhere, too, but I still think the book is a tremendous introduction to the subject. But…
Previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21546850
Created: 2019. Last modified: 2025. See also: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26684519
The first top-level comment from each of the four biggest threads, in HN’s own order. Excerpts are shortened; open a comment for full context.
- Breakout years
- 2
- Total points
- 586
- Total comments
- 245
100+ points or 50+ comments
reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking
reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking
Every submission
| Date | Title as submitted | By | Points | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-11-15 | “Why We Sleep” Is Riddled with Scientific and Factual ErrorsFirst breakout | azizsaya | 159 | 58 |
| 2020-02-26 | “Why We Sleep” Is Riddled with Scientific and Factual Errors | AuthorizedCust | 89 | 34 |
| 2021-03-22 | “Why We Sleep” Is Riddled with Scientific and Factual Errors | hidden-spyder | 3 | 0 |
| 2021-04-03 | “Why We Sleep” Is Riddled with Scientific and Factual ErrorsBest thread · Latest 20+ point return | giansegato | 312 | 151 |
| 2022-11-30 | Matthew Walker's “Why We Sleep” Is Riddled with Scientific and Factual Errors | harporoeder | 2 | 0 |
| 2022-12-28 | Matthew Walker's “Why We Sleep” Is Riddled with Scientific and Factual Errors | cwwc | 3 | 0 |
| 2025-09-23 | Matthew Walker's "Why We Sleep" Is Riddled with Scientific and Factual Errors | dvrp | 10 | 1 |
| 2025-10-19 | Matthew Walker's "Why We Sleep" Is Riddled with Scientific and Factual Errors | doener | 8 | 1 |