Do you find yourself lying awake at night, ruminating about the events of the day? Do you toss and turn, worrying about what you have to do in the morning or what you did earlier in the day? If so, you are not alone. In fact, insomnia is the most common sleep disorder faced by the general population today. The most common complaint in those who have trouble sleeping is having a “noisy mind.” Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, it seems like you cannot silence all the internal dialogue. So what do you do when your mind is spinning and your thoughts just won’t stop?

Accessible, enjoyable, and grounded in evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Goodnight Mind directly addresses the effects of rumination—or having an overactive brain—on your ability to sleep well. Written by two psychologists who specialize in sleep disorders, the book contains helpful exercises and insights into how you can better manage your thoughts at bedtime, and finally get some sleep.

Traditional treatment for insomnia is usually focused on medications that promote sedation rather than on the behavioral causes of insomnia. Unfortunately, medication can often lead to addiction, and a host of other side effects. This is a great book for anyone who is looking for effective therapy to treat insomnia without the use of medication.

This informative, small-format book is easy-to-read and lightweight, making it perfect for late-night reading.

Colleen E. Carney's profile page

Rachel Manber's profile page

Colleen E. Carney, PhD, is associate professor and director of the Sleep and Depression Laboratory at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. She was a National Sleep Foundation Pickwick Fellow at Duke University Medical Center, where she was on faculty, and she founded the Comorbid Insomnia Clinic at the Duke Insomnia and Sleep Research Program. Carney is well-known for her publications in the area of insomnia and its relation to other disorders, most notably, depression, anxiety, and pain. She has made numerous presentations at national research conferences, including the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) and the Association for Professional Sleep Societies (APSS). She is the current president of the ABCT's Special Interest Group for insomnia and other sleep disorders. Currently, Carney is conducting research, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, on treating insomnia in people with depression.

Rachel Manber, PhD, is professor at Stanford University and director of the Insomnia and Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at the Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine. She has treated hundreds of patients with insomnia, many of whom also have other medical or psychiatric disorders, and has trained physicians, psychologists, and nurses to treat insomnia without medication. A substantial portion of her research, funded by the National Institute of Health, focuses on the cognitive behavioral treatment of insomnia. She has authored many papers in scientific journals and presented her work at scientific conferences.

“In Goodnight Mind, Colleen Carney and Rachel Manber have taken the complex processes needed to establish consistently good sleep and laid out a straightforward set of easy-to-follow guidelines. Nothing is left out of this book—from understanding your body’s sleep clock to relaxation and quieting your mind. Carney and Manber have drawn on their years of clinical research experience to develop a rich and accessible resource for those struggling with this tenacious problem.”
—Donn Posner, PhD, CBSM, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the Alpert Medical School at Brown University, and coauthor of The Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Insomnia

“We live in a busy, mentally challenging world, and keeping an alert and active mind throughout the day helps us cope with and effectively meet the challenges we face. Unfortunately for the millions of folks with chronic insomnia, persistent thinking, worrying, or more general sleep-disruptive mental arousal serve as the crux of their chronic sleep problems. Fortunately, there are a variety of effective strategies for ‘putting the mind to bed’ and regaining the ability to sleep normally once again. Those strategies are clearly and comprehensively presented in this new self-help guide by Carney and Manber, two renowned experts in the area of insomnia treatment. This easy-to-read guide provides ten simple steps for keeping one’s mind out of the way of a good night’s sleep. I am certain that this guide will be a great aid to those who read it.”
—Jack Edinger, PhD, professor and director of the behavioral sleep medicine program at National Jewish Health

"Carney (director, Sleep & Depression Laboratory, Ryerson Univ., Toronto) and Manber (director, Insomnia & Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program, Stanford Univ.) have written a book for patrons with sleep issues such as insomnia. They outline ten steps for stopping one’s thoughts from interfering with sleep. This book utilizes cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, a form of psychotherapy that developed from research on fatigue and sleep disorders. The ten chapters contain bulleted summaries for review. After the first chapter explains how to understand the sleep system, the majority of the book focuses on setting the stage for sleep, creating a “Buffer Zone” for dealing with your day, training on how to quiet your mind, and relaxation strategies. At the end of the book is a sleep diary. VERDICT Filled with practical, expert advice, this book will be of use to anyone suffering from insomnia or other sleep issues. An excellent fit for patrons vigilant about their health and well-being."
—Library Journal, review by Rebecca Raszewski, University of Illinois, Chicago, April, 2013