Insomnia is a sleep disorder that affects roughly one in four people in the industrialized world. Typical treatments are often ineffective and have undesirable side effects. For those of us yearning for a restful night’s sleep in a world that never stops turning, it’s hard to know how to find relief.
Part graphic nonfiction and part comics diary, this guide offers an insightful look at the science of sleep and the cultural forces contributing to the modern insomnia epidemic. In it, Maureen Burdock shares a deeply personal journey of navigating sleep disturbance from childhood through perimenopause. As she grapples with the physical, mental, and emotional toll of sleepless nights, Burdock explores a range of popular treatments―consulting sleep specialists and testing THC sleep aids, mouth taping, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Along the way, Burdock reveals how rewilding her life―through diet, meditation, education, and mindfulness―helped her find balance and ultimately reclaim her sleep.
With humor and vulnerability, Sleepless Planet invites readers to slow down, reconnect with themselves, and seek their own path to healing. Whether you’re a chronic insomniac or simply seeking better sleep, this book is a visually rich and empowering companion on the journey toward rest.
Maureen Burdock is an illustrator, comics creator, cultural studies scholar, and teacher. She is also an integrative nutrition health coach and the owner of Burdock Wellness. She is the author of the critically acclaimed Queen of Snails: A Graphic Memoir, also published by Graphic Mundi. Burdock lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with her wife and boxer dog. After almost five decades of coping with insomnia, she now sleeps much better.
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