Body Clocks: The biology of time

Our body’s clocks make the difference between happiness and depression, health and illness, and even life and death. The brilliant scientist Paul Kelley makes a compelling case for all organisations to allow people to work and study the hours that suit their personal circadian rhythms. That way, Paul argues, we would all be more productive, a great deal of ill health would be avoided and the world would be a better and happier place.

Review :
Marrying insight with practical advice, Kelley translates the hard science into an engaging story of how and why organisations should be better attuned to the unique rhythms of our bodies. --Sir Anthony Seldon, Vice-Chancellor University Of Buckingham, former Master of Wellington College Educational pioneer Paul Kelley masterfully assembles scientific evidence from a wide range of disciplines and locales worldwide to show that the internal timekeepers (circadian rhythms) within our bodies are vital predictors of health, well-being, and a wide range of human performance outcomes. Body Clocks should be read by CEOs, policy makers, educators, parents, and learners worldwide to understand, embrace, and actualize these insights in education, healthcare, work, and play. This is a clarion call for reconfiguring systems around the globe to better serve the needs of all current sleep-deprived citizens wherever they may be found. --Dennis Cheek, National Creativity Network (USA), IESEG School of Management (France), and Institute for Simulation and Training, University of Central Florida A book of global significance. Kelley and Griffiths' work not only highlights the importance of grounding education in the biology of learning, it challenges policy makers to reflect on why they are so slow to adopt educational neuroscience as the foundation for decision-making and invest more in both the creation of that evidence and its translation. A triumph in terms of the explanation of the evidence and its implications. There are no global challenges more important than grounding education theory in biological process. Having an effective education system rests at the heart of both health and economic policy solutions. That the scientific understanding of sleep and its implications for learning, working and health are so profound should not come as a surprise. We are, after all, a mind, brain and body - whether we are at school or the workplace. What is always a surprise, and now the key challenge, is getting the world and systems to recognise this and invest in it. This book will help to change that. --Dr Richard Churches, co-author of Neuroscience for Teachers and Lead Adviser for Education Reform and Evidence-Based Practice at Education Development Trust This is not only a fascinating book, it is also a really important book. Grounded in evidence, what science has demonstrated this book explains in an authoritative and engaging manner and gives us a whole series of insights into the impact of sleep on our daily, personal and professional lives. As an educator and a manager the implications of this book are significant and provide the knowledge base on which practical and impactful interventions can be made to how people learn and work and how organisations can become more positive and effective. There are also lessons for the individual in this book that will stem from a better understanding of the importance of sleep on how we live and work. Fascinating, important. And useful. -- Professor Andy Adcroft, Deputy Dean, Surrey Business School, National Teaching Fellow