The Sleep Scientist

We spend about a third of our lives sleeping. What actually happens during those hours? Why do we dream? Why does sleep sometimes feel diep and restorative, and sometimes strange and elusive? And what does our sleep say about who we are and how we live?

Using surprising scientific insights, recognizable stories and personal experiences, Merijn van de Laar shows how sleep works and why it is such an essential, mysterious and sometimes comical part of our lives. Because no matter how differently we sleep, almost everyone starts the day with the same question: "How did you sleep?"

Merijn van de Laar studied neuropsychology at Maastricht University. He wrote the international bestseller Sleeping like a Primal Man, which was published in more than 20 countries. In October 2026 his new book will be published in which he explains dreams in a scientific way: a subject that also plays an important role in this theater performance.