Why Do Humans Sleep Much Less Than Other Primates?

In the family of primates, chimpanzees sleep an average of 9.5 hours a day, tamarins 13 hours, and even monkeys at night sleep 17 hours. Well, what science accepts in the family of primates Why do humans sleep less than monkeys or chimpanzees? Let’s look at the ideas of the scientific world looking for the answer to this question.

While sleep is known to be essential to our immunity, memory and all of our other health conditions, research by evolutionary anthropologist David Samson of the University of Toronto Mississauga has found an alternative answer to why humans sleep less than other primates. In order to find the answer, the most appropriate evidence can be found ‘contemporary non-industrial societies‘ was examined.

Humans may have adapted to sleep less over time

As part of his work, Samson has studied various human populations in places such as Madagascar and Guatemala, as well as Hadza hunter-gatherers in Tanzania. With the research he published in 2018, it is the deepest sleep state of people over time. reduces non-REM sleep time showed. In research published in 2021, he presented a hypothesis for why this was necessary.

In research published in the Annual Review of Anthropology, Samson found that human sleep shortened for security reasons. suggested. Because humans, unlike primates, slept on the ground, not in trees. While some of the people staying in the small shelters are sleeping, some are be on guard against predators for was keeping watch.

But the difference between primates is not yet fully explained:

Evolutionary ecologist Isabella Capellini from Queen’s University also expressed her agreement with this idea. Capellini in his research in 2008 at risk of prey mammals revealed that, on average, he slept less. But Capellini said that people’s sleep He doesn’t agree that it’s all that different from primates.

The main reason Capellini opposes Samson is that primates’ sleep time is usually with the investigations of the captives due to compilation. The ecologist says there is no clear information yet on how long animals sleep in the wild. On the other hand, he states that captive animals can sleep less because they are under stress or they can sleep more because they are just bored.

So why humans sleep less than primates still continues to be debated. To end this discussion, it is necessary to examine primates in the wild. that further investigation is necessary emphasis is placed. So, how much sleep do we actually want as individuals?

Let’s get over everything, are we getting enough sleep?

David Samson, in his research on the Hadza people, who live by primitive methods today, asked 37 individuals in 2017 how they felt about their sleep. 35 out of 37 people answered this question. got ‘enough’ sleep gave the answer. The average sleep time in this population is 6.25 hours was measured. But the total time spent in bed with constant awakenings was more than 9 hours.

In a 2016 study conducted in Chicago with 500 participants, the amount of time people spent in bed was equal to the amount of sleep they spent in total. that you sleep at least as much as the Hadza people had revealed. In another survey conducted in 2020, 87% of adults in the U.S. showed that he felt ‘unrested’ for at least one day.

So why was this disorder and lack of sleep caused? Samson and his colleague Gandhi Yetish of the University of California are the source of our sleep problems. stress and disorganized biological clock tied up. In addition, Samson offered as an alternative reason that today’s order is a test of our habit, since we slept together as a community in primitive times.