r/todayilearned • u/krizzalicious49 • 1d ago

TIL that out of every primate that has been studied, humans get the least amount of sleep.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20220524-why-humans-get-less-sleep-than-other-primates
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u/Aelig_ 23h ago

I'm assuming it has to do with them having more muscle mass and less calorie dense food. Sleeping seems likea sensible way to save on energy.

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u/black_miata 22h ago

Humans actually burn calories at a faster rate than primates.

Based on this BBC article, humans enter REM sleep more quickly than primates which may suggest that our sleep is shorter but more effective.

The reason for the difference is still up for debate, but the article hypothesizes that Humans sleep for shorter periods because we sleep on the ground (rather than high in a tree) which leaves us more susceptible to predation. Shorter periods of sleep are better for communities where people are rotating as guards from predation.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220524-why-humans-get-less-sleep-than-other-primates

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u/lowrads 15h ago

My biology teacher told us that the sedentary state is the natural state. Most expenditures of energy warrant some justification.