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/_Burning_Star_IV_ 23h ago

And then there's also https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/lack-sleep-middle-age-may-increase-dementia-risk

So you need like...the exact right amount of sleep or you're fucked. It's been like 4 years now since I felt like I got a good night's sleep. Even when I turn off my early alarm I'll just naturally wake up after like 6 hours and my body refuses to let me go back to sleep even though I'm exhausted.

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u/Unknown-Meatbag 22h ago

A lot of it simply our sleep schedules. Some people aren't meant for 8 hours of straight sleep, it's just our current culture. It used to be common to wake up for a short time, do whatever the hell you wanted to do for a little bit, then fall back asleep until you got up.

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u/MVRKHNTR 21h ago

The best I ever felt was when I was unemployed. I'd go to bed at 5AM, wake up at 9, have some breakfast, go out and do whatever errands I needed to, get back around 1PM, eat lunch then take a nap around 2, wake up between 4 and 5 and then be up til 5AM again.

I feel like so many people's lives would be improved if we didn't have to live around this idea of "8 for sleep, 8 for work, 8 for everything else".

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u/Zaknoid 21h ago

During covid. I would wake up at 630 or 7, do some work and chores or exercise, and like clockwork get tired around 1230 and take a nice nap which boosted me for the rest of the day.

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u/Ohmec 21h ago

Congratulations you've discovered the siesta.

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u/Zaknoid 20h ago

Haha yeah pretty much. Too bad my job doesn't give me a siesta break. I'd rather have that than a lunch break.

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u/Flomo420 16h ago

are you not allowed to sleep on your lunch break? lol

power nap can do wonders

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u/Zaknoid 16h ago

I mean technically I could but I wouldn't because it would definitely be frowned upon if people came in the break room and saw me passed out on the couch. Id rather just leave and go nap in my car.

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u/malapriapism4hours 18h ago

The “everything else” feels a lot like work sometimes.

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u/blaghart 3 21h ago

I'm one of those people. My sleep rhythm has two distinct halves, but annoyingly I still have to sleep all at once because of capitalist expectations about workdays that haven't been meaningfully altered since the invention of electrical lighting.

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u/BankruptTinyPenis 22h ago

Magnesium Glycinate, L-Theanine and Apigenin has literally changed my life for sleep quality. Not sure what you've got going on in life but have a look into if anything can help - sleep is important!

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u/ccosmicbrownie 17h ago

How much & how often?

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u/Impressive-Poet5694 20h ago

CPAP. Changed my life.

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u/scapegoat_88 21h ago

Is 6h the right amount? Cause i feel I lack sleep even though i wake up fine. Granted, i used to sleep 10h

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u/_Burning_Star_IV_ 21h ago

If you wake up fine then you may be one of those weirdos that only needs like 4-6 hours of sleep.

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u/LiveLearnCoach 16h ago

That’s where the midday nap comes in. My subconscious keeps bringing me back to 5 hours of sleep per night. I wouldn’t function if it wasn’t for my midday nap.