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Phoenix666 [soylentnews.org] writes:

early humans also may have evolved a less obvious but equally important advantage: a peculiar sleep pattern. “It’s really weird, compared to other primates,” said Dr. David R. Samson, a senior research scientist at Duke University.
...
Dr. Samson and Dr. Nunn found that the time each primate species spends asleep generally corresponded to its physical size, along with other factors, such as the average number of primates in a group.

The one big exception: humans. We sleep a lot less than one would predict based on the patterns seen in other primates.
...
Early human ancestors probably continued to sleep in trees until about two million years ago, Dr. Samson said. By 1.8 million years ago, new hominins like Homo erectus had left the trees. “I think we can be safe in saying Homo erectus slept on the ground,” Dr. Samson said.

Early humans probably slept around fires in large groups, able to ward off predators. The result, said Dr. Samson and Dr. Nunn, was the chance to get an even better night’s rest. Humans were able to fall more soundly asleep and to experience deeper bouts of REM sleep.

Since it took less time to get the benefits of REM sleep, humans were able to get by with less sleep over all than other primates. They gained a few extra waking hours each day, which they might have used to make new tools or share stories.

If deeper, better sleep is a key competitive advantage for human cognition, perhaps we should all switch to DeCaf. [sips coffee]

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