Early Human Ancestors Slept Less Than 8 Hrs A Night Like Us: Study

Our ancestors didn’t sleep for eight hours a night. Scientists say they were as much sleep deprived as we are in our modern day life inclined more on technology.

Scientists studied the sleep of three current preindustrial societies – the San tribe from Namibia, the Hadza of Tanzania and the Tsimane tribe from Bolivia.

From the studies it was revealed early human ancestors got the same amount of sleep that we get. The members of these three tribe slept for an average time of only 5.7 hours to 7.1 hours at night. Also, during the day time they almost didn’t take naps.

Details of the study are published in the Current Biology journal. It writes the ancestors didn’t sleep more than most of us in industrial societies.

The three tribes studied live good health without being obese even after lacking all the modern medicine. This mean their sleep habits are not detrimental to the health.

The Hazda is from northern Tanzania. They live south of the equator and their food supply relies mostly on hunting and gathering. The San live in Namibia, further south of where the Hazda lives. They too are hunter and gatherers. The Tsimane live in the reinforests of Bolivia and they are hunter-horticulturalists.