About 200 years ago, humans slept for four hours before waking up a couple hours to take care of business then they went back to sleep for 4 more.
Today, we are among the only 15% of mammals that engage in monophasic sleep habits which means sleeping in one chunk of time.
While biologists do not really know ow e evolved to require long stretches of sleep to function, the team at OnlineMattressReview.com put together the Evolution of Sleep Infographic to highlight how sleeping has changed over time.
Here are few fun facts from the infographic:
- Caves, Waterbeds and Memory Foam: Cavemen slept on nests of grass near walls in caves; in the Middle Ages, families all slept in one bed together; it wasn’t until the industrial revolution and electricity that people stayed up later and private bedrooms became standard; and in recent years we’ve discovered waterbeds and memory foam.
- Humans vs. Animals: Humans sleep more than horses (3 hours) but less than tigers (16 hours) or bats (20 hours). And don’t feel guilty about leaving your dog home alone because Fido gets a healthy 11 hours to dream about table food.
- American Men Wake Up the Earliest: Of the nine countries studied, American med wake up the earliest at an average of 6:40 a.m. Maybe this explain why we are the world’s only super power.
- Great for our Health: Sleep reduces stress, helps lose weight and lets the heart rest
- We Sleep Less as We Age: Newborns need up to 17 hours of sleep while seniors can get by off just seven. Somehow, new parents may disagree with this statistic.
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Source: Online Mattress Review<
