MadSci Network: Evolution
Query:

Re: Are there any hypotheses on the evolution of sleep?

Area: Evolution
Posted By: Dr. David Smerken, unemployed Ph.D., BIOANTHROPOLOGY, DNA
Date: Wed Nov 12 09:08:03 1997
Area of science: Evolution
ID: 874508658.Ev
Message:
John:

You pose an interesting question which people in many disciplines have 
wrestled with for many years.  Hypotheses include: a restorative process of 
mental and physical recuperation; a process which enables one to 
consolidate memories; and subconscious conflict resolution during REM 
sleep; and/or all of these.  Interestingly enough, humans sleep less than 
most primates.  While we sleep about 8 hours daily, the owl monkey sleeps 
about 17 hours, chimpanzees sleep around 10 hours daily, and gorillas take 
around 12 hours daily.

Check out The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Evolution edited by Jones, 
Martin and Pilbeam.  They briefly deal with the topic of sleep.

David S. Smerken, Ph.D.

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