Sleep is a universal experience. It’s not just the lion that sleeps tonight – it’s also the butterfly, the chicken, the jellyfish, the dog, the snake, the worm, and of course the human. What is this widespread physiological process whose spell we are all under? What purpose (or purposes) does it serve? Why do we sleep the way we do? These are just some of the questions we’re going to get into in this week’s episode, the first half of our two-parter on sleep. We break down the different components of sleep in humans before diving deep into how animals sleep and what drives the different patterns we see. Night owl or daybird? Light sleeper or deep slumberer? Frequent naps or one big chunk? One eye open or both eyes closed? Tune in as we unravel some of the mysteries of sleep.
| History | Biology |
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| Samson, David R. “The human sleep paradox: the unexpected sleeping habits of Homo sapiens.” Annual Review of Anthropology 50.1 (2021): 259-274. | |
| Siegel, Jerome M. “Sleep function: an evolutionary perspective.” The Lancet Neurology 21.10 (2022): 937-946. | |
| Yamazaki, Risa, et al. “Evolutionary origin of distinct NREM and REM sleep.” Frontiers in psychology 11 (2020): 567618. |
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