Sleep Like a Caveman

The Art of Manliness

Society & Culture, Education, Philosophy

4.7 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 4 February 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For several decades, people's reported sleep quality has declined. This, despite the fact that specially optimized sheets, mattresses, and sleep trackers have emerged during that time, and despite the fact that the amount of time people are sleeping hasn't decreased for over fifty years. In other words, people aren't sleeping less than they used to, but are less happy about their sleep than ever before. My guest would say that to improve our experience of sleep, we'd be better off looking past the reams of modern advice out there and back in time — way, way back in time. Today on the show, Dr. Merijn van de Laar, a recovering insomniac, sleep therapist, and the author of How toSleep Like a Caveman: Ancient Wisdom for a Better Night's Rest, will tell us how learning about our prehistoric ancestors' sleep can help us relax about our own. He explains that the behaviors we think of as sleep problems are actually normal, natural, and even adaptive. We talk about why hunter-gatherers actually sleep less than we think we need to, how their natural wake periods during the night might explain our own sleep patterns, the methods they use to get better sleep, and why our modern efforts to optimize sleep could be making it worse. Merijn shares when it's okay to use a smartphone before bed, the myth that you have to get eight hours of sleep a night, how to intentionally use sleep deprivation to improve your sleep, and more.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Brett McKay here and welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness podcast.
0:11.6	For several decades, people's reported sleep quality has declined.
0:15.4	This, despite the fact that specially optimized sheets, mattresses, and sleep trackers have emerged during that time,
0:21.4	and despite the fact that the amount of time people are sleeping hasn't decreased for over 50 years.
0:26.6	In other words, people aren't sleeping less than they used to, but are less happy about their sleep than ever before.
0:32.6	My guest would say that to improve our experience of sleep, we'd be better off looking past the reams of modern advice out there and back in time. Way, way back in time. Today in the show,
0:43.2	Dr. Moran Vandalar, a recovering insomniac, sleep therapist, and the author of How to Sleep Like a
0:48.5	Caveman, Ancient Wisdom for a Better Night's Rest, will tell us how learning about our prehistoric
0:53.2	ancestor's sleep can help us relax about our prehistoric ancestor sleep can
0:54.5	help us relax about our own.
0:56.6	He explains that the behaviors we think of as sleep problems are actually normal, natural,
1:00.8	and even adaptive.
1:02.0	We talk about why hunter-gatherers actually sleep less than we think we need to, how their
1:05.8	natural wake periods during the night might explain our own sleep patterns, the methods
1:09.8	they use to get better sleep,
1:11.3	and why our modern efforts to optimize sleep
1:13.1	could be making it worse.
1:15.1	Moraine shares when it's okay to use a smartphone before bed,
1:17.9	the myth that you have to get eight hours of sleep a night,
1:20.4	how to intentionally use sleep deprivation to improve your sleep, and more.
1:24.3	After the show's over, check out our show notes at aOM.com. IS slash caveman sleep.
1:42.9	Right. Ryan Vandalar, welcome to the show.
	...

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