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2026-08-19 19:02:10 UTC

leighelse{} on Nostr: Humans sleep differently, but not all humans sleep the same. A researcher discusses ...

Humans sleep differently, but not all humans sleep the same. A researcher discusses common misconceptions about sleep.

https://nautil.us/where-human-sleep-went-wrong-1283797

'For the past 15 years, the CDC has painted modern global northern sleepers as the worst sleeping cohort of all time, like we’re in a sleep dystopia. I never bought it, because I’d just started doing field work in small-scale foraging societies. I’m like, “No way. They’re partying all night.” But they can, because there’s no top-down pressure to go into the office at 8 a.m. They’re free to catch supplemental sleep as needed throughout the 24-hour period.

Most importantly, when we measured their circadian function directly, small-scale communities had much higher amplitude circadian rhythms than global north populations, which I think is why they report being happy with their sleep even though it’s more fragmented. That satisfaction with their sleep seems to be underpinned by healthy, strong circadian function.'