{"product_id":"the-sleepless-ape-the-story-of-sleep-in-human-evolution","title":"The Sleepless Ape: The Story of Sleep in Human Evolution","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Eye-opening.... The latest findings on sleep, delivered in lively prose.\"-- \"Kirkus Reviews\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCommendation Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\" \n\u003ci\u003eThe Sleepless Ape\u003c\/i\u003e explains that sleep isn't just a biological necessity--it's a cultural superpower. This is science writing at its best: deep research wrapped in gripping narratives from the savanna to the sleep lab.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Jay J. Van Bavel, coauthor of \u003ci\u003eThe Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"A fascinating account of why we sleep--and why human sleep is so extraordinary.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Nichola Raihani, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Social Instinct: How Cooperation Shaped the World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBiographical Note\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eDavid R. Samson\u003c\/b\u003e is associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at the University of Toronto and the author of \n\u003ci\u003eOur Tribal Future: How to Channel Our Foundational Human Instincts into a Force for Good\u003c\/i\u003e. His pioneering research has been featured in \n\u003ci\u003eNational Geographic\u003c\/i\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003eTime\u003c\/i\u003e, and \n\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e and on NPR and the BBC.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"[ \n\u003ci\u003eThe Sleepless Ape\u003c\/i\u003e is]...an agenda-setting narrative that will shape sleep research for years to come.... Samson writes like a friendly tour guide, summarizing a fascinating field of study in a way that prompts fresh questions.\" \n\u003cb\u003e---Nathaniel J. Dominy, \u003ci\u003eNature\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCommendation Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"How do we sleep, and why do we dream? Packed with eye-opening stories from the frontiers of sleep science, Samson's book takes us from hunter-gatherer camps to high-tech sleep labs to explore the many ways that sleep made us human and shapes our lives and our health today.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Herman Pontzer, author of \u003ci\u003eAdaptable: How Your Unique Body Really Works and Why Our Biology Unites Us\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\"A fascinating account of why we sleep--and why human sleep is so extraordinary.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Nichola Raihani, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Social Instinct: How Cooperation Shaped the World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eThe Sleepless Ape\u003c\/i\u003e explains that sleep isn't just a biological necessity--it's a cultural superpower. This is science writing at its best: deep research wrapped in gripping narratives from the savanna to the sleep lab.\" \n\u003cb\u003e--Jay J. Van Bavel, coauthor of \u003ci\u003eThe Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow the unique sleep habits of early humans fostered survival, innovation, and social evolution--and how this evolutionary legacy holds insights into how we sleep today\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDespite sleep's critical role in maintaining health and cognitive function, humans sleep less than any other primate. \n\u003ci\u003eThe Sleepless Ape\u003c\/i\u003e reveals the reasons for this evolutionary paradox, showing how our unique sleep patterns evolved when our ancestors left the safety of the forest canopy for more dangerous ground, which led them to form more secure, social sleeping arrangements. As a result, early humans developed shorter, deeper, and more flexible sleep patterns that provided survival advantages and freed more time for crucial activities such as toolmaking, social interaction, and migration. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this groundbreaking book, David Samson draws on his extensive fieldwork to explain how these sleep patterns contributed to our cognitive and social evolution. He delves into how the human brain adapted to achieve deeper, more restorative sleep, enabling advanced memory consolidation, fostering creativity, and contributing to our success as a species. Samson also addresses modern sleep challenges, demonstrating how an understanding of our evolutionary sleep heritage can help us to address sleep disorders and improve overall health and well-being. He tackles contentious issues such as co-sleeping, whether we should embrace paleo sleep or optimal sleep, and whether we are in fact suffering from an epidemic of too little sleep. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBlending the latest science with engaging storytelling by a leading expert, \n\u003ci\u003eThe Sleepless Ape\u003c\/i\u003e shares compelling insights into how a fundamental yet overlooked aspect of human biology has shaped our evolutionary trajectory and continues to profoundly influence our daily lives. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e 05\/01\/2026 (EAN 9780691259734, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496194933014,"sku":"9780691259734","price":38.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9780691259734.jpg?v=1783057256","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/the-sleepless-ape-the-story-of-sleep-in-human-evolution","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}