How Did Ancient Humans Actually Sleep?

You have a soft bed, a locked door and the perfect temperature, and you're still awake at 11:47. A man 200,000 years ago had grass, ash and predators, and slept fine. This video walks through his night piece by piece: the bed, the fire, the cold, the night watch, and the one thing that broke it for the rest of us. Chapters 0:00 11:47 at night 0:19 200,000 years ago 1:10 The mystery 1:28 Who sleeps longer? 1:49 The study: three groups, 94 people 2:53 Less sleep, almost no insomnia 3:35 Part 1: the bed 4:18 Part 2: the evening 4:32 Part 3: the cold 5:10 They were never all asleep 6:42 Half your brain still stands watch 7:12 Humans sleep the least of any primate 7:53 The candle's confession 8:26 One week in the mountains 9:21 The whole picture 9:51 Three things you can get back 10:23 Back to 11:47 Sources Yetish et al., Current Biology, 2015: sleep in three pre-industrial societies Samson et al., Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 2017: night-time sentinel behaviour in the Hadza Wadley et al., Science, 2020: 200,000-year-old grass bedding at Border Cave Wadley et al., 2011: 77,000-year-old bedding at Sibudu Tamaki et al., Current Biology, 2016: night watch in one brain hemisphere Samson and Nunn, Evolutionary Anthropology, 2015: sleep intensity in humans Wright et al., Current Biology, 2013: the camping week and the body clock CDC: adults not getting enough sleep The sleep studies here were done with people living today without electricity, not with ancient humans. They are the closest evidence we have, not a recording of the past. This video is educational and is not medical advice. If you regularly can't sleep, talk to a doctor. Voice: ElevenLabs Music: "Clean Soul" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License