The Surprising Sleep Habits of Baboons
A new study demonstrates that baboons in the wild face a slew of ecological and social demands that can disrupt sleep homeostasis.
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A new study demonstrates that baboons in the wild face a slew of ecological and social demands that can disrupt sleep homeostasis.
The first study ever to examine sleeping behavior in a wild group of primates has challenged a central tenet of sleep science: that we must make up for lost sleep. Even after sleeping poorly, wild baboons still spent time on other priorities, such as socializing with group-mates or looking out for predators, rather than catching up on lost sleep.
Sleep study on a troop of wild baboons reveals that sacrificing sleep to meet pressing demands is common – and might even be part of our evolutionary ....