Since it took less time to get the benefits of REM sleep, humans were able to get by with less sleep over all than other primates. They gained a few extra waking hours each day, which they might have used to make new tools or share stories.
Dr. Patrick J. McNamara, a neurologist at Boston University School of Medicine, found the new study compelling. “We as a species have found a way to get more out of a shorter sleep span than other species,†he said.
But he and other scientists also said that the study raises many puzzling questions.
Dr. Robert A. Barton, an evolutionary biologist at Durham University in the United Kingdom, noted that mouse lemurs are so tiny that they can sleep inside tree cavities. They ought to be able to enjoy short, efficient sleep as we do, but instead they are marathon dozers.
While our REM sleep may be unusual among primates, it is not so special among mammals. “The platypus is the champion,†said Dr. Jerome M. Siegel, a sleep researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles. That creature spends half of its sleep in REM.
Dr. Samson replied that the evolution of sleep may be driven by different factors in different groups of species. Figuring out what those factors are will take many more sleepless nights of research.
“These first studies are really exciting indicators that something really profound is going on here,†he said, “but I think the jury’s still out.â€
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