This was very informative and had tons of great tips backed by studies to show how everything in life can affect our sleep from what we consume to where we lay our head at night. Thank you for the opportunity to read this.

I found this book to be more about how to learn how cavemen slept more than how I could learn to sleep better. Maybe I read it at the wrong time!

Interesting perspective on sleep health! There are countless books and articles written about the purpose, importance, and consequences of sleep patterns that almost read like scare tactics (e.g., " Sleeping less than 8 hours will give you early-onset dementia!"). Merijin van de Laar offers a refreshing and positive, introspective approach grounded in evolutionary psychology.

Of course, getting enough high-quality sleep is essential, but van de Laar also sheds light on the wide range of variability and personal sleep needs. I'm glad to see someone highlighting the fact that the "8-hour rule " does not have much scientific basis, and it might not even be the ideal amount for the majority of people.

This book is written for the lay audience, but has tons of helpful citations if one is interested in reading the empirical papers on which the work is based. I consider my foundational knowledge on sleep health to be above average, but I still found certain aspects of the book to be unique and interesting.

The primary distinguishing factor of this book compared to the rest of sleep literature, obviously, is the evolutionary approach. I was surprised to see that humans are one of the very few species who are ground sleepers. In fact, the evolution of human cognition was greatly influenced by our species' transition from tree- to ground-sleeping.

I was also very surprised by the advice of sleep restriction for people who are struggling with insomnia. It seems counterintuitive to spend less time in bed if you are aiming to sleep more, but van de Laar provides a handful of well-justified reasons why this works (spoiler: sleep pressure!).

The author also does an excellent job explaining terms frequently (and wrongfully) used interchangeably, such as subjective vs objective sleep quality and sleepiness vs fatigue.

Overall, this is an excellent overview of the evolution of human sleep, alongside some helpful tips and tricks on improving sleep quality. Merijn van de Laar is a sleep physician and shares his personal and professional experience, making this a worthwhile read. I enjoyed the evolutionary perspective as well as the positive take-home messages that one of the first steps of improving sleep health is to stop obsessing over sleep health.

Thank you, NetGalley and Mariner Books, for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

This book takes takes a unique approach to the issue many of us struggle with - how to get sufficient, quality sleep. By studying hunter-gather cultures - both ancient and contemporary, Merjin is able to create a new framework for us to model our sleep habits after. I have implemented some of his recommendations, and they have definitely made a difference!

I was expecting more "how" and less "why". It was interesting just not what I was expecting. It was more anthropology than a self help book.

A sleep scientist reveals how our ancestors slept, and how we can apply those lessons to our modern lives. Discover practical tips and surprising insights to reclaim your natural sleep patterns. Learn how we were designed to sleep and finally get a good night’s rest.

This scientific approach to sleep turns everything I thought I knew about sleep on its head. The book is a much-needed correction to popular hype that’s based more on tradition than evidence. The most important message is that unless you’ve got a condition like sleep apnea, we all need to relax more and stop worrying about sleep. Everyone should read this book!

I deducted a star for the misogynistic use of “man” rather than “human” when referring to our species.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This book came to me at the just the right time - I've been a fantastic sleeper my entire life until recently. This gave me action steps to put into place immediately. I think this is a must read for everyone!

Merijn van de Laar's "How to Sleep Like a Caveman" has changed my sleep over the past two weeks, which, as a chronic insomniac, is pretty revolutionary!

I have read numerous books on sleep, but this one was the first to help me really understand what my role would have been and why, chemically, my sleep is different from other people's.

I love anthropology and history, so this was a perfect read for me.

It also gave me ideas to implement immediately, and I really look forward to trying different things to optimize my sleep since it is truly the foundation of EVERYTHING we do. Highly recommend - and I will edit this review as I try more specific things and optimize my schedule and sleep environment even more.

This book details how sleep has been a crucial part of being human since the beginning of time. It provides research on why sleep is so critical, and how the role of sleep has changed over time in society. Tips are listed at the end of the book on how to get a good night’s sleep.

Very engaging and interesting read. Very well developed and ambitious. Will be recommending to library collection and patrons.

This is a great read if you are curious to learn more about the science of sleep, and archeological research into hunter-gatherer cultures. How to Sleep Like a Caveman provides evidence for why we sleep the ways we do (or don't). In particular I found it interesting to examine why it is people jerk awake at night. The reason is intriguing and logical. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Pub Date May 20th.

#HowToSleepLikeACaveman

A fascinating look at how humans evolved to sleep — and what some of our modern habits don’t work with our ancient biology. The author offers both deep science and practical advice, drawing on many different disciplines. Invaluable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for ARC.

2.5 rounded to 3 ⭐️
Kind of basic and repetitive. I was hoping for more anthropological stuff, and less "tips and tricks." More depth, I suppose. It felt surface level.

An interesting look at the evolutionary biology behind how we developed our sleep patterns/habits, and a lot on the cutting edge studies of how we sleep now. I was more interested in the evolution and history side of sleep (boo to the new historians taking away the medieval two-sleep theory! I kid. Mostly.) The modern sleep studies are quite in depth and will probably be of interest to people looking to deal with sleep issues.