How to Sleep Like a Caveman

Ancient Wisdom for a Better Night’s Rest

Merijn van de Laar

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Paperback

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English

HARPER360
15 January 2025

States of consciousness; Medicine; Sleep disorders & therapy; Early man; Coping with illness; Dreams & their interpretation

Sleep has hardly changed since Paleolithic humans snoozed soundly in their caves. While sabre-toothed tigers were their biggest night-time worry, today it’s stress and social media that keep us awake, but the solutions are the same, and sleep therapist Dr Merijn van der Laar offers understanding and advice to have you sleeping better within weeks.

Human sleep as we know it today evolved hundreds of thousands years ago, to suit a hunter–gatherer lifestyle. It’s not always compatible with our modern lives, but remains an essential function, vital for our health, well-being and daytime functioning. In this groundbreaking new book, Dr Merijn van der Laar investigates the origins of sleep based on archaeological findings and anthropological studies in contemporary hunter-gatherers, looking at the major discrepancies between our primordial bodily needs and our current sleep-inhibiting behaviour.

Cave dwellers lived in balance with the forces of nature. They had adapted perfectly to environmental influences such as light, temperature and seasonal variations. The way they ate and moved during the day must have had a positive effect on sleep quality. We need to look to their example, and adjust our eating, exercise, light, temperature and, last but not least: our expectations towards sleep. By taking on board the ancient wisdom of our ancestors, we will improve the quality of our sleep, the way our bodies were designed to do it.

By: Merijn van de Laar
Imprint: HARPER360
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 153mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 270g
ISBN: 9780008717629
ISBN 10: 0008717621
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 15 January 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Dr Merijn van der Laar obtained his doctorate on the subject of personality and sleep and the treatment of insomnia. He worked for years as a sleep scientist and sleep therapist and he is deputy head of the family medicine programme at Maastricht University. He is also a frequent guest on TV and radio.