Will We Ever Evolve to Skip Sleep Entirely?
Imagine you live in a world where cars are flying everywhere, a human-like robot just delivered your newspaper because for some reason they still exist and it says “200 years since humans slept”. You might think I’m talking about a new movie that just came out, but sadly no. What if we ever evolve to skip sleep entirely and why this scenario could be possible soon?
Because my high-school years were a really rough, I recall classmates who could function optimally on just four hours of sleep, maybe five on a good day. It made me wonder if there are other short-sleepers out there and some studies and experts suggest that they could constitute a very small fraction of the population, around 2%.
Sleep is actually consuming a third of our lives, playing a pivotal role in our health, cognition and overall well-being. Human sleep is divided into two main types: REM(Rapid Eye Movement) and non-REM sleep. Non-REM sleep has three stages, transitioning from light to deep sleep. REM sleep is when most dreaming occurs. Not many dreams might be a sign of poor sleep hygiene.
“So, if sleep gives all those benefits, and lack of sleep gives life threatening effects or death, how could we live without it?
While every living being, from humans to fruit flies, requires sleep to function, the nature of sleep presents a vulnerability. During sleep, we are less aware of our surrounding and therefore, more susceptible to predation. While the modern humans don’t often have this problem, for early humans sleeping at night would have made them vulnerable to nocturnal predators. This makes us wonder, “Why hasn’t nature, after all these years, found a way to reduce our sleep dependency if it comes with risks? As we delve deeper, we’ll explore the balance between the benefits and challenges sleep presents.
While most humans need between 7 to 9 hours of sleep for optimal function, there are of course, exceptions. The “short sleepers” function well significantly less sleep. ”Why is that?” Research has found a mutation in the DEC2 gene associated with these short sleepers. That means you cannot be trained or adapted to this.
Different species have evolved unique sleep patters which we could study further in time and upgrade ourselves for the better. For example, dolphins exhibit unihemispheric slow-wave sleep. One hemisphere of their brain sleeps while another stays functioning, allowing them to perform the same tasks as before. Giraffes sleep a few minutes at a time, totaling about 30 minutes per day. This is extremely helpful as their are seen as prey most of the times by everybody.
Sleep is also a multifaceted process, the physiological and cognitive benefits of sleep are many. Some of the physiological benefits of sleep are during the deeper stages of sleep, growth hormones are released, repairing tissue and muscle growth. It also activates our immune system fighting the present infections, conserves energy and plays a pivotal role in hormonal balance, influencing anything from blood sugar levels to appetite. Cognitive benefits of sleep are the ones that keep us sane, but also during sleep our brain consolidates memories, transfers “data”, sharpens our attention, problem-solving and decision making.
If you are wondering if sleep affects in our emotional health, well it does. Lack of sleep can not only kill you, but you can experience so many weird things, you can even become a different person. If you want to learn more about these effects I recommend watching “Awake” on Netflix.
In a world that never stops, you might find appealing the idea of never sleeping society. Increased productivity and non-stop supermarkets haha. The economic growth could be exponential, but I’m afraid that we would work so much until exhaustion. In addition, we would have to get our energy in another, probably throw excessive eating. A continuous working model might lead to burnout, which is totally not good for us.
In my opinion, if our intentions change to being a sleepless society I fear that we would trade our health, emotional well-being and creativity for short-term productivity and economic growth.
While the allure of this society might be promising, it’s essential to remember the main role of sleep. From the physiological restorations it offers to the cognitive enhancements, from emotional calibration to simply joy of dreams, even the unexplainable ones. After all, in the symphony of life, sleep is not just a pause; it’s a vital time that adds depth, richness and harmony to our existence.
