• Contact

  • Newsletter

  • About us

  • Delivery options

  • Prospero Book Market Podcast

  • 'Language is english. Váltás magyarra.'
    Wishlist
    The Sleepless Ape: The Story of Sleep in Human Evolution

    The Sleepless Ape by Samson, David R.;

    The Story of Sleep in Human Evolution

      • GET 10% OFF

      • The discount is only available for 'Alert of Favourite Topics' newsletter recipients.
      • Publisher's listprice GBP 28.00
      • The price is estimated because at the time of ordering we do not know what conversion rates will apply to HUF / product currency when the book arrives. In case HUF is weaker, the price increases slightly, in case HUF is stronger, the price goes lower slightly.

        12 642 Ft (12 040 Ft + 5% VAT)
      • Discount 10% (cc. 1 264 Ft off)
      • Discounted price 11 378 Ft (10 836 Ft + 5% VAT)

    12 642 Ft

    db

    Availability

    Not yet published.

    Why don't you give exact delivery time?

    Delivery time is estimated on our previous experiences. We give estimations only, because we order from outside Hungary, and the delivery time mainly depends on how quickly the publisher supplies the book. Faster or slower deliveries both happen, but we do our best to supply as quickly as possible.

    Product details:

    • Publisher Princeton University Press
    • Date of Publication 14 July 2026
    • Number of Volumes Print PDF

    • ISBN 9780691259734
    • Binding Hardback
    • No. of pages336 pages
    • Size 234x155 mm
    • Weight 634 g
    • Language English
    • Illustrations 24 b/w illus. 4 tables.
    • 700

    Categories

    Long description:

    How the unique sleep habits of early humans fostered survival, innovation, and social evolution—and how this evolutionary legacy holds insights into how we sleep today

    Despite sleep’s critical role in maintaining health and cognitive function, humans sleep less than any other primate. The Sleepless Ape reveals the reasons for this evolutionary paradox, showing how our unique sleep patterns evolved when our ancestors left the safety of the forest canopy for more dangerous ground, which led them to form more secure, social sleeping arrangements. As a result, early humans developed shorter, deeper, and more flexible sleep patterns that provided survival advantages and freed more time for crucial activities such as toolmaking, social interaction, and migration.

    In this groundbreaking book, David Samson draws on his extensive fieldwork to explain how these sleep patterns contributed to our cognitive and social evolution. He delves into how the human brain adapted to achieve deeper, more restorative sleep, enabling advanced memory consolidation, fostering creativity, and contributing to our success as a species. Samson also addresses modern sleep challenges, demonstrating how an understanding of our evolutionary sleep heritage can help us to address sleep disorders and improve overall health and well-being. He tackles contentious issues such as co-sleeping, whether we should embrace paleo sleep or optimal sleep, and whether we are in fact suffering from an epidemic of too little sleep.

    Blending the latest science with engaging storytelling by a leading expert, The Sleepless Ape shares compelling insights into how a fundamental yet overlooked aspect of human biology has shaped our evolutionary trajectory and continues to profoundly influence our daily lives.



    "Eye-opening.... The latest findings on sleep, delivered in lively prose."

    More
    0