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 de Laar
offers understanding and advice to have you sleeping better within weeks. How to get a better
night's sleep in 3 weeks: Don't believe everything you read or hear about sleep Let go of the
8-hour rule Use the simple sleep diary in the back of this book to record your sleep pattern
over 3 weeks Discover your personal sleep needs Examine your attitude towards lying awake at
night Shorter total bed times might be better Focus on the reason for lying awake rather than
on the reason for not sleeping Reduce stress Keep regular bedtimes Follow the rules of nature
Respect your personal circadian rhythm Don't tempt the night-time ghosts 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 de
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.
