The new science of sleep: Insights from pre-industrial societies and phylogenomics

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Sleep is essential to human health, well-being, and quality of life. Recent large-scale sociological studies and contributions from phylogenomic analyses have provided new perspectives on sleep and indicate how sleep habits are influenced by a broad range of factors. This review integrates data from anthropology, history, and neuroscience to describe the contribution of these factors to sleep. The results from different scientific disciplines emphasize that a complete understanding of the complexity and interactive influences on sleep requires consideration from both macro (societal) and micro (genomic) levels of analysis. The invention and adoption of electric lighting, as well as the modern evolution toward urbanization and industrialization, have profoundly affected human sleep patterns. The most consistent effects of these transitions are not a uniform shortening of total sleep but later sleep timing, reduced day-to-day regularity, weaker entrainment to natural light–dark cycles, and a rising prevalence of sleep disorders. Comparative evidence from contemporary hunter–gatherer and small-scale societies indicates that average nightly sleep in such populations (approximately 6.4 to 7.1 hours) is similar to, and in some cases shorter than, that observed in industrialized populations. The principal difference appears to lie in the structure and circadian alignment of sleep rather than its duration. Data from different cultures reveal that sociological variables such as attitudes about acceptable sleep behavior, the minimization of concerns about the health dangers of inadequate sleep versus the overvaluation of sustained alertness or “getting things done”, and the perceived importance of dealing with the other challenges of modern life have significantly influenced how people sleep. In addition to these sociological influences, other less visible factors also contribute. Recent work from the field of phylogenomics has highlighted the influence of genetic factors in the deeper biological dynamics of sleep. This work has pointed to the contribution of molecular sleep regulators such as DEC2 and HCRT. Studies comparing the sleep systems of mammals, birds, and even invertebrates show both similarities and differences, demonstrating further that sleep patterns result from the combined influence of both environmental and biological stimuli. To bridge the gaps between genetic determinants and social effects, this synthesis emphasizes the necessity for interdisciplinary approaches in sleep research. Future initiatives include using CRISPR-based methods to analyze sleep-related gene networks and other big data approaches for population-level sleep studies. We conclude that our top-down narrative approach in sleep science can more effectively address global sleep disparities and indicate individualized remedies by combining macro- and micro-level perspectives.

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