How to Sleep Like a Caveman

Ancient Wisdom for a Better Night’s Rest

Merijn van de Laar

$49.99

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

William Collins
02 April 2025

States of consciousness; 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 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.

By: Merijn van de Laar
Imprint: William Collins
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 159mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 500g
ISBN: 9780008717612
ISBN 10: 0008717613
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 02 April 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Dr Merijn van de 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.