On Sun, 5 Oct 2008 18:0 steve wrote: >I realize that this is not a paleo food subject, but is there >any good information on paleo sleeping patterns/habits? > >Steve There are two aspects to this: 1. the effects of light/dark 2. the effects of sleep. Light triggers hormonal responses and is also critical for the production of vitamin D (i) Women wearing a full burkha - a maladaptation of post-palaeolithic civilization - are very susceptible to rickets and osteoporosis (ii) people suffering full glaucoma cannot react to light and live in a state of perpetual jet lag. Artificial lighting also has health effects and these are most obvious in stress - even suicide and violence - in shift workers. I find sleep is easy to manage. Since retiring five years ago I have never used (or needed) an alarm to get up on time. For me that's between 5:00 and 6:00 am. I go to sleep within 15 minutes of feeling sleepy, without fail. This is between 9:30 and 11:00 pm, depending on how active I have been during the day. I sleep soundly but always get up readily and keenly within a minute or two of waking. I figure this is a pretty palaeolithic outcome. Keith