01What Animals Can Teach Us About Sleep

Humans are oddly rigid about sleep. Eight hours, flat on a mattress, in the dark — ideally uninterrupted. But step outside our species for a moment, and you'll find a wildly different picture.

Cats sleep 14 hours a day. Giraffes survive on 30 minutes. Albatrosses sleep mid-flight. Cows never enter REM. Understanding how — and why — animals sleep differently can actually tell us quite a bit about our own sleep needs.

03Cats: The Oversleepers

Cats clock 13 to 14 hours of sleep per day — and wild cats like lions often sleep even more. Because they're built for short, explosive bursts of energy rather than sustained activity, sleep is how they conserve and restore.

The human takeaway: Most of us aren't getting enough sleep, not too much. But if you're regularly sleeping 10+ hours and still waking up exhausted, that's worth paying attention to. Excessive sleep can sometimes be a signal of depression, thyroid issues, sleep apnea, or poor sleep quality. If you're sleeping a lot but not feeling rested, the quality of your sleep environment — including your mattress — may be playing a bigger role than the quantity of hours.

04Giraffes & Elephants: The Power Nappers

Giraffes are the least-sleeping mammals on record — averaging just 30 minutes per day, taken in short 5-minute intervals. As prey animals that can't afford to be caught off guard, they've adapted to survive on almost no sleep.

Elephants sleep only 2 hours a night in the wild, often standing up. In captivity, they sleep longer — which suggests that threat levels and environment shape sleep duration significantly.

The human takeaway: Power naps work. A 10–20 minute nap in the early afternoon can sharpen alertness, improve mood, and boost performance — without making you groggy. The key is keeping it short enough to avoid deep sleep, which is what causes that disoriented feeling when you wake up. Some workplaces have started embracing nap-friendly policies for exactly this reason.

05The Albatross: Sleeping on the Go

The wandering albatross can travel 10,000 miles without landing. Scientists believe these birds use a form of unihemispheric sleep — where one half of the brain sleeps while the other stays alert — allowing them to rest mid-flight.

Dolphins use the same mechanism. It's a genuine biological superpower that humans simply don't have.

The human takeaway: We can't sleep with one eye open, which is why drowsy driving is so dangerous. Studies have found that driving after 18–20 hours without sleep impairs reaction time similarly to a 0.08% blood alcohol level. Unlike the albatross, our brains can't split the difference. If you're tired, stop.

06Cows: Life Without REM

Cows and horses sleep standing up, which means they can't enter REM sleep — the deep stage associated with dreaming, memory consolidation, and emotional processing — unless they lie down, which they only do occasionally.

The human takeaway: REM sleep isn't optional. It's when your brain files memories, processes emotions, and restores itself. Adults typically need 90–120 minutes of REM per night across multiple sleep cycles. Cutting your night short or frequently waking up disrupts REM cycles disproportionately, since most REM happens in the second half of sleep.

If you're waking up frequently during the night — whether from an uncomfortable mattress, a partner's movements, noise, or temperature — you're likely losing more REM than you realize.

07What We Can Take From All of This

Animal sleep habits are shaped by survival pressures that humans no longer face. We don't need to stay alert for predators. We don't need to sleep while flying. But studying these adaptations illuminates something important: sleep isn't a luxury — it's a biological necessity shaped by millions of years of evolution.

What it means practically for humans:

  • Short naps are genuinely valuable — don't feel guilty about a 15-minute rest
  • REM sleep matters — anything that fragments your sleep is costing you more than just time
  • Your sleep environment is part of your biology — temperature, darkness, noise, and surface comfort all affect sleep quality
  • Drowsy = impaired — there's no safe workaround; if you're tired, rest

One thing we have that most animals don't: the ability to optimize our sleep environment deliberately. A supportive mattress, the right temperature, and a consistent schedule go a long way. If you're not sleeping well, those are the first places to look.

If you're ready to upgrade your sleep setup, visit one of our LA showrooms — our sleep experts can help you find the right mattress for how you sleep.

08Frequently Asked Questions

Do humans really need 8 hours of sleep?

Most adults function best with 7–9 hours per night, according to the National Sleep Foundation. There's genuine individual variation — some people are natural short sleepers who do fine on 6 hours, while others need closer to 9. Consistently sleeping less than 6 hours, however, is associated with measurable health and cognitive decline over time.

Is it bad to nap during the day?

Not if done right. A 10–20 minute nap taken before 3 PM can improve alertness and performance without affecting nighttime sleep. Longer naps (over 30 minutes) or late-afternoon naps can make it harder to fall asleep at night.

What is REM sleep and why does it matter?

REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is the stage where most dreaming occurs. It plays a critical role in memory consolidation, emotional regulation, and creativity. Adults typically cycle through REM several times per night, with the longest stretches occurring in the hours before waking.

Why do I wake up feeling more tired after a long sleep?

This is often called sleep inertia — a grogginess that results from waking during a deep sleep stage. It can also be a sign of poor sleep quality rather than sufficient rest. If you're sleeping 9–10 hours and still waking up tired, consider whether your sleep is fragmented, whether your mattress is providing proper support, or whether something like sleep apnea is interfering with deep sleep.

Can you train yourself to need less sleep?

Not really. Sleep need is largely genetic. Studies on people who claim to thrive on 5–6 hours typically show performance deficits that the subjects themselves don't perceive. The body adapts to chronic sleep deprivation in ways that feel normal but aren't. Most people cannot sustainably train themselves to need significantly less sleep.