Sleep Myth Monday: More Sleep Than a Chimpanzee?

This is the latest installment of a regular feature here at SleepBetter.org: Sleep Myth Monday, where we bust sleep myths wide open, or verify that they’re actually not myths at all.

Myth or Truth: On average, humans need up to three fewer hours of sleep per day than other primates. 

TRUTH

The average human needs seven to nine hours per day. Here’s a sampling of the amount of sleep other primates need each day:

• Rhesus Monkey: 12 hours
• Baboon: 10 hours
• Chimpanzee: 10 hours
• Gorilla: 12 hours

So, next time you get only six hours of sleep, think about how tired you’d be if you were a Gorilla!