In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight… catchy song, even if it misrepresents Panthera leo.
Lions, like many other predators, are opportunistic about when they hunt, and that includes plenty of nocturnal prowling. New research suggests variation in chronotypes, or sleep and wakefulness patterns, gave our ancestors an evolutionary advantage by helping them survive the dangerous hours of darkness. Remember that the next time you’re wide-eyed at 2 a.m. watching Law & Order reruns.
Chronotypes are nothing new to science. But whether you were born a night owl or early bird, or somewhere in between, as you age your chronotype usually changes in a predictable way: You generally go to sleep (and wake up) earlier, sleep less overall, and, when you do sleep, it’s more likely to be a light slumber rather than a deep, drool-on-the-pillow kind of snooze.
