The Primal Blueprint (10 page)

Today, with life exponentially more hectic and stressful than at any time in human history, adequate sleep and restoration are widely neglected. The causes are modern distractions including digital entertainment, ingestible toxins (e.g., sugar, alcohol, and prescription and over-the-counter medications), and, of course, the ubiquitous alarm clock. It’s critical to create calm, relaxing transitions into bedtime and then obtain sufficient hours of sleep such that you wake up naturally (no alarm, except occasional special circumstances) refreshed and energized.

Adequate sleep helps the immune system function optimally and promotes release of the key hormones that enhance brain and endocrine function. Go to sleep at the same time each night after a calm, deliberate wind down—no television, heavy exercise, big meals, or other high stimulation before bed. Your sleep requirements will vary according to lifestyle circumstances (and, of course, sometimes you have to compromise perfect sleep… you can’t delay an airplane flight if you miss your alarm). Don’t be afraid to take naps when your afternoon energy levels lull. The world will not miss you while you grab a few quick winks, and you will refresh the optimum balance of brain chemicals to increase productivity when you get back at it.

Our ancestors spent hours every day involved in social interaction not related to their core “careers” of securing food and shelter and caring for their young. Studies of modern hunter-gatherers, such as the !Kung Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert in Africa, reveal that they generally work far fewer hours and have more leisure time than the average 40-hour-plus modern worker. Anthropologist Marshall Sahlins’s popular theory of the “original affluent society” argues that hunter-gatherers are able to achieve affluence (indeed a more literal definition than the consumerism-tainted one that we are familiar with) by desiring little and meeting those desires in daily life.

Once the day’s catch was complete or the roots, shoots, nuts, and berries had been gathered, it was time for Grok to play. Youngsters would chase each other around and wrestle, vying for a place higher up in the tribe’s social strata. Primal humans might also have practiced spear- or rock-throwing for accuracy, chased small animals just for sport, or spent relaxing time hanging out and grooming each other. The net effect of their play was to support family and intergenerational bonding, unwind from frequent life-threatening stress, and also keep their bodies primed for the physical challenges of daily life.

Today
play
is a four-letter word. We still pick Blackberries in our spare time, but now they’re on a Web site and they come with various calling plan options and messaging features. The unrelenting stimulation of modern life, combined with the consumerism mentality of the free market economy, makes play more important than ever—yet more difficult to schedule. Take some time every day to unplug from the office or daily chores and have some unstructured fun. Particularly if you have children, you can model that play is a lifetime endeavor—and learn a few things from them while you’re at it! Besides being fun and socially redeeming, play offers biochemical benefits in the form of endorphins released into the bloodstream and provides a healthy balance to the excessive mental strain and endless stimulation thrust upon us in the digital age.

Cavemen weren’t really men (or women) who lived their lives in caves all the time. They spent most of the day outdoors pursuing their various survival tasks. Regular sun exposure allowed Grok to manufacture plenty of vitamin D, which is critical to healthy cell function. Adequate vitamin D is nearly impossible to obtain from diet alone, and we cannot manufacture it without sufficient exposure to sunlight.

Today getting adequate sunlight—and hence vitamin D—is nowhere near a given, what with our penchant for spending much of our time in confined spaces, such as cars, offices, and homes. Experts believe a variety of serious health problems result from this relatively abrupt change in human lifestyle (sound familiar?). Besides the critical vitamin D requirement (while burning is certainly not healthy, a slight tan indicates that you have adequate vitamin D exposure), natural sunlight also has a powerful mood-elevating effect, which can enhance productivity at work and comfort with interpersonal relations.

Getting regular sunlight implies that you are spending time outdoors, appreciating open space and breathing fresh air. The net effect of taking time to enjoy these positive environmental surroundings (perhaps during your daily moderate exercise sessions!) is an excellent stress-balancer to being in confined spaces with artificial light and stale air. Your cells become truly energized on a biochemical level when you obtain regular doses of sunlight, fresh air, and open space.

Our ancestors required a keen sense of observation and self-preservation to avoid danger. They were always scanning, smelling, and listening to their surroundings, ever aware of potential danger and what immediate action they might need to take. Whether it was running from a saber-toothed tiger, dodging a falling rock, eluding a poisonous snake, or just avoiding a twisted ankle from a careless step, hypervigilance and risk management were premium skills honed to perfection every day. Even a twisted knee or sprained ankle could spell death to anyone who couldn’t run away from danger or effectively hunt food. It’s likely that stupid mistakes from brief, careless lapses in judgment were a strong factor in diminishing the life expectancy of our exceptionally healthy ancestors.

Today vicious tigers are not a life-threatening safety concern, but we humans obliviously or carelessly (can you say, “multitasking”?) find ways to invite pain and suffering of a different nature into our lives. Buckle your seat belt; don’t drink, text, or phone and drive; and be prepared and hypervigilant when you go backpacking in the wilderness, descend a steep hill on your 15-pound racing bike, or use a blowtorch, chain saw, or tile cutter. Devote a little more attention and energy to risk management in your daily choices so you can enjoy a long, happy life and pass your own superior genes to the next generation

One of the most important things that separates humans from all other animals is intellectual ability. The rapid increase in the size of our brains over just a few thousand generations was the combined result of optimum dietary choices (including high levels of healthy fat and protein—see Law #1) and a continued reliance on complex thought—working the brain out just like a muscle. The best proof of this is the fact that hunter-gatherers all around the world developed language, tools, and superior hunting methods independently.