Having trouble sleeping? 4 ways sleeping like a caveman can cure insomnia

Yabba dabba snooze!Sleep is essential for physical and mental health — it’s crucial for brain function, memory consolidation, tissue repair, immune system maintenance, concentration, hormone regulation and stress management.Unfortunately, more than a third of American adults don’t get enough rest.Inadequate sleep has been linked to cognitive troubles, a weakened immune system, weight gain, depression and a higher risk of chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.Dutch sleep scientist and recovering insomniac Merijn van de Laar suggests that our ancestors may hold the key to sleeping like a rock.“Sleep has hardly changed since Paleolithic humans snoozed soundly in their caves,” van de Laar notes in his new book, “How to Sleep Like a Caveman.”“While saber-toothed tigers were their biggest night-time worry, today it’s stress and social media that keep us awake, but the solutions are the same,” he added.Van de Laar shares four suggestions for getting a better night’s sleep in three weeks — cave not required.Experts generally recommend adults snooze between seven and nine hours a night.

Van de Laar said it’s OK to get six.“The average length of subjective sleep is between just under six hours and almost 7.5 hours,” he told The Post.“Sleeping six hours is generally not more associated with health problems when compared to sleeping eight hours.”Beware the potential risks of catching fewer winks.

A 2019 Penn State study found that middle-aged adults with high blood pressure or diabetes who averaged less than six hours a night had twice the risk of dying from heart disease or stroke than those who dozed longer.People with a history of heart disease or stroke had three times the increased risk of dying from cancer if they clocked less than six hours a night.If you lie awake at night, don’t fret.Van de Laar said awake time is normal — it’s only a problem if you’re restless or anxious.“We have forgotten...