[n8henrie]

To me, it certainly seems to suggest an environmental cause (or at least significant contributor). Certainly doesn't seem evolutionarily adaptive for such a large proportion of the population to live with profound mental and physical fatigue.

Obesity is an obvious confounder, but these seemingly frequent front-page HN sleep apnea posts usually abound with anecdotes of normal / thin individuals with significant issues.

[agrue]

Thank you, this is what I'm driving at. The conversation includes very little discussion of cause or actual treatment beyond symptom mitigation.

[martindbp]

Always wondered if not most of our sleep issues would go away if we spent a few days or weeks camping in the wild without electricity. Unfortunately not a long term solution.

[lazyasciiart]

An easy hypothesis to check given the millions of people who do exactly that each summer. The answer appears to be that if your sleep quality issues are lifestyle related and you are simply unable to make yourself practice sleep 'hygiene', then yes, it shift your sleep cycle to fall asleep earlier. If you do already practice proper sleep hygiene but still can't sleep normally, or if you have any kind of physical problem like sleep apnea, then no.