The sleepy Neanderthal hypothesis: Relationships among craniofacial form, obstructive sleep apnea and sleep deprivation.

Abstract

Reconstructions of the Neanderthal upper respiratory tract‐including nasal, pharyngeal, lingual and laryngeal components‐suggest that this region may have differed considerably from that in living humans. Features, such as a decreased oropharynx, or more of the tongue in the oral cavity, have been found in patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), a neuro‐mechanical disturbance of air flow that disrupts proper respiration during sleep and causes disturbed and limited sleep. Here we review current OSA research in comparison with interpretations of Neanderthal anatomy and hypothesize that should Neanderthals indeed have demonstrated an anatomical template conducive to OSA, they may have suffered from this with greater frequency than that found in living humans with concomitant sleep disturbances. Due to Neanderthal's greater reliance on nasal breathing‐as evidenced by uniquely derived features of their nasal complex‐the possibility of increased nasal infections may have put additional stress on their oral air route. Given the above, we raise the question: Could a contributing factor to the Neanderthal's demise be sleep deprivation due to respiratory disturbance?