Sleep patterns in villagers and urban African volunteers in a humid tropical climate: Influence of accessibility to electric light?

Recent publications focusing on sleep–wake alternation, using actigraphic recordings in hunter-gatherers, stressed the existence of a potential effect of electricity availability on sleep habits. These reports prompted us to achieve a new analysis of the polysomnographic data already obtained in healthy African volunteers in equatorial Africa during two different investigations. Comparison of the 24-h polysomnographic sleep patterns were done between 9 volunteers sleeping in a laboratory in Abidjan (Abidjan cohort) and 11 villagers living in electricity-free bush villages (Sinfra cohort). Sleep was lighter in the villagers, with more stage 1 and less slow wave sleep (SWS). Latency to SWS was also shorter. Total sleep time, however, was not different between the two groups. There were no indications as to whether the observed differences were attributable to the availability of electrical power. Reactivity of human sleep structure to the environment was discussed in terms of multifactorial influences such as daylight length, temperature, humidity, electromagnetic field, time of sleep onset, thermoregulatory mechanisms, stress or anxiety. •Actimetric studies stressed that electricity-free environment may alter sleep.•Polysomnography was taken in Abidjan volunteers and electricity-deprived villagers.•Total sleep time did not differ between the two groups of volunteers.•But sleep was more restless in villagers with more stage 1 and less slow wave sleep.•Availability of electricity along with other potential influences are discussed.