By Nigel Barber Ph.D., Psychology Today, June 25, 2019.
Staying still can be miserable. It can feel like a punishment not only because a person is deprived of contact with family and friends, but because they miss many favored activities. Why don't the rich and retired just sleep in the shade like lions?
There are many basic biological reasons for being highly active. The most basic ones are to find enough food and to avoid becoming food for a predator.
Predator Versus Prey: Humans Are Both
Many prey animals consume foods that are comparatively low in energy, such as grass. Grazers spend most of their day grazing and digesting their food so that they remain active throughout most of the day.
For their part, predators feed on high-energy foods that often come in large packets. After a large meal, predators rest and sleep. A snake may sleep for several months after a meal, for example. This is an efficient use of available food energy because less energy is used during sleep.
Mammals have a higher energy budget, so they need to feed much more often. Even so, predators such as lions often sleep and rest for as much as 18 hours per day, reversing the activity schedule of prey that are active for most of the day.
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