“Each day, sloths in CAPTIVITY sleep for up to 19 HOURS and up to 9 HOURS in the WILD.”

National Geographic Kids, 5,000 Awesome Facts, #21 sloths

According to The Sloth Conservation Foundation, sloths remain most of the day in an inactive state, which one can be perceived as sleep, given that they spend 90% of the day hanging in a tree and not moving much. 

In the wild, sloths only sleep 8-10 hours per day which was confirmed by using backpack data and collecting the use of EEG and EMG studies. 

EEG, or electroencephalogram, records the brain activity. Small sensors are attached to the scalp to pick up electrical signals produced by the brain.

EMG stands for electromyography where it measures muscle response or electrical activity in response to a nerve’s stimulation of the muscle. 

Sloths tend to sleep more in captivity due to the fact they don’t have to forage for food and watch for predators. Boredom might be another factor. 

http://www.slothconservation.org

allaboutsloths.com