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Recently, I had a conversation with a friend about a sleep
pattern of his that he felt was abnormal. Starting in about November, when the
days shorten drastically and darkness sets in at around 5 pm, he would go to
bed exhausted right after dinner, wake up and futz around for a few hours
around 1 in the morning, then return to bed until he had to get up for work. He
maintained that he didn't feel a whole lot more rested than simply sleeping for
eight continuous hours, but it worked for him when darkness was plentiful.
Turns out that, historically, this pattern is less than
unusual and was actually the norm for centuries. "Two sleeping," as it's
commonly known, was first
profiled by US historian Roger Ekirch and more recently by the BBC, a
couple blogs, and a book by Craig
Koslofsky. Ekirch, in particular, was the first to compile loads of
evidence from medical materials, diaries, and artwork that points to the common
practice of sleeping for two four- or five-hour blocks each night.
Two sleeping was common for several reasons. During the
Medieval period, nighttime  activity was dominated by shady characters; if you
were roaming the streets after dark, chances are you were a prostitute,
criminal, or other reprobate who preferred to work in darkness. Upper classes could
burn candles in order to work or read after dusk, but this was seen as a
colossal waste of money. The period between sleeps was used for relaxing
activities such as reading, praying, and quiet socializing. (Contrary to this,
though, several contemporary doctors' manuals recommended this as the peak time
for "good" sexual activity and optimized conception.)
According to researchers, two sleeping began to decline
after the Reformation, when both Catholics and Protestants began staying up
later for secret, persecution-free services. By the time the Industrial
Revolution came around, improvements in indoor lighting and a new focus on
efficiency and productivity began to reverse attitudes on two sleeping. By the
early 19th-century, most people had taken to sleeping in a single
eight-hour block.
Two sleeping still has its adherents, though, including some
scientists and researchers. These folks - including Ekirch himself - purport
that forcing ourselves to sleep in a single block has negative effects on our
psychological and physical health. Psychologist Gregg Jacobs believes that
forcing ourselves to relax and meditate between two periods of sleep had
enormous positive ramifications on health, a point which is difficult to
disagree with. Jacobs and other researchers point to problems with natural
sleep as a possible cause for the astounding uptick in cases of anxiety,
depression, stress, and drug abuse in the modern world.
Most people panic when they awaken suddenly in the middle of
the night, but next time it happens to you, consider that it may just be your
body attempting to return to two sleeping. Heck, if you're intrepid enough, get
up and read or meditate for a few hours and see how you feel the next day. Just
be prepared to go to bed at 7 the following night…
Image credit: Bookjam Blog
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Re: Two Sleeping: Healthy Alternative or Productivity Killer?
