It’s possible that some early people slept in two shifts. There is still debate about whether or not we are hardwired to imitate others.
Being deprived of a wonderful night’s sleep due to an early morning awakening might be likened to standing next to a flowing faucet while you are thirsty. But what if I told you that waking up in the middle of the night has always been a common occurrence throughout human history and that sleeping in two shifts can relieve some of your tension rather than add to it?
Biphasic sleep is a type of sleep pattern in which people fall asleep at two separate periods during the course of a 24-hour period. The majority of us are accustomed to a monophasic sleep pattern, or one sleep cycle lasting around 8 hours.
According to several accounts from earlier eras, many of which are based on the work of historian Roger Ekirch, biphasic sleep may truly be a biological necessity. For those of us who have trouble sleeping through the night, tales of earlier people who went to bed when it grew dark, only to get up at midnight to prepare food, chat with neighbors, do chores, or perform other tasks, give a glimmer of intrigue.
According to Sara Mednick, a professor in the Department of Cognitive Science at the University of California, Irvine, “It wasn’t pathologized or odd; it was simply what you did.” The Power of the Downstate: Recharge Your Life Using Your Body’s Own Restorative Systems is one of her works.
This notion that we should get a full night’s rest is a relatively new phenomenon, she continued.
However, the reasons behind it could have less to do with how our brains are biologically programmed to sleep and more to do with how our culture and working society evolved.
What counts as biphasic sleep, and why did people do it?
Any two sleep cycles during a single day are considered biphasic sleep. That may include sleeping for six hours straight at night and taking a quick nap during the day. Or you may adhere to the more traditional routine seen in literature, which calls for going to bed at about 8 or 9 p.m. precisely as it becomes dark, waking up in the middle of the night for a few hours, and then falling back asleep until the sun rises in the morning. However, the latter method, which relies more on sunshine, can be more challenging for most individuals who adhere to a more scheduled 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. workday.\
Dr. Federico Cerrone, an expert in respiratory health and sleep medicine at Atlantic Health System, said, “I’m not sure how many individuals could adjust to that type of schedule.” Although there is evidence that individuals used to sleep in at least two separate portions each day, the historical context was considerably different, he claimed. People worked at various times and had candlelight in their homes, so there was no artificial light to keep them up at night. This was before the US Industrial Revolution when our circadian cycles started to synchronize more closely with our work schedules.
Biphasic sleep may be more prevalent in various civilizations and is still used by some people today.
People have been taking naps for a very long period, according to Cerrone.
Although biphasic sleep is segmented, it is not the same as polyphasic sleep, which offers a variety of patterns that people may attempt for productivity.
Who should try it?
According to Cerrone, as long as you receive the necessary amount of sleep, which is at least 7 hours for most people, there isn’t any advantage to biphasic sleep over monophasic sleep — or vice versa.
Let’s just make sure we get enough rest, Cerrone added. He said, “There’s no proof to claim that’s a decent schedule,” despite the fact that there is historical evidence that people used to sleep in at least two periods.
But if you frequently wake up in the middle of the night and then feel terrible about it, adopting a biphasic sleep pattern can help you break the cycle of sleep deprivation. According to Mednick, when people wake up in the middle of the night, they frequently assume they have insomnia and become afraid. You might be able to interrupt that loop by giving biphasic sleep a try in a safe environment.
It all depends on how individuals feel after attempting to be biphasic, according to Mednick. Continue taking it if breaking up your sleep cycle into two halves is beneficial. (Perhaps you’ve attempted the ancient practise of going to bed early and getting up early.) Don’t keep attempting to make it work if you feel poorly or exhibit signs of sleep deprivation.
And if you do trend toward biphasic sleep, pay attention to your body’s signals to take a break. The moment you feel exhausted, go to bed, said Mednick. “Don’t attempt to fight through it.”
For advice on how to sleep better, see our post on the top 7 foods for sleep or have a look at these all-natural remedies for insomnia.
This article’s material is not meant to be taken as health or medical advice; rather, it is meant for educational and informative reasons only. If you have any concerns about a health aim or a medical issue, always seek the advice of a doctor or other trained health expert.
