BBC NEWS: The myth of the eight-hour sleep

[tattooyu]

I thought you might find this interesting. It talks about the possibility of us naturally needing two four-hour sleep periods, with a 1-2 hour waking period in between.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16964783

[BlackSpinner]

But how does that compare to the history of the rest of the world?
Not everybody lived in Europe and European history is not the end all and be all of life.

[Gazhacks]

Thats all well and good but in the 21st century we dont get 8 hours sleep and if you do then your very lucky. When Im working, I get around 4 hours a day, as I care for my partner and then do a 9 hour nightshift. I dont have time to sleep. A lot of people in this day and age run on a 24 hour clock and sleep at all different times. Night and day will soon blend into one as society takes up more of our rest time. Im constantly got at when its my time to go to the clinic as my sleep is very fragmented. Im told I must get a proper nights sleep which I reply am I to leave my partner on the floor is she falls?

The story is a good look back at history but into todays society its just seems like the goverments push to get more working hours out of us

[tattooyu]

I'm just the messenger. I never said I agreed with the article. Just found it interesting.

[Sleep2Die4]

its just seems like the goverments push to get more working hours out of us

I am interested to know what evidence you see of this.

Or does the wink mean you weren't serious? (Sorry I have spent very little time understanding forums.)

[Maxie]

I read the article and I found it interesting also. What I got from the article was that sleep patterns are not and have not always been straight 8 hours and if we don't happen to have the straight 8 hour pattern, it's OK and not to obsess about it.

"Don Quixote followed nature, and being satisfied with his first sleep, did not solicit more. As for Sancho, he never wanted a second, for the first lasted him from night to morning." Miguel Cervantes, Don Quixote (1615)

The Tiv tribe in Nigeria employ the terms "first sleep" and "second sleep" to refer to specific periods of the night.

[hades161]

Very Interesting.

I have had for the past year or more, times where I would fall into this pattern they describe. I find through it messes with my data tracking on my machine and have actively tried to stop it and tough out the "first sleep" period they talk about. It also drives my GF nuts =P

[midgiedbales@cox.net]

I found this interesting because I also sleep in fragments, I get a good 4 to 5 hours, wake up, then have to lay down anywhere from a few hours later, to the middle of the day. I never get in 6 or more hours at a time, so this article made me feel better about waking up at 3 every morning, and knowing it is something a lot of people do, it is how evewr very hard for people who have to put long work hours in, they usually have to take a nap when they get home, as I can catch sleep when ever I feel the need, very interesting and helpful.

[chunkyfrog]

When I wake up, I take a drink of water and turn off the radio.
Then I zonk out for the rest of the night.

[Kairosgrammy]

Really. I truly doubt there are enough writings available to conclude that the described sleep segments were the norm. Not saying its possible, I just kind of doubt it. There are innumerable studies that say 7 to 8 hours a night are needed although again, it isn't specified how those 7 to 8 hours of sleep should be completed. All I know, is that when I sleep in segments, I feel like I've been run over by a Mack truck the next morning.

I thought you might find this interesting. It talks about the possibility of us naturally needing two four-hour sleep periods, with a 1-2 hour waking period in between.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16964783

[JohnBFisher]

... The Tiv tribe in Nigeria employ the terms "first sleep" and "second sleep" to refer to specific periods of the night. ...

This was also a fairly common term found used throughout the western world until the advent of the industrial revolution.

[MDALE]

Many of the objections being raised here are answered in the article. Read a bit more closely.

I find the idea intriguing. We should not feel anxious if we awaken in the middle of the night. It may well be normal and not an indication of a ruined night's sleep.

[portiemom]

All I know is I never get more than 3-5 hours of restless sleep and I would love to experience sleeping 6-8 hours of sleep per night. Fragmented sleep makes me feel like I ache from the flu all the time, and a full time job is very hard.

[napstress]

The article says, "Countless prayer manuals from the late 15th Century offered special prayers for the hours in between sleeps."

My sleep pattern is exactly as the article describes. If those people were anything like I am, they were praying to be delivered from obsessive worry!

[kteague]

Tattooyu, look at your little man!!! Feels like we're watching him grow up. Parents of young children certainly don't get 8 straight hours of sleep, do they?!