The Reasons Behind Our Two-Part Sleep Schedule

Continuous sleep is a recent trend, not something that has been around forever, which explains why many of us find ourselves awake at 3am, questioning if something is off.

It might be comforting to realize that this is a very human experience.

For most of our history, sleeping for a solid eight hours wasn’t the standard. Instead, people typically had two sleep periods each night, often referred to as “first sleep” and “second sleep”.

Each of these segments lasted a few hours, with a wakeful break in between that could last an hour or more.

European, African, Asian, and other historical accounts describe how families would go to bed shortly after sunset, get up around midnight, and then sleep until morning.

Dividing the night into two parts likely altered the perception of time.

Those long winter evenings felt less endless and more manageable because of the quiet break that created a clear middle to the night. That midnight break wasn’t just a waste of time; it was a recognized moment that shaped our understanding of how long nights are.

Some individuals would rise to do chores like stoking the fire or checking on livestock, while others remained in bed to pray or reflect on dreams they had just experienced.

Many couples took advantage of this midnight wakefulness for some intimacy.

The decline of the ‘second sleep’

Over the past 200 years, the second sleep has become less prevalent as a result of major changes in society.One major factor is artificial lighting.

The invention of oil lamps, gas lights, and finally electric lighting in the 1700s and 1800s made the night a more productive time of day.

People started staying up later in the evening under the light of lamps rather than going to bed immediately after sunset. Our circadian rhythm – our internal clocks – was biologically altered by this intense nighttime light, making it more difficult for our bodies to wake up after only a few hours of sleep. Light timing is important. Melatonin is suppressed and delayed by regular “room” light before bed, which pushes back the time at which we actually fall asleep.

The ancient practice of two sleeps, which had persisted for centuries, had been replaced by the idea of eight uninterrupted hours by the early 20th century.

People frequently switch back to two sleep cycles with a quiet waking period in sleep studies that simulate long winter nights in the dark and do not use clocks or evening light.

Our internal clock is regulated by light, which also influences how rapidly we perceive time to be passing. We have a tendency to drift when those signals weaken, such as during the winter or when exposed to artificial lighting.

Our circadian rhythms are more difficult to synchronize during the winter months due to the later and weaker morning light. Because blue light, the most potent wavelength for increasing cortisol production and inhibiting melatonin, is more prevalent in morning light, it is particularly important for regulating circadian rhythms.

Brief awakenings are common during stage transitions, particularly close to REM sleep, which is associated with vivid dreams.

How we respond to these awakenings is what matters most. The brain’s perception of time is malleable, it can feel longer when anxious, bored, or in low light, while it can feel shorter when calm and involved.

Time often drags when you wake up at three in the morning without having done anything or spoken to your partner. Your attention is drawn to the clock in these circumstances, and the minutes may seem to drag on forever.

According to cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), if you’ve been up for more than twenty minutes, you should get out of bed, do something quiet in low light, like reading, and then go back to bed when you’re ready to fall asleep.

When you are having problems falling asleep

Embracing wakefulness calmly, along with recognizing how our minds interpret time, could be the best way to find rest again.

DISCLAIMER: This article is derived from information available in the public domain.It’s always a good idea to check your doctor before beginning any new routine.

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