Did You Know ... ???

[Slinky]

Decoding the Science of Sleep (excerpts)

Before this electrically illuminated age, for centuries our ancestors slept in two distinct chunks each night. The so-called first sleep took place not long after the sun went down and lasted until a little after midnight. A person would then wake up for an hour or so before heading back to the so-called second sleep.

A 15th-century medical book, advised readers to spend their "first sleep" on the right side and after that to lie on their left. A cleric in England wrote that the time between the first and second sleep was the best time for serious study.

The time between the two bouts of sleep was a natural and expected part of the night, and depending on your needs, was spent praying, reading, contemplating your dreams or having sex.

Studies show that this type of sleep is so ingrained in our nature that it will reappear if given a chance. Cultures without artificial light still sleep this way.

By the 1920s, the idea of a first and second sleep had entirely disappeared from our daily rhythms, completing a process that had begun 200 years earlier with the introduction of the first gas lamps and the surge in the number of coffee houses in Northern Europe

August 4, 2012, on page C1 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Sleep.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000087 ... lenews_wsj

[Sir NoddinOff]

Very interesting reading... thanks for posting.

[chunkyfrog]

I usually (especially since cpap) awaken for a short time in the middle of the night.
It has always felt so natural, I haven't given it a second thought.

[Lizistired]

Yes, There were a couple of threads on this last year. Search "second sleep". It's interesting because we stress about "being awake". Like that's the end of the world. For awhile after those threads appeared, I went to bed a little earlier, and when I woke up, I could just get up, but not turn on lights. I would lay in bed or, go sit outside and look at the stars, or whatever, and then go back to bed.
We just have way to much stimulation in our lives, and rules about when we go to bed, get up, eat, breathe, rest...

I like to turn off all the media devices about an hour before I go to bed. Olympic swimming is the last thing you want to watch right before retiring! To much stimulation!

Did people stay up late before Johnny Carson made it worthwhile??

[kteague]

Funny but I was just discussing this yesterday when talking about a recent change in my sleep patterns. When I still worked and had to be up early, the wake time during the night was very important to me. I couldn't just go back to sleep later, so time awake was truly "lost" sleep. When my limb movements were at their worst, the sense of always being awake - even when asleep - was worrisome as I was never rested. Even now, my sleep patterns seem to switch up on me every several months. Went through a rough spell for a few months with long restless nights - though not nearly as hard as they were just a few years ago. Things have settled back down, and the pattern that's emerged is sleeping for 3 - 4 hours, waking up for 1-2 hours, then getting some AWESOME sleep for the next few hours. It doesn't matter if I go to bed at 11pm or 2 am it's the same, so it's not based on time, it must be just my body rhythms. During my wake time I am on the computer, and for me, in spite of good sleep hygiene logic, that makes me get sleepy again. I'm not light sensitive. But it's like my brain knows once I've checked Facebook, emails, Twitter, cpaptalk, my grandson's Youtube, and played a couple hands of solitaire, it's a signal to shut down and dismiss the thoughts and go to sleep. Usually don't make it through the list before getting sleepy again. Hey, whatever works, right? So just yesterday I was telling my daughter about this discussion here in the past, and that I'm fine with that wake period and it doesn't distress me at all. Glad to not have morning obligations. Thanks for that link. I'll share it with my daughter.

[chunkyfrog]

Craig Ferguson! Why does he have to be on so late--and so blankety-blank funny?

[barrynoskow]

A very interesting article! Proper sleep habits are widely debated and can include an optimal sleep position, regulated meal times, following your body's natural rhythm, and limited stress. If your body needs a hour or two to re-generate more sleep, then you should listen to your body. However, not all bodies will benefit from this type of pattern (ie: persons with obstructive sleep apnea, etc.) Just listen to your body as much as possible and get to sleep when your body needs it!

[DoriC]

Craig Ferguson! Why does he have to be on so late--and so blankety-blank funny?

You're funny too!

[Catnapper]

I have the same sleep pattern that kteague describes. Odd that it occurs no matter what time you go to bed. The best sleep happens after the awake time.

I am retired now, so it doesn't bother me much to be awake in the middle of the night. I can use the time to solve problems or think about nice things I plan to do the next day.

Catnapper - Joanie