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Split Sleep is Normal
Jan. 8th, 2021 02:25 pmAfter I retired, I decided to sleep when I felt like it. Going to bed when I was tired, waking up when I was ready, and taking naps. I found that I often woke up around 3 AM. I would go to the bathroom, but then find I couldn't get back to sleep. I'd get up, make some tea, have a small snack, and read until I was weary again. Then I'd go back to bed and fall asleep. I wondered if I had some sleep disorder. I use a CPAP machine already.
So one time during my early morning hiatus, I found an article about split sleep. Before the industrial revolution it was normal for sleep to be broken up into a first and second sleep. And we all know about siestas in Mediterranean countries. Once more society switched to factory work and office work, more sleep issues arose because people were forced to sleep in one session.
If you wake up in the middle of the night, it is better to get out of bed and do something quiet for a few hours rather than lie awake stressing because you want to sleep and can't.
So now I don't feel that waking up in the middle of the night is a bad thing, as long as I don't have any appointments before 10. It's nice to have a time when I am unlikely to be interrupted by the phone or the other household member. I do sleep through the night most of the time. If I have an early morning commitment, I stay up, then have a nap later.
The article has more information about how split sleep could be applied to make night shifts more effective.
https://www.sciencealert.com/humans-used-to-sleep-in-two-shifts-maybe-we-should-again#
So one time during my early morning hiatus, I found an article about split sleep. Before the industrial revolution it was normal for sleep to be broken up into a first and second sleep. And we all know about siestas in Mediterranean countries. Once more society switched to factory work and office work, more sleep issues arose because people were forced to sleep in one session.
If you wake up in the middle of the night, it is better to get out of bed and do something quiet for a few hours rather than lie awake stressing because you want to sleep and can't.
So now I don't feel that waking up in the middle of the night is a bad thing, as long as I don't have any appointments before 10. It's nice to have a time when I am unlikely to be interrupted by the phone or the other household member. I do sleep through the night most of the time. If I have an early morning commitment, I stay up, then have a nap later.
The article has more information about how split sleep could be applied to make night shifts more effective.
https://www.sciencealert.com/humans-used-to-sleep-in-two-shifts-maybe-we-should-again#
