Waking in the middle of the night? No need to fight it, it’s the most natural thing in the world.
We evolved for millions of years before electricity, so this whole “sleep straight through the night” is really just a phase, and a very recent one at that.
Before electricity, the utmost importance was placed on all forms of illumination. The Irish Gaelic language had four terms pertaining to the interval shades of the evening. Without modern light pollution, celestial bodies shone brighter and more powerfully: fire, sun, moon, planets, and stars were gods—that’s some high props.
Sun goes down? Lights out. Torches, candles, and lanterns could only go so far. After a full day of manual labor, sleep came soon after sunset—generally about four hours of it. Then it was common for people to wake up: read, have sex, pray, and maybe visit the neighbors (not necessarily in that order).
After an hour or two of that, it was back to another four hours of sleep to wake with the sunrise.
Sleeping in two parts was the norm. Historian Roger Ekirtch unearthed hundreds upon hundreds of references of people sleeping this way. And beyond the direct references, the “first sleep” and “second sleep” are referred to as if commonplace. It was a given.
Electricity and the 9-5 workday ushered in today’s “normal” routine of sleeping in eight hour chunks.
But the bi-modal sleep pattern is gaining respect, especially during periods of longer darkness in the winter months. Encouraged by a recent study, rather than tossing and turning, participants were surprised to find their groove in the middle of the night, awaking in a relaxed, almost meditative state.
Ahhh awakening to a mid-night oasis. No alarm necessary… it’s all natural.
Reference: At Day’s End by Roger Ekirtch
https://www.amazon.com/At-Days-Close-Night-Times/dp/0393329011
