or centuries, humans slept in segments. They would go to bed around 9:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., sleep for three to four hours, and wake up after midnight for an hour or so. During that time they might pray, meditate, have sex, or even perform simple chores that didn't require much illumination or skill.
History of Ancient Human Sleep
In this sleep research, they found that the people went to sleep about 3.5 hours after sunset, challenging the idea that staying awake later may result from modern technology. The average sleep duration was 6.25 hours, with the subjects sleeping less during summer and more in winter.
In the Victorian era the public would typically fall asleep at 7pm when the sun disappeared, however this dramatically moved to 10pm in the Edwardian era, finally settling at 12pm in the modern age. Although our bedtime has become later throughout the years, we've continued to wake up around a similar time.
They don't set a sleep schedule around when it's light out. Typically, they went to sleep three hours and 20 minutes after sunset and woke before sunrise. And they slept through the night. The result of these sleep patterns: Nearly no one suffered from insomnia.
People would first sleep between around 9pm and 11pm, lying on rudimentary mattresses generally filled with straw or rags, unless they were particularly wealthy and could afford feathers. People normally shared beds, alongside family members, friends and, if travelling, even strangers.
The proclamation may have proved less than accurate, but for almost a century between the 1850s and 1950s, separate beds were seen as a healthier, more modern option for couples than the double, with Victorian doctors warning that sharing a bed would allow the weaker sleeper to drain the vitality of the stronger.
Ancient Sleeping Patterns
During and before the 15th Century, we used to sleep in two shorter periods over 12 hours. Due to a lack of artificial lighting and candlelight, our ancient ancestors went to bed at dusk for around four hours, woke in the middle of the night and were active, then slept again until dawn.
Arguably from time immemorial to the nineteenth century, the dominant pattern of sleep in Western societies was biphasic, whereby most preindustrial households retired between 9 and 10pm, slept for 3 to 3 ½ hours during their “first sleep,” awakened after midnight for an hour or so, during which individuals did ...
Sleeping positions were also vastly different to what most people do today. Lying flat in bed was associated with death, so medieval people would sleep in a half upright position. Andrew Boorde even suggested that daytime naps should be taken standing up, and leaning against a wall.
Our ancestral hunter-gatherers might have slept in groups of 15 to 20 around a campfire, taking turns staying awake and watching over the others. The protection gained from sleeping socially allowed early humans to get a better night's rest.
They would sleep for around five hours and then wake up. The next hour or so would be dedicated to chores around the house, reading, relaxing or intimacy and then the people would settle down for a second round of sleep.
In medieval times, the norm was a communal bed, not just shared with partners, but with family members, maybe even other people in the household. It wasn't until the Victorian Era that sleeping apart became a status thing because it meant that you could afford separate bedrooms, and sleeping apart was a kind of luxury.
Essays in The Guardian, CNN, The New York Times, and The New York Times Magazine recommended an old fix for restlessness called “segmented sleep.” In premodern Europe, and perhaps centuries earlier, people routinely went to sleep around nightfall and woke up around midnight—only to go back to sleep a few hours later, ...
It's common knowledge that sleep is good for your brain – and Einstein took this advice more seriously than most. He reportedly slept for at least 10 hours per day – nearly one and a half times as much as the average American today (6.8 hours).
They stay up late into the evening, average less than 6 1/2 hours of sleep and rarely nap.
This finding suggests bi-phasic sleep is a natural process with a biological basis. Today's society often doesn't allow for this type of flexibility, thus, we have to conform to today's sleep/wake schedules. It is generally thought a continuous 7 to 9-hour unbroken sleep is probably best for feeling refreshed.
Colonial beds are so high to avoid cool drafts that were close to the ground.
If you've ever been on a tour of an upper-class historical home or castle, the docent probably made a point of telling the group that beds of the past were so short because people used to sleep sitting upright, leaning against the headboard.
Caveman beds
It was found in a rock shelter in South Africa, and it's the earliest sign of sleeping behaviour yet. The archaeologists found a mattress complete with soft bedding. It was made primarily from stems, leaves and other plant materials. Even back then, we were looking for a comfy night's sleep.
Modern research suggests that sleeping twice in a 24-hour period (a sleep pattern that is alternately referred to as biphasic sleep, segmented sleep, or siesta sleep) may facilitate greater energy levels, alertness, cognitive function, and productivity.
Research shows that early humans typically slept in ground-based nests of grasses and other soft materials built close to the walls of caves. It is believed that early man slept curled up in a fetal position based on the small, round shapes of nests discovered.
Ancient site suggests early humans controlled fire and used plants to ward off insects. View from the mouth of Border Cave in South Africa, the site where researchers discovered fossilized bedding used by ancient humans.
It was common practice in some populations to have “two sleep periods”; you could have the first snooze during the day and the second at night. Or have the first from evening to midnight, and the second from the earlier morning hours to daybreak.
As the new year moves along and the days get colder, it can be harder and harder to get out of bed in the morning. Thankfully, that's not necessarily a bad thing. More sleep is natural in the wintertime, according to the National Sleep Foundation. The normal range is an extra 1.75 to 2.5 hours per night.
Some people find that biphasic sleep feels natural and works great for them, while others feel better on a monophasic sleep schedule. There is historical evidence that humans used to naturally follow a biphasic sleep schedule. Research has also proven the benefits of a short, midday nap.