Why our ancestors didn’t sleep like us. How you can sleep better, especially if you live off the grid.
Perhaps the most common situation when we experience serious disruption in our sleep patterns is when flying large distances. The popular jet lag is punishing the sleep cycle we are accustomed to. But even the style of sleep we have come to know as normal, after a day bombarded with the use of technology, wasn’t like that a few hundred years ago. Before the 1800s the standard manner of sleep was in 2 parts. Yes, this may sound odd, but reading about the subject, you can understand why. The books of Roger Ekirch ` At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past`and Craig Koslofsky `Evening’s Empire` are an important source of information for this phenomenon.
So what does this two-part-sleep entails? First, there’s a period of 3 to 4 hours of sleep, followed by a couple of hours of wakefulness, then another round of sleep until the morning. Bear in mind that this was the accepted way to sleep during that period in time and it’s quite easy to understand why. With the lack of electricity, especially indoor lighting, there was a proper ambiance to fall asleep. The darkness outside, in particular during the winter months, made it possible to fall asleep early and sleep more. The gap in the middle of the night was just a mechanism that people developed to do more during one day. It is written that this was the ideal time for study and contemplation, sometimes used for reading, praying, talking, smoking, or even having sex. The development of the modern man, with his world of street lighting, as well as coffee houses, changed all this.
Preference for the two-part-sleep cycle could be biological. There even was a study conducted to investigate this. Scientists found out that, in certain conditions which mimic the days in mid-winter with short daylight and long nights, people would stay up only 10 hours in a row, rather than your usual 16 hours/day. After resting enough after their technology-filled lifestyle was abandoned, participants in the study started to have two sleeps! With the middle hours of the night not associated with the-night toss-and-turn that many of us experienced, but with a time of calmness, almost like meditation. In fact, people did not bother to fall back asleep, but used the time to relax. It was shown that in this gap between sleep cycles, the body produces larger amounts of the prolactin. This hormone, responsible for lactation in mammals, is often called the “happiness hormone” and does a lot of good to your body: relax, helps the brain function better and tend to influence remembering information better.
This way of sleep may seem like natural, with benefits, but science is not concluded about this. Giving yourself space without electronics and an ambiance suitable for sleep may be the secret More time intentionally given to rest and relax can prove helpful even if you are embracing the one round of 7 to 8 hours of sleep thought of as a product of modernity. Some people try to do that, one family being known to obtain the sleeping pattern of our ancestors. This was the byproduct of a lot of dark hours, the family changing their modern, electric-filled lifestyle for a month. People living off-the-grid will be able to replicate this with ease.
It is said that nearly half of people living in the US say they don’t get enough sleep. The much use of electronics which leads to sleep deprivation is a health issue to be concern about. Here is what scientists from Harvard (Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School) suggest you can do in order to sleep better, even if you don’t switch to the two-part sleeping cycle:
- Avoid consuming chemicals that can interfere with sleep such as caffeine, alcohol and nicotine.
- Make your bedroom a sleep-inducing environment. Keep it dark and comfortable and keep electronic devices out of your bedroom.
- Establish a soothing bedtime routine to help induce sleep. Taking a shower or bath or quietly reading in bed can prepare the body for sleep.
- Maintain a consistent sleep schedule.
- If you take naps, keep them short and take them early. Try a power nap of 10 to 20 minutes before 5 p.m.
- Eat nutritious meals and get plenty of fresh air and exercise.
This is an interesting article but as a teacher it makes me cringe when people suggest getting a book to read to put you to sleep As teachers we want students to not become narcotic readers but engaged readers We teach kids to connect with characters , visualize settings and learn from the stories. Please try listening to soft music or learn mindfulness. Please do not tell people to get a book to go to sleep with.
This is an interesting article but as a teacher it makes me cringe when people suggest getting a book to read to put you to sleep As teachers we want students to not become narcotic readers but engaged readers We teach kids to connect with characters , visualize settings and learn from the stories. Please try listening to soft music or learn mindfulness. Please do not tell people to get a book to go to sleep with.
UNLESS THE COMMENT IS GOOD WE CANT WRITE A COMMENT
I work graveyard shift so my sleep not only is all screwed up I also don’t get enough.
Or just do what I do. Do stuff until your tired. Go to bed. When you wake up, get up and do stuff.
For many many years I worked 12 to 14 hrs a day pluses 1 hr commute each way. I would come home watch some tv until our cat noticed I was home crawled into my lap after about a half hour scratching the cat I was ready to sleep. Slept onlyb4 to 5 hrs got up relaxed while I brushe d up what was on schedule today to attack before going to work. Never rushed to work or home just enjoyed the ride. On the way home I always listened to radio stories like radio mystery theater. By then time I got home in was already half way relaxed.
My day off always started with family activity when I arrived home played with the kids rented video games and we would stay up all night on Saturday night get a few hrs skkeepand we would hope in the car and go up to the mountains never planed where we would go I’d leave it up to my kids to guide me. We would get to a turn and they would say where to go. One time after 3 hrs driving turning every which way we came out of the mountain right by the zoo so off we went to the zoo. By that evening we allbslept well.
The plane truth is that don’t rush around super tense about everything from driving to working or being at home. Enjoy every moment you have and be at peace with yourself. I was in a high stressed jobs had 110 pluses employees I dealt with but made it fun relaxing environment for all. Always look for the positive in your life with fellow workers with your boss even in driving. Yes you can easily find the bad my boss was mean today my employees are slacking or my kid just got a f grade.its so easy to fall into that trap and if you do the rest of your day and night will be ruined. What’s better what can I help my boss with today to lesson his or hers stress what can I help my employees or coworkers with to help them be more at ease (they will preform better doing this). Drive a little less rushed rake off 10 minutes earlier to work and relaxed going in. Wow son or daughter you got a A in history and b in math great job I see your struggling in science what can I help you with. ( child will open up and learn more).
By doing things like this you can’t help but be more relaxed after a long day. I survived a couple of decades with very little sleep but the sleep I got was deep and relaxing. I challenge every one of you to try this and see how much better your life can be. Don’t forget to smile it’s catchy and will be passed on.