Why We Stopped Sleeping Twice a Night and What History Can Teach Us
Today, sleeping through the night is considered normal. Most people aim for seven to eight uninterrupted hours before waking in the morning. If someone wakes up in the middle of the night, they often assume something is wrong.
Yet for centuries, many people followed a completely different sleep pattern.
Historical records suggest that people across Europe commonly practised what historians call " segmented sleep " or " biphasic sleep ". Instead of one long sleep, they slept in two separate phases with a period of wakefulness in between.
It sounds unusual today, but for generations it was simply part of everyday life.
People often went to bed shortly after sunset. After several hours of sleep, they would naturally wake during the middle of the night.
This waking period could last for an hour or more. During that time, people might read, pray, talk quietly, complete household tasks, or simply relax.
Eventually they would return to bed for a second sleep until morning.
References to "first sleep" and "second sleep" appear in diaries, literature, court records, and medical writings dating back hundreds of years.
Streetlights, gas lamps, and eventually electricity allowed people to stay active long after sunset. Work schedules became more structured, and industrialisation encouraged fixed daily timetables.
As evenings became longer and busier, bedtime shifted later.
Over time, the gap between first and second sleep disappeared, creating the single-block sleep pattern that dominates modern life.
Most people never realised an alternative had once been common.
Yet for centuries, many people followed a completely different sleep pattern.
Historical records suggest that people across Europe commonly practised what historians call " segmented sleep " or " biphasic sleep ". Instead of one long sleep, they slept in two separate phases with a period of wakefulness in between.
It sounds unusual today, but for generations it was simply part of everyday life.
How People Slept Before Modern Lighting
Before electric lights transformed daily routines, darkness played a much larger role in shaping human behaviour.People often went to bed shortly after sunset. After several hours of sleep, they would naturally wake during the middle of the night.
This waking period could last for an hour or more. During that time, people might read, pray, talk quietly, complete household tasks, or simply relax.
Eventually they would return to bed for a second sleep until morning.
References to "first sleep" and "second sleep" appear in diaries, literature, court records, and medical writings dating back hundreds of years.
What Changed Our Sleeping Habits?
The arrival of artificial lighting gradually altered human routines.Streetlights, gas lamps, and eventually electricity allowed people to stay active long after sunset. Work schedules became more structured, and industrialisation encouraged fixed daily timetables.
As evenings became longer and busier, bedtime shifted later.
Over time, the gap between first and second sleep disappeared, creating the single-block sleep pattern that dominates modern life.
Most people never realised an alternative had once been common.
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