Time To Take A Second Look At A Second Shift For Two Good Night’s Sleep In One

For our entire lives we’ve been told that to be at our best we need to get our 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.  Then we were told it was the hours of sleep before midnight that were most important followed by the admonition to take advantage of afternoon naps. I’m getting tired just trying to keep up with the changing info about sleep!  But it’s important to try because not getting enough sleep can complicate a variety of health issues.

A lot of people wake up in the middle of the night  and now an expert is saying this may happen because our body clocks are more suited to two chunks of sleep rather than one long period.

Dr. Melinda Jackson, a psychologist specializing in sleep disorders at RMIT University says that splitting up the hours of sleeping used to be the norm, and that going to bed for a solid eight hours is a fairly modern invention. (no wonder I want to sleep ALL the time!)

Dr. Jackson says everything from medical texts to court records and diaries throughout history reflect that people used to sleep in two segments during the night. It's thought the practice may increase alertness during the day and also allow for flexibility with work and family time. (Daily Mail)