Most people believe that life can become a bit of a nightmare without
getting an unbroken eight hours of shuteye each night – but sleep experts are
arguing the case for the broken sleep pattern.
Historian Roger Ekirch from Virgina Tech has been researching sleep for
the past 16 years and has produced a wealth of evidence that it is perfectly
normal for slumber to be interrupted. In fact, one sleep expert even suggests
that broken nighttime patterns can help regulate stress.
Sleep psychologist Gregg Jacobs told the BBC World Service during a
debate: “For most of evolution we slept a certain way. Waking up during the
night is part of normal human physiology.” He added that when people were
forced into periods of rest and relaxation, this increased the ability to keep
stress under control.
Ekirch, meanwhile, in his book At Day’s Close: Night In Times Past,
references more than 500 examples of disrupted sleep patterns throughout
history. The evidence ranges from diaries to court records, and medical text
books to classic literature, including Homer’s Odyssey.
Not only did people in the past sleep in stretches, but some used the
periods when they were awake to pray, smoke or even visit neighbours.
Also taking part in the BBC debate was Russell Foster, a professor of
body clock neuroscience at the University of Oxford, who concurred with the
other experts. He said: “Many people
wake up at night and panic. I tell them that what they are experiencing is a
throwback to the bi-modal sleep pattern.”
Like most women my age, anywhere from 2:30am on, I'm wide awake. Some days, I head to my office, some days I throw in a load of laundry. Some days I lie in bed counting my blessings.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this blog. I too get frustrated when night after night, I lie awake.
Maybe now, I can convince myself that it will increase my life span, not decrease it.
DKO that is exactly what I thought. I am going to look at it as a blessing now. I won't fight. Won't panic.
DeleteInteresting post Deb. Why does everything seem a bigger deal at night, why do you feel that deep pang of loneliness? You have people around you all the time, why so vulnerable at night? Why do tasks for the next day seem looming at night and bigger than they really are? I have discovered that tomorrow is always easier than the night before or the middle of the night.
ReplyDeleteI have watched my mother in a nursing home get that "Sunset Anxiety" that comes with the night. In fact, it is hard for the staff to settle everyone in the early evening. High Anxiety time. Perhaps that's why so many people have that 5 o'clock cocktail......so make is less looming. Are we afraid to be truly "alone" with ourselves.....perhaps. Why panic, we are not that scary. xo
You raise a bunch of really interesting questions Mary-Jo. I do like being alone with myself. I am alone quite a bit. I think it for me is the fact that in the daytime, the world is at your fingertips if you need them and at night they seem a million miles away. It's weird because I love the night. I did not know that it was high anxiety time in nursing homes. Wow. that's another thing to keep me up with!
DeleteI don't mind being alone, but as you said...at night, everything's different.
DeleteIt's dark. It's quiet. Other people sleep (are out of reach). You ususally don't turn the radio/tv on.
You are all alone with yourself. Your thoughts are screaming at you. And there is no one/nothing that will muffle them.
Besides, the monster in the closet only comes out at night. :(
Becki that is what I have dealt with. Your thoughts screaming at you. My monster is under the bed. ;-)
DeleteLuckily, there's no space under my bed. :)
DeleteWonderful post Deb...I actually knew a little bit about this....but this definitely gave me more clarity...and Lottta RELIEF !!!!!!!!!!!!! Its so great to read this....coz I sometimes have insomnia and wake up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason....Ive been collecting info about it....and something else that I read was that.....if you know and do meditation regularly......the necessity of sleeping becomes less..and Meditating for an hour will give you the rest that you get by sleeping for 6 hours....not related to this but its really cool! So probably I have problem sleeping coz I meditate But I want my sleep...I love sleeping...so it used to be a little frustrating but after reading this article its so much better !!!!!
ReplyDeleteShalaka I'm sorry that you suffer insomnia. Wow at your age? But you seem to have a great attitude about it which will serve you very well. I am sporadic with my meditation. I have been doing it since I was in my early twenties. When I cannot sleep at night I repeat my mantra and it often does the trick. My Mantra is my good buddy.
ReplyDeleteAwwh....its ok...!! dont be sorry I'm sure its just a phase..Yeah my age...probably HORMONES !!! Lol...and Ive had some medical stuff goin on lately too....I blame it on that...and get happy!!!
Delete..It used to be a bit frustrating but....but Ive found a solution....Cant sleep...then DONT...big deal....you'll feel sleepy sometime...and I'm home almost all day so...I can sleep as much as I want.....I stay up at late at night...listening to inspirational workshops...and go to sleep when I actually feel sleepy...that helps....and when I cant sleep I visualize.....
For how many minutes do you meditate ??.....Cool and what is your mantra btw??
Can't sleep? Then don't. Great sentence. Taking that one to the bank. I hope your medical issues are tiny and GONE soon! xo I would love to tell you my Mantra but if I do I give away it's power. At least that is what I was taught. My meditation is T.M. And they give you the Mantra that suits your soul and my Mantra Rocks. I love it. It is all the things I want to be in one tiny word.
DeleteReally interesting article. Makes you think about the whole sleep thing in a new way. I rarely sleep through the night. I am usually awake by 3am, I try to go back to sleep but sometimes it just escapes me. I am a night time reader, so sometimes picking up a book helps.
ReplyDeleteSteph picking up a book really works. I have heard that you should only toss and turn for 15 minutes tops and then do something gentle like read.
DeleteThe type of insomnia I suffer from isn't about waking up after I fall asleep but getting to sleep in the first place so unfortunatly this doesn't paticularly cheer me up. But yes that 3 am panic is the worst part of insomnia. Something I would love to see an explanation behind is the need which propels us to clock watch when sleep is an issue. For me it's the most frustrating aspect of not being able to fall asleep. Probably because thanks to my terrible eyesight I have to sit up to check the clock 2 feet from my face and I tend to do it over and over again.
ReplyDeleteI totally avoid the clock watching. That would kill me! Wow Erin it is tough to not be able to fall asleep. Mine is the other. Fall asleep fast and four solid hours and then sometimes the trouble starts. Getting better though. I hope you find your answer.
DeleteThis is really interesting, Deb. I pride myself on getting 7+ hours of sleep a night and I was completely unaware that it's ok to wake up during the night (I have a friend who has this problem). I usually sleep all the way through the night...which I suppose I shouldn't get used to it. :]
ReplyDeleteActually Holly you may be a through the nighter all your life. I LOVE to sleep through. Actually I need 8 hours and I love 9. Yes I know I know but it's true. It's what my body wants and I am happy to give in. Be grateful for that sleep girl!
DeleteAh...sleep.
ReplyDeleteI heard that it's pretty normal that everybody wakes up a dozen of times (but doesn't always realize it).
I also heard that your brain cells die, if you sleep less than 8 hours.
And I heard that the body takes its rest, when it needs it.
And I heard that we only need like 4-5 hours of sleep.
I don't know what's right or wrong, what's good for you, and what isn't.
It's difficult for me to find sleep. I can't sleep when there are noises. I panic and freak out. I can't tell you how many nights I thought I would get a heart attack, because my heart was beating so fast, and I couldn't really breath. I can't calm myself down. Even if I tell myself that nothing will happen, that these noises won't hurt me...it doesn't work.
I'm lying in my bed, crying my eyes out...
I tend to wear ear plugs. And that does help a lot.
I never sleep much, but I'm getting used to it. I tell myself stories, when I can't find any sleep. =)
Becki that sounds like a panic attack . i get them from time to time as a result of being claustrophobic .
DeleteBecki that is awful and Linda may be right. It does sound like panic. Something I am all too familiar with. I got help in tiny pill form years ago and they got my through but now i still have them but take them rarely. They are my buddies. I call them "nervie derives". I shall wish sleep upon you.
DeleteYeah, I guess it is.
DeleteSo far, the ear plugs work for me. And it only happens, when I'm not at home...which isn't that often.
But if they don't...I might consult someone, and get some happy pills.
I always have to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, but I'm not looking forward to middle of the night and can't get back to sleep! i don't mind, though, laying cozy in bed with my thoughts. It's just if I have to get up before I've had enough sleep that I stress (happens if I have to much afternoon caffeine.
ReplyDeleteHart that is how it started for me. and then menopause and then sleep zombie. But now that I have no alarm going off (mostly) I can fall back to sleep. Except when I can't. :-)
DeleteThis past school year my sleep schedule has been so out of whack that I have realized that I can function on 6 hours of sleep. That is my ABSOLUTE minimum; anything less than that and I am a mess.
ReplyDeleteLast night was not a particularly good night's sleep for me; my roommate wanted to sleep with the window open. When there weren't sirens going off or the DING FREAKING DONG of the hourly chimes that ring on campus, the blinds were rattling due to the wind. This used to be the girl who could sleep through anything; guess times have changed. Hello cherry coke :]
One thing I am very proud of being in college is the fact that I have not pulled a single all nighter!!! Yay me!!!
Wow! 6 hours of sleep! That is sleeping in for me! Ha! Never pulled an all-nighter? Really?! That's a once a week thing for me. I'm glad you are able to get your sleep. it must be nice!
Delete;)
I had trouble falling asleep and/or staying YEARS. Sometimes I'd be up all night. The worst time for me is sunrise, because seeing is it a reminder that I haven't slept. To this day, even if I have to get up that early to go somewhere, it really bothers me.
DeleteI love being awake at night. That's when I feel most comfortable. It's just that it lasts too long. The long drives after shows adds to that comfort. Me, my car, the occasional semi and the road. Love it.
Now I take 2 types of sleeping pills: one to fall asleep, and one to stay asleep. If I skip either one, the night is hell. Either can't fall asleep, or awake every 10-15 minutes. SUCKS.
I don't know whether the type of sleep or the hours I sleep are a physical need, but now, emotionally, I NEED it.
this is very interesting . i sympathize with Hart . i also get woken up by nature calling . i usually go to bed so late that when i get woken up it is usually to late to go back to bed but to early to get up ! another thing i can't do is fall asleep without my i pod on or without watching a DVD . i have even dropped off while listening to Metallica and motorhead . i guess you could say i am a heavy sleeper !
ReplyDeleteever since my dad and i sold our shop and ran our business form home i found myself staying up late and sleeping in a bit . that was the joys of setting my own work hours . now my job is gone it doesn't matter how long i sleep in unless mom has to be taken to the hospital .
am i the only one that find i can't go to sleep if i have my alarm set for the following morning. i have to pick up my moms home help at 10-00 on a Wednesday morning so my alarm is set for 08-30. for the life of me i can't get to sleep at all on a Tuesday night.
i think the amount of sleep you need decreases with age. my mom for example finds it harder then dad or i do to get to sleep . i think this is also because she is a very stressed out personality .
(I might have posted this somewhere on here already, but I can't find it, so here it is again.)
ReplyDeleteI hate the whole subject of sleep. I have had trouble falling and/or staying asleep for years. Lying in bed waiting to fall asleep was more common. Waking up in the middle of the night wasn't much better. However, I've discovered that, if I can't get back to sleep, my blood sugar is probably too low. A glass of juice or milk helps enough so I fall asleep almost immediately.
(This was not the problem over the years. My sugars ran quite high for a looooong time.)
I have always stayed up late at night, hoping I would get tired enough to be able to sleep. Now I feel most comfortable at night, particularly outside. That's helpful on the long drives after shows. I find it quite peaceful, comforting.
The worst time is just before sunrise, when the birds wake up and start their noises, chirps and whatever. It drives home the fact that I haven't slept.
Depression often affects sleep patterns. I was put on sleep meds, and the first ones were helpful... eventually. They took a LONG time to kick in after the first month or so. Now I'm on a pill that puts me to sleep, and one that keeps me asleep. I know they work because once or twice I've forgotten to take them, and have lain in bed WAITING, then finally getting up, looking at the dispenser, dope-slapping my head, then correcting the problem.
I don't know or care anymore what my body would do if left to its own natural devices. I just want to sleep.
I have my wonder drug and I stay asleep for the night and if I have to go to the bathroom, I get up and promptly get back to sleep. Trazadone saved me from waking a zillion times and going to the bathroom or just staying awake. 8 hours for me every night. I feel for those who wake up and can't go back to sleep. Many people I know take naps or need caffeine. I do neither anymore and am thrilled. I have become a night person now too and wake up later and feel way more refreshed and like I actually entered REM sleep. Non addicting and can take for a lifetime.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you Dawn. I had no trouble ever going to sleep it was staying asleep and that happened in my mid 50's even with hormone replacement therapy. I was thrown into menopause when I was 39 by a emergency hysterectomy for bleeding and being anemic.
ReplyDeleteTrazadone plus Seroquel (a double-duty pill) are two of my favorite things.
ReplyDeleteI also know several people whose doctors recommend melatonin, a natural sleep aid. I think it's in the vitamin section. Not sure, since I've never looked. I'm happy with what I take.