Could it be that 8 hours of uninterrupted rest a night is not the end-all, be-all of sleep? We are told incessantly that to lead happy, productive lives, it is optimal for adults attain between 7-9 hours of sleep a night (according to the National Sleep Foundation). This is becoming increasingly hard, with the advent of smartphones, tablets, and a plethora of other handheld devices, all begging for your attention late at night. But, some countries do not subscribe to this hard and fast way of sleep.
In India and Spain, midday naps are common, and seen as a way of rejuvenating the body. Dr. A. Roger Ekirch, who is a history professor at Virginia Tech, dug deep into this alternative way of approaching sleep. He found that in history, there have been numerous mentions of people having not one, but two periods of rest. For example, an English doctor contends that the time before one’s “first,” and, “second sleep,” is optimal for learning and pondering.
Thomas A. Wehr, a research scientist, also had an interest in this topic. He performed a study wherein his participants were only exposed to natural light. This sort of experiment was use to mimic how humans may have slept prior to light bulbs and modern-day distraction. Dr. Wehr found that after going through a phase where they slept throughout the night, his subjects slept for a bit, and then got up for a bit. This discovery was similar to what Dr. Ekirch was finding through his deep analysis of sleep in history.
Naps have recently been shown to boost creativity, and companies like Google are known for heeding the importance of sleep. Employees are allowed to take naps in contraptions called “EnergyPods.” They play white noise, while positioning the user in a position that’s optimal for blood flow. Another recent study showed that adolescents who were homeschooled got more sleep than their peers who went to traditional schools.
A major overhaul in regards to how our society approaches scheduling and work would be necessary to get us all on the same page insofar as sleep. However, perhaps a short nap here and there could be beneficial and rejuvenating to you!
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