Getting a proper sleep is very important for our body and our physical health. A good night’s sleep regenerates the body and prevents many health conditions. On the other hands, insomnia or sleep deficiency may increase the risk of some serious diseases, such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease and high blood pressure.
However, a Virginia Tech historian, Roger Ekirch, introduced a new theory of segmented sleep. He has been researching this issue for 16 years and came into conclusion that sleep may not be a nightly thing. Instead, he discovered that earlier generation had their first sleep after dusk. Then, they were awake for a while and then used to go again to sleep until the next morning. The period between the sleeping periods, which overlapped the midnight, was the most relaxing period. This was the time when the brain produces prolactin, which is a hormone that stimulates relaxation.
Roger Ekrich claims that the problems with sleeping we are experiencing nowadays are closely related to the natural preferences for segmented sleep. Hence, many people deal with sleep maintenance insomnia, which is caused by ancestral sleeping patterns. People who experience this issue have trouble falling asleep after they wake up.
Moreover, Russel Foster, professor of circadian neuroscience at Oxford, also agrees with Ekrich. He believes that this issue is an ancestral throwback to the bi-modal sleep pattern. The interrupted sleep causes anxiety, but it is part of the normal human psychology. However, this issue needs a further research. Not many scientists and researchers agree that uninterrupted 8-hour sleep is unnatural to humans.
Therefore, all you can do if you experience a middle-of-the-night awakening is to embrace the following sleeping habits.
Tips for Better Sleep
- Avoid naps during the daytime.
- Do regular physical exercise.
- Go outside during the day.
- Avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks before bedtime.
- Make sure you don’t eat large meals for dinner.
- Try to go the bed and wake up the same time every day.