Why You Should Wake Up In the Night

[alfreda89]

Judy Tarr posted this link over on Facebook, and I'm bringing it over here for Live Journal introverts to enjoy. I slept like this in my youth, and was healthier for it. Maybe I should assume it's the natural cycle I'm reverting to, and go on from there?

If I could just stop this staying up four days straight crap. That is not helping the healing process....

Comments

[martianmooncrab.livejournal.com]

I have always slept in chunks, and two hour cycles .. its a pretty good article.

[originalkitsune.livejournal.com]

I think there are variations from person to person and culture to culture (such as people who live near the arctic circle) but Traditional Chinese Medicine says people are supposed to sleep at night (when sun sets) straight through until sunrise. How much sleep is needed is wildly debated however and older people are not considered abnormal to get less. Weight loss studies have shown by measuring hormones that when a person (under 65 yrs old) goes under 7 hrs of sleep they gain weight no matter how low they cut their calories. Cortisol levels were abnormal in those with even 6.5 and even some at 7 hrs of sleep. That alone tells me that the body considers sleep deprivation a hostile thing.

I tried polyphasic sleep in undergrad. It was good for cramming for exams but useless for actually living a productive life. I heard Edison did it and was very productive that way, but i don't think his health and beauty were improved by such a thing.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

I think people vary wildly, and in preindustrial societies that variety worked to our advantage. In the future (maybe near future) it may once again prove useful, but we're still in "everyone works this cycle and sleeps this cycle" and that prevents people from finding what works best for them.

[sheilagh.livejournal.com]

would naps have factored into that Chinese sleep schedule? siesta, etc...