For some years, science has been wondering about the benefits and risks of interrupted or biphasic sleep. But what is it exactly?
– Milan
When we think about sleep, the most common hypothesis is to go to bed at night and sleep uninterrupted until the next morning. In reality there are many different ways of sleeping: some people, for example, cannot do without an afternoon nap. Others, however, despite themselves, wake up in the middle of the night and then go back to sleep after a while. Excluding sleep disorders, which must be addressed with a specialist, the latter two are examples of biphasic sleep. But what is it exactly? And how does it work?
Biphasic sleep from the Middle Ages to today
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Biphasic sleep is a sleep pattern that involves sleeping in two separate phases within 24 hours. It differs from the more widespread monophasic pattern, in which you sleep in a single continuous period. What perhaps not everyone knows is that Biphasic sleep was once very common. Anthropologists and historians have described patterns of “interrupted” sleep in many societies, and traces of this can also be found in the literature since the Middle Ages. Today, however, thebiphasic habit still survives in some areas of the Mediterranean basin and Latin America, for example through the tradition of siesta. However, with the advent of modernity and increasingly fast pace, continuous night sleep has become the norm.
Biphasic sleep: what to do? Some examples
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There are three most popular approaches to biphasic sleep.
- Siesta: for those who follow the ritual of siesta, sleep consists of a long nocturnal period of approximately 5/6 hours and an afternoon rest of 60 to 90 minutes. Widespread in some Mediterranean cultures and Latin American countries, it allows you to rest during the hottest hours.
- Midday nap: we sleep mostly at night and recover our energy with a short daytime rest of 20 to 30 minutes, often in the early afternoon. It does not imply reduction of main sleep. In use in many monophasic cultures.
- First and second sleep: sleep is fragmented into two distinct phases, interspersed with a period of wakefulness. We go to sleep first for the so-called first sleep, until midnight. After one or more hours awake, the second sleep follows. A model of rest practiced in the Middle East, South America and West Africa.
Is biphasic sleep good for you?
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Some scholars believe that biphasic sleep may have benefits on concentration and health. However, the scientific debate is still open: there is no certain data on the superiority of biphasic sleep. You think that it is an adaptation to environmental changes: in research a few years ago it was discovered that, by reducing exposure to daylight, volunteers spontaneously began to divide their night’s rest into two phases. It may be evidence that many historical cultures adopted biphasic sleep patterns in response to seasonal changes in weather, daylight, and food availability. However, biphasic sleep is also common among living people near the equator and which do not undergo major seasonal changes.
Biphasic sleep, the example of Michael Mosley
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Among the supporters of biphasic sleep is the English science journalist Michael Mosleywhich in the book Sleep and the brain. Why sleeping is good and what to do to sleep well (Vallardi), explains that, having the tendency to wake up spontaneously around 3 in the morning, he has learned to follow this rhythm. In practice, he goes to bed no later than 10.30 pm, totaling an initial rest block of approximately 4 and a half hours. When he wakes up in the middle of the night, instead of feeling frustrated, Mosley gets up and does relaxing activities such as listening to music, meditating or reading “boring” books for about 40 minutes and avoids exciting stimuli. Feeling sleepy again, he then goes back to sleep for another 3 hours. “Since I have, albeit reluctantly, accepted that I will hardly be able to sleep for a whole night again – writes Mosley – I feel more rested, less stressed and much less sleepy during the day”.
The benefits of biphasic sleep
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Here are some of the benefits related to biphasic sleep, which emerge from preliminary research, although – as already mentioned – the scientific debate is still open.
- Improved cognitive performance: an analysis of eleven studies shows how a short afternoon nap can significantly increase parameters such as memory, attention and logical thinking. Particular advantages would be found in elderly people with cognitive impairment.
- Greater quality of life: some subjects with difficulty sleeping continuously have reported a marked improvement by adapting to a biphasic pattern. Doctors, however, urge caution in the absence of data on the long-term effects of this protocol.
- Respect for complex life rhythms: the so-called first and second sleep would allow us to manage particularly intense times of social, work or religious activities that characterize certain cultures or countries.
The Disadvantages of Biphasic Sleep
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The habit of sleeping split into two moments could, however, entail some disadvantages:
- Drowsiness and confusion: a daytime nap lasting more than 30 minutes can lead to a feeling of grogginess upon awakening which is not very refreshing. Furthermore, sleeping during the day makes it more difficult to rest adequately at night.
- Interference with social rhythms: respecting usual working hours requires staying awake during daylight hours, therefore the practice of napping may be discouraged by certain cultural contexts, particularly in the West.
- Impaired sleep quality: studies on biphasic sleep have highlighted worse rest parameters and greater drowsiness in this group compared to monophasics. This pattern is hypothesized to alter how the body regulates sleep homeostasis and circadian rhythm.
Is biphasic sleep right for us?
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The answer to the question of whether biphasic sleep is right for us is not an easy one. While two-stage sleep may offer some benefits, it’s not right for everyone. Those who have difficulty sleeping at night, for example, could find their insomnia worsening. It’s also worth noting that it can be difficult to adjust to biphasic sleep, especially if you’re used to sleeping in a monophasic pattern. Here are some tips to understand if biphasic sleep is right for us:
- Assess your sleep needs: How much sleep do we need each night? Do we sleep enough according to a monophasic pattern? If not, biphasic sleep might help.
- Consider lifestyle: Do we have a busy life schedule? Do we often suffer from jet lag? Also in this case biphasic sleep could be a good option.
- Thinking about health: Do we have any health conditions that could be exacerbated by disrupted sleep? If the answer is yes, it may be best to stick to a regular sleep schedule.
The history of biphasic sleep
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According to some historians, the biphasic sleep model, divided into two distinct moments, was very widespread in pre-industrial times. Roger Ekirch of Virginia Tech University (USA) reports, for example, that until the 19th century people used to go to bed around 9pm, sleep for an initial block of around 5 hours, and then wake up around 2am. In this phase of nocturnal vigil we dedicated ourselves to household chores, visits to friends or moments of intimacy, before returning to rest until the morning. Ekirch believes that this ancient pattern has been altered by the pressures of the industrial era and the advent of electric lighting, which made it the prevailing norm to sleep uninterruptedly for the entire night. The very concepts of “first” and “second” sleep thus ended up disappearing from the collective imagination. The anthropologist Carol Worthman has also recognized a certain diffusion of polyphasic sleep among hunter-gatherer tribes who lead a pre-modern lifestyle. This would be explained by the evolutionary need to maintain a certain degree of night vigilance to defend against possible predators.
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