So, as it turns out, humans might have had a very different circadian rhythm back in the day -- sometime between the reign of dinosaurs and the birth of Jesus. People slept in what is often referred to as “segmented sleeping,” which includes an initial four hour deep sleep, an hour or so of wakefulness, and another few hours of shut-eye. At some point along the way, society was restructured and now, a segmented sleeping pattern is not as practical as conking out for ideally between seven and nine(ish) hours every single night.
It is not uncommon for a person to wake up somewhere between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. for seemingly no reason. If you have ever experienced it, you’ll know that there is nothing more infuriating than restlessly lying in bed, only hours before you need to wake up. While this annoyance is nothing to be concerned about (I think? I’m not a doctor), it may arguably be a wise choice to embrace the extra hour of existence the middle of the night is giving you. Hell, yeah. Wake up!
It’s like a BOGO 10 percent off coupon to Starbucks in the sense that it’s not really needed, and seldom even wanted, but it somehow makes its way from the bottom of pockets, cup holders, wallets, and purses to the cashier’s hand for a $.50 discount -- but, hey, a discount is a discount, right? In other words, waking up in the middle of the night is life’s way of slapping you across the face and granting you another hour or two just to be alive and take in the nighttime that you don’t see very often. Maybe life is more passive-aggressive than that. Maybe life just gently places your hand in a bowl of warm water.
Many people report that this time of night is a time of boosted creativity, likely affected by the mild state of dreaminess that you would find yourself in after willingly waking up in the middle of the night. That being the case, this extra hour or two was favored by artists and poets as a quiet time to work, while others preferred to wake up and visit neighbors, have sex, shower, clean, eat, rob banks -- you name it.
The coolest part about this segmented sleeping pattern -- you don't feel tired the next day. It may take a bit of getting used to falling asleep a second time in one night, but when successful, it does not overtly limit the amount of rest you get. With an extra hour in the middle of the night, set aside time to do all of the stuff that you know you won’t get done the next day. Segmented sleeping is perfect for restless night owls and people that catch themselves saying, “There’s not enough hours in the day”!
Moral of the story? Embrace the little bit of extra time that you are given to manage yourself. Try not to frustrate yourself with thoughts of how tired you’ll be the next day and, instead, utilize the wakefulness as a time of mindfulness. You will feel much better in the long run.
