The way we sleep - and don't sleep - today is creating a nation of sleep-deprived citizens. The problem may not be that we don't get the eight hour block of sleep a night that most of us believe is what is needed and natural.
Evidence from journals and other records suggests that prior to the electric light and the Industrial Revolution, people slept in two blocks of time, rather than the "straight through" that we think is ideal.
Read more in "Rethinking Sleep," a fascinating New York Times article by David K.Randal. It looks like sleeping this way, in chunks with a break in between, results in more alertness, energy, productivity and creativity.
Although the way life is set up for most of us today doesn't make it easy, you may be inspired to try something new - that is actually old - with your sleep. I've tried it and I like it. A lot.
Catherine Boyer, MA, LCSW
New York Neurofeedback