It is a commonly held belief that going to sleep and rising at earlier hours are in the best interest of one’s health. For many centuries, people needed to rise and rest with the rhythms of the sun, as very little productivity in the means of labor was possible during the late night hours. As candles and gas lamps became more common, people could read, write, and socialize during the late night hours. Since electricity became commonplace over a century ago, people can do what they need and want to do, when they want to do it, making the night hours newly available to everyday people.

Insomnia is a problem reported by many people and there are just as many theories as to why it is an issue and what its causes are. Some say the stimulation of electronics at work and then using television and the internet at home for relaxation keeps people’s brains from being able to relax enough to sleep. Others believe that modern day stress factors are what keep so many people awake during all hours of the night. For others, medical diagnoses and explanations are given out by the handful. Many people find frustration in not being able to sleep when then want to be able to.

Others argue that it may not be such a stretch to think that we are evolutionarily programmed to sleep in fragments. In caveman days, one had to be alert using animalistic sixth senses to be aware of predators that could attack in the night. It’s been said that we were meant to sleep for perhaps 3-4 hours at a time, get up and hunt or run or fight, and then sleep for a few more hours later on. Many people who take regular afternoon naps say that their creativity, mood, and productivity are greatly heightened. It is possible that we are meant to sleep in multiple cycles. It is also highly probable that one way of sleeping may be perfect for one person while completely inappropriate for another, and that a “one size fits all” mentality is simply antiquated.