This is a very strange notion: that before the widespread use of artificial light at night (think light bulb), people normally went to sleep shortly after sundown, woke up in the middle of the night, stayed awake for an hour or two, then went back to sleep again until the sun came up. With the advent of artificial light, we started staying up until much later, and then sleeping just once, all the way through the night. Then you have to wonder what effect this modern single sleep is having on us.
My readers who know me well will know that I normally go to sleep shortly after sundown; I've been doing this for a long time. Something I've noticed the past few years is that I often wake up around midnight or one in the morning, and I get up typically around 3 or 4 am. Now I'm wondering if I should get up and do something for an hour or two, then go back to bed. I think I may try this a time or two, and see how it feels...
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