I heard that in nature, humans were getting up when the sun raises , does that mean that they were sleeping much longer on winter?
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this is all about [Circadian rhythms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythm), basically the bodies 24hr Wake/Sleep cycle. This can vary, based on season, your work schedule (ie night shift) etc but is determined by the regular, consistent daily wake/sleep patterns you establish.
[That concept simply means that when we synchronize our internal clocks with nature’s, we can optimize sleep, energy and health](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_rhythm#/media/File:Biological_clock_human.svg). It really comes down to being attuned to your hormones (as opposed to light/dark per se)
For example: our sleep hormone, melatonin, is naturally secreted around 9-10pm. We normally feel tired-ish around this time but many bypass it and enter a whole new wakefulness cycle. If you were to fall asleep regularly 10pm every night, you would begin to get amazingly restorative sleep and wake up refreshed. waking up is really a matter of this hormone wearing off and cortisol production beginning
Yes in winter and every other night too. 12 hours is a long time to rest. It has been documented that some people would have “first sleep” and “second sleep”. They would wake up mid night, do whatever and chill, then sleep some more. They were much better rested and healthier because of the sun schedule.
There was an experiment done with miners, they were completely light deprived for, I think, 60 days. During the experiment they found that even with our the light controlling the circadian rhythm, we have an internal system that regulates us. When compared to the sun rise and set, it was found that they all went to sleep a bit after the sun set, and got about 7-9 hours of sleep. All without the sun determining their sleep habits.
Longer? Not necessarily. Certainly we were sleeping differently, but I’d wager (and I’m pretty sure real researchers will back me up) that the total amount of sleep stayed about the same. Now, that sleep was probably divided, and the ways in which it was divided probably varied based on where you lived, but, reading some really old books, it seems as though taking 2 “sleeping” periods wasn’t the exception, the way it is today, and there could even be a third. We see these things in the modern world with “getting up to pee” in the middle of the night, and the siesta.
I’m currently blessed by a work schedule that allows me to experience a barely restricted sleep schedule, and I can tell you that, aside from occasional insomnia, I generally have 2-3 “sleep” periods in a night of about 2-3 hours each, punctuated by bathroom breaks and small activities, and will often take a short nap in the afternoon, especially on overcast or weathery days. And I feel great about all of that after 20 years of having to be awake at 5:30 am and functional by 6, every day, rain or shine, including weekends, regardless of when I got to sleep the previous night.
Some were taking part in biphasic sleeping where they’d sleep for awhile during long dark nights, get up for a bit and do some things, then go back to sleep.
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20170517/History-of-sleep-what-was-normal.aspx
I’m currently in Hawaii. Sunset at 6. Sunrise at 6. 8 days here and we are usually asleep by 9 and up by 6:30 or 7. On vacation. I’m sleeping more and more better than I do at home. I have a hard time sleeping and even on days we don’t do much here I’m still able to follow the patterns of the sun more or less.
There’s also a lot of evidence that people slept in two separate sessions overnight, getting up in the middle of the night for several hours.
Yes, infact people used to sleep twice during the darker months. They would take a “break” from sleeping in the middle of the night
Not in Northern Finland.
[3 hours a day isn’t long enough to get everything done. And they like to get at least some sleep in June and July.](https://www.laplandsafaris.com/en/tips/hours-of-daylight-in-lapland)
FINALLY MY MOMENT. So years ago I started to sleep with the curtains open to wake up more naturally with the sun. This was the summer and I felt great no more morning grogginess I would get loads done in those early hours and when winter came round I’d still wake up between 5:30-6:00 without any alarms or unconscious prompts like the heating coming on or somebody else waking up.
It’s still dark outside but my internal clock just knows it’s time. I tested this further by not setting an alarm for an early morning flight and once again I wake up 15-30 mins before I would have had to get up.
It’s been such a weird little experiment but 3 years later I still haven’t used an alarm.
Just in case people wondered I was one of them 6:30, 6:45, 6:55, 07:00 type of alarm person.
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