A good night’s sleeps?

As one who has had their sleep pattern disrupted by the lockdowns, and having become increasingly nocturnal in my study habits, I was struck by an article I chanced upon on Open Culture about historical sleep patterns, and notably that of having. ‘first sleep’ and then, after waking up and being active. having a ‘second sleep’. I do recall having heard of this idea before and was interested to learn more. The article can be read at People in the Middle Ages Slept Not Once But Twice Each Night: How This Lost Practice Was Rediscovered

In it there is s link to a much longer article about the concept from BBC Future and which can be seen at The forgotten medieval habit of 'two sleeps'

I would urge readers to look at that account. which dress upon the work of various academic, notably Roger Ekirch and his history of the night  At Day’s Close: A History of Nighttime. His book is a tempting one and a quick glance at Amazon yields at least two more studies of sleep and nighttime in the early modern period.. From the reviews they sound to be unlikely to send one to sleep …,

So with that done I will go and have my ‘first sleep’ and see if wakefulness leads to more blogging before my ‘second sleep’…..