How Aging Changes Sleep Patterns
source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111415462
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Not sleeping well? It's a common complaint. Sixty-four million Americans report at least occasional bouts of insomnia. And the anxiety of waking up in the middle of the night can be maddening.
Psychiatrist Thomas Wehr has one consoling message for those who wake up at 2 a.m.: This is likely the way our ancestors slept.
"There are historical records of people sleeping in two bouts at night," Wehr explains. They called the first bout dead sleep, and the second bout was called morning sleep. The wakeful period in between was referred to as watch or watching.
Before the days of artificial lighting, a winter day could bring 14 hours of solid darkness. People lived from sun to sun.
Psychiatrist Thomas Wehr has one consoling message for those who wake up at 2 a.m.: This is likely the way our ancestors slept.
"There are historical records of people sleeping in two bouts at night," Wehr explains. They called the first bout dead sleep, and the second bout was called morning sleep. The wakeful period in between was referred to as watch or watching.
Before the days of artificial lighting, a winter day could bring 14 hours of solid darkness. People lived from sun to sun.
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