As posted on before, it is quite likely that the expectation of 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep was not biologically or historically normal until the industrial revolution imposed it artificially.This discussion in the BBC's website (h/t Boing Boing) describes further how historical writings, diaries and anthropological study demonstrate that people normally slept in separate four hour blocks often with a few hours of activity in between alone or with others.
I must admit that it makes me wonder about the extent to which industrialization has been all progress!
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