Humans are on the cusp of being **biphasic** sleepers. Some cultures throughout the world embrace this, the so-called "siesta" cultures. You sleep throughout the night, then you take a long nap during the midafternoon when everyone's energy naturally lulls. This is what "biphasic sleep" really means. > [!tldr] Biphasic sleep > - Sleep at night > - Nap in the afternoon There are likely numerous health benefits of adhering to a biphasic sleep schedule. The story you heard about humans who used to sleep *the first half the night*, then wake up and move about for an hour or so, then go back to sleep for *the back half of the night* - those stories may have been true, but if so that was a temporary cultural thing. That's **not** some self-generating sleep pattern that humans would adopt if we weren't societally obliged to be monophasic. **** # More ## Source - [[Why We Sleep]]