A report from the Daily Mail examines the benefits of segmented sleep.
Many of us wake up in the night, tossing and turning rather than sinking back into slumber.
This may be because out body clocks are better suited to two shorter chunks of sleep rather than for one long period, according to researchers.
Dr Melinda Jackson, a psychologist specialising in sleep disorders at RMIT University and c, said split sleeping used to be the norm, and going to bed for a continuous eight hours is a modern invention.
From medical texts to court records and diaries, throughout history there have been accounts of segmented sleep – and such patterns are seen today in cultures who take a siesta, they said.
Sleeping in two periods may increase alertness in the day and provide people with more flexibility to carry out work and spend time with their family, they said.
