The pursuit of a good night’s sleep has preoccupied most people at one point or another. For those who suffer from insomnia, it’s a more acute concern than for others who just hope to fight off afternoon fatigue. A historian named Roger Ekirch has good news for both camps, though: human sleep has changed over time.
While researching a book about nighttime, he stumbled across court records referencing “first sleep.” Through extensive searching of these records and other official documents, as well as popular literature and songs of the past, he learned that humans in the pre-industrial world tended to sleep for a few hours once night fell and then wake up for approximately an hour before returning to sleep.
Biphasic sleep, as the process is called, appears to have been widespread. Ekirch found references to the phenomenon across Europe, as well as in accounts from South America and the Middle East. The period in between rests was a time for duty or reflection, depending on one’ s means. Peasants would check on their animals, while nobles might read or write until sleep overtook them again.
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Biphasic sleep was known as far back as ancient Greece, based on a reference in the renowned poem The Odyssey. However, it faded as the Industrial Revolution took hold. Not only did artificial lighting begin to spread, but attitudes toward sleep also changed. When people were sleeping, they couldn’t be exploited in factories, so sleeping “too much” provoked accusations of laziness and time-wasting.
Today, we must be alert to the false belief that waking up early guarantees productivity, and that waking up in the middle of the night condemns you to exhaustion. When insomnia strikes, comfort yourself with the thought that you’re in touch with ancient human practices for the night, and occupy yourself quietly until sleep returns.
大多數人都曾關注於追求一夜好眠。對於那些患有失眠的人來說，相較於那些只求消除午後疲勞的人，這是一個更嚴重的問題。不過，一位名叫羅傑埃克奇的歷史學家有好消息要帶給這兩種群體：人類的睡眠隨著時間不斷在變化。
埃克奇在研究一本關於夜間作息的書時，偶然發現了提及「第一次睡眠」的法庭記錄。通過廣泛的記錄搜查和其他官方文件以及過去的流行文學和歌曲，他了解到工業社會以前的人往往當夜幕降臨時會睡幾個小時，然後在回去睡覺之前會大約醒來一個小時。
兩階段睡眠，正如這個過程的稱呼，似乎曾經很普遍。埃克奇在整個歐洲以及南美和中東的記述中都發現有提到這個現象。兩段休息之間的時段是工作或深思的時間，這取決於個人財富多寡。農民們會檢視他們的家畜，而貴族們可能會閱讀或寫作，直到睡意再度來襲。
根據著名史詩《奧德賽》中的引述，早在古希臘時期就已知兩階段睡眠。然而，隨著工業革命的興起，它逐漸消失了。不僅人造的照明設備開始普及，人們對於睡眠的態度也發生了變化。當人們睡覺時，他們無法在工廠被利用，因此「睡太多」會招致懶惰和浪費時間的指控。
今日，我們必須警惕錯誤的觀念，即早起可以保證工作產能，還有半夜醒來會使你疲憊不堪。當你為失眠所苦時，用你在了解過去人們的夜間習慣的想法安慰自己，然後靜靜地打發時間直到睡意回復。
MORE INFORMATION
biphasic adj. 兩階段的
preoccupy vt. 使…關注；使…全神貫注
insomnia n. 失眠
reference vt. 提到；論及
renowned adj. 著名的
Key Vocabulary
1. pursuit n. 追求；爭取
Emma went to France in pursuit of an advanced education in philosophy.
艾瑪到法國追求高等的哲學教育。
2. acute adj. 嚴重的；劇烈的
Unemployment in this region is an acute problem and needs to be addressed immediately.
失業在這個區域是一項嚴重的問題，必須馬上著手處理。
3. extensive adj. 廣泛的；大規模的
Professor Eriksson has done extensive research on this topic, so he is the best-qualified person to give the talk.
艾瑞克森教授對於此主題做了廣泛的研究，因此他是最有資格來演講的人選。
4. reflection n. 沉思；深思
Stan prefers quiet moments of reflection to busy social events.
比起熱鬧的社交活動，史丹喜歡沉思的靜謐時刻。
5. exploit vt. 利用；剝削
The employer exploited his workers by making them work sixteen hours a day.
那位僱主剝削他的員工，叫他們一天工作十六個小時。
6. accusation n. 指控；譴責
Mr Green made an accusation that Mrs. White was the one responsible for murdering the cook.
格林先生指控懷特太太正是那位謀殺廚師的人。
7. condemn sb to sth 使……遭受；使……處於（負面狀態）
Stanley’s inability to express his feelings to others condemned him to a lonely life.
史丹利無法向他人表達自己的情感，這使他過著孤獨的生活。
8. exhaustion n. 疲憊不堪；精疲力竭
I planned to go to my friend’s party, but I ended up going to sleep early out of exhaustion.
我本來打算去參加朋友的派對，結果我因為疲憊不堪早早就睡了。
9. overtake vt. 突然發生；頓時出現（三態overtake-overtook-overtaken）
A feeling of calm overtook Kayla when she breathed deeply and looked out onto the ocean.
當凱拉深呼吸並望向大海，頓時襲來一種平靜的感覺。
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