Can't Sleep? Maybe It's Not Insomnia

Insomnia is a big money maker. Americans spend 23 billion dollars on sleep aids of every kind every year. Those who don't use actual sleeping pills often use other sleep aids like herbal remedies, meditation, masks and earplugs, recorded sounds, aromatherapy and so on. Trying to sleep an elusive eight hours every night has become the constant goal for many. Books are written about insomnia, studies are funded and entire careers are dedicated to sleep - or the lack of it.

The reason we cannot "get a good night's sleep" has been attributed to everything from snoring to watching TV. Too much caffeine and sleep apnea are only two culprits that can be tackled head on, but many who seem to have insomnia have neither problem.

Can so many circadian rhythms be wrong?

Historical documents found from societies without mega factories, technology and traffic around the clock paint a picture that we are unfamiliar with. Segmented sleep, or "first sleep" and "last sleep" is common to humans whose lives are not regulated by clocks and artificial lighting. Some tribes in Africa still have the same broken sleep pattern as those found in European communities before the Industrial Revolution.

Segmented sleep can mean anything from a full awakening and conversation, hobbies or other activities to a state where one is awake, but drowsy for a period of time, but doesn't get out of bed.

The "first sleep" and the "last sleep" seems to be normal and natural. Those who work hard physically, as most of our forefathers did, are tired and ready for sleep shortly after the last meal of the day. After sleeping for some time, the body and mind are revived and one awakes, at least for awhile. This is the end of the first sleep and the second sleep follows at some point after, during which the body is more fully rested and made ready for another day.

Now for the scientific note: Some sleep research seems to indicate that waking up during the night for a period, combined with a short daytime nap, is the most natural sleeping pattern for humans and results in a more alert and creative mind. A higher than usual level of prolactin has been found in the brain when it awakes after the first sleep, which results in a satisfied or peaceful state of mind.

It seems that, in reality, our modern eight hour night has never been the correct way for us to sleep.

It's only been in the last century or so that insomnia has become such a problem. With electric lights that give us bright as day rooms after dark, TVs and computers and a world that never sleeps, we cannot seem to sleep. If you have this "problem" of waking up in the night, perhaps it's because your circadian rhythm is simply trying to continue as naturally as possible. It could be that you're not the one out of step, the world is!