Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Hebdomad
Generally, when I have no reason to awake at a certain time I can and often do sleep for 12 hours. But when I awake I mostly still feel awful. I was once told - and this was by someone who wouldn't wear green because it was unlucky apparently, so: caution - that the body needs 8 hours of sleep and if you go over the body enters into the next sleep cycle. Therefore if you sleep for 12 hours you still need 4 more hours to complete the cycle. I have no idea if this is true though.
|
Well that would fall into the category of oversleeping. It is generally suggested that anywhere between 7-9 hours is the ideal length of time.
Sleeping for extended periods would effect certain brain chemistry and other body processes that rely on being in sync with the circadian rhythms in the body.
Quote:
|
I'm interested in the claim that our ancestors had a vastly different sleep pattern. It seems likely because I'm sure our current sleep pattern results from the the standardised 9-5. I also read that the Chinese until quite recently had plenty of daytime naps, but only stopped because Westernised business culture looks down upon this. I'm unsure if this vindicates polyphasic sleep patterns but I'm sure culture dominates our current sleep pattern.
|
I have no doubt that sleeping patterns may have differed slightly between ages and various cultures. I doubt though that it resulted in less sleep than current patterns, just a shuffle of the schedule slightly. If anything its plausable that we may have used biphasic sleeping as it still includes much of same cycles as monophasic sleeping but with a slightly less rigid structure.
The real facts are that we still don't understand absolutely everything about the sleeping process and exactly what the real effects are on the various body processes. The more we learn about that system the more we realise how many other complex systems are tied to our sleeping cycle. This is especially the case for very subtle changes in the body during sleep that have a very large effect on related systems.
More recent studies have focused on the temperature related effects of body and sleep. If nothing else there are strong links to suggest that these sleeping periods are important in venting excess heat from the body. This includes the yawning reflex which is now suggested to be a method of cooling the brain by drawing air into the back of the throat where heat can passively exchange through the membranous skin in that region and the cranial area.