Biphasic Sleep: Is it for you?

For large parts of our social history we didn’t sleep in one long stretch.

We slept in a manner called biphasic sleep.

In fact, in the Viking era, biphasic sleep was the norm.

People would go to bed after sunset, wake up after four hours, and spend an hour or two in quiet wakefulness. They would pray, work or even visit neighbors. They would then go back to sleep.

This pattern shows up in historical texts, journals, even in literature from across the world.

So why did we shift?

The invention of artificial lighting changed everything. We pushed bedtime later. Work hours lengthened. Society demanded a single 8-hour sleep cycle. Over time, monophasic sleep became the only way.

But is it better?

That’s debatable. Modern research suggests that biphasic sleep can be just as restorative. In fact, for some people, it may improve memory, reduce sleep inertia, and offer better alignment with natural circadian dips.

So, what does the science say?

A study published in the Journal of Sleep Research found that people who took a 90-minute nap in the day had better learning outcomes than those who stayed awake.

Another study showed that segmented sleep allowed people to fall asleep more easily, and experience richer REM sleep in the second half of the night.

But there is a difference between napping in the afternoon and biphasic sleep. I strongly encourage you to nap if you can. One argument against biphasic sleep is the need to flush toxins from your brain, which seems to be done better in an eight-hour cycle.

So what should you do?

If you are thriving on 8 hours of continuous sleep, don’t change. But if you struggle, wake up at night, or feel groggy in the morning, consider biphasic sleep.

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