For most of us, when we go to sleep, we pretty much stay asleep until we wake up the next morning. This is something called monophasic sleep, but some people are actually biphasic sleepers and enjoy a different type of sleep!
The NHS recommends that adults get around 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, but there's no guidance on how to achieve this amount of sleep. A monophasic sleeper will go to bed at a specific time, such as 10 pm, and stay asleep until they've had the right amount of hours, such as 7 am. Biphasic sleepers are different in that they won't spend all night sleeping, but will actually wake up in between!
What is biphasic sleep?
Biphasic sleep is a type of sleep pattern in which a person sleeps in two 'portions', more commonly called segments. This means that, unlike a monophasic sleeper, they may sleep from 10 pm until 2 am and then spend an hour or two awake before returning to bed. Some people may naturally have biphasic sleep, whereas others may purposefully adjust their schedule to accommodate this, believing it can be more productive.
Before the industrial revolution introduced artificial lighting, biphasic sleep was a more common method of sleeping. People would go to sleep in the evening, when the skies turned dark, and then wake up around midnight. They would then stay up for a few hours before going back to bed. Artificial lighting meant we were no longer reliant on the sun for easy light, allowing us to stay up for longer. As many researchers suggest, this shift turned more of us into monophasic sleepers.
Is biphasic sleep healthy?
The type of biphasic sleep our ancestors practised is not what current-day biphasic sleepers do. Back then, people would physically get up and maybe walk around, do some housework and more. Nowadays, different ways of biphasic sleep are considered, which can include:
- Midday naps: this could be a quick 30-minute nap at noon and then sleeping a regular amount of time at night, or taking a longer nap and sleeping less at night.
- Night naps: a more traditional style of biphasic sleeping, with someone only sleeping for around 2-3 hours before waking up for a few hours and going back to bed.
So, in terms of the benefits of biphasic sleep, we're basically asking how healthy napping is, and that's where you'll get different answers. Some suggest that a nap, or the first part of a biphasic sleep, can give a boost to your energy levels and mental clarity, particularly if you opt for a shorter sleep in the day.
If you sleep longer than around 30 minutes, then you enter the deep sleep stage, which means you'll be more likely to feel sleep inertia when you wake up. Essentially, you'll feel groggy and tired, which can take up to an hour to recover from. Shorter sleep can help improve your mood, increase alertness, and reduce overall fatigue. Research also suggests that a shorter nap can help decrease blood pressure levels and improve heart health.
Another drawback to taking a short nap during the day is that it can cause trouble sleeping at night, particularly if you take a longer nap, as you won't be as tired as you should be when you go to bed. A way to get around this, though, is to introduce a biphasic sleep schedule, allowing your body to adjust to sleeping in two phases.
How to get a biphasic sleep schedule
Some people might naturally have biphasic sleep, in which case you're probably already reaping the benefits! Others, though, will need to train their body and mind to sleep in two segments and not suffer negative repercussions, so you'll need to work until your body naturally follows a biphasic sleep schedule.
Before you try anything, you'll need to decide which biphasic sleep pattern you want to adopt: a midday schedule or a night schedule. If you're going to take a nap during the day, aim to do so between 12 pm and 3 pm; any later than this can interrupt your nighttime sleep and lead to you not getting the quality sleep you need.
To ensure your naps stay under 30 minutes, set an alarm so that you'll definitely wake up and hopefully feel refreshed, rather than disoriented. You'll also want to make sure your midday sleep space is set up to encourage you to fall asleep quickly. This could involve installing blackout blinds to recreate the nighttime ambience.
Ultimately, the most important thing is to remain consistent with your routine to ensure you achieve a segmented sleep schedule. Though there's no specific timeframe, habits are estimated to take around two months to form, after which your new sleep routine will feel much more natural to you.
