The Myth of 8-Hour Sleep is the Biggest Lie of Modern Society
Waking up at night is not the problem, modern society is
Historian Roger Ekirch was searching for historical records on nightlife when he crossed the threshold of the Public Record Office in London. The gothic building still housed the National Archives of the United Kingdom.
He had already examined documents dating from the period between the early Middle Ages and the Industrial Revolution. And he was not too confident of finding anything new.
But among the stacks of ancient manuscripts and scrolls in the archive, he came across an account from nearly 300 years earlier that sounded rather strange.
In particular, two words were entirely new to him: “first sleep.”
The testimony was the judicial deposition of Jane Rowth, a nine-year-old girl from a small village in northern England.
She and her mother had just awakened from their first sleep on the night of April 13, 1699. It was 11 p.m.
Jane’s mother was expecting visitors. She got out of bed and lit her pipe by the fireplace. A little later, two men appeared at the window and invited her to follow.
Before leaving, the mother reportedly told Jane that she would return in the…
