Sleep has come a long way in 300 years! Author Roger Ekirch believes that in the past sleep was divided into two segments each night. There was an hour or so of wakefulness in-between the first and second sleep segment. Historical medical books "frequently advised sleepers, for better digestion and more tranquil repose, to lie on their right side," during their first sleep and then to switch to their left side during their second sleep segment. (Ekirch 366).
In religion, the Catholic Church promoted early morning prayers amongst its followers, so that they could speak with, "God during the still hours of the night" (Ekirch 366). This practice was seen as favorable so that there was nothing else going on to bother the praying man or woman. It would only be you and God together in the middle of the night.
Since the middle ages our human culture has changed because of technology. Artificial light and caffeine give people the ability to stay up longer than ever before. More people around the world are now "night owls" as opposed to being a "morning person." In the middle ages, daylight meant work time, but now a majority of the work is no longer manual labor and can be carried on into the night. While more people do stay awake at night, the darkness still represents the same thing it did centuries ago, mischief. It is a common saying, "nothing good happens after midnight." It is as true today as it was in the past. People who stay up into the AM seem to have an inclination to cause trouble no matter where they are.
Source:
Ekirch, A. Roger. “Sleep We Have Lost: Pre-industrial Slumber in the British Isles.” The
American Historical Review 106, no. 2 (2001): 363-386.
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