Just a reminder that research basically found that “catch up on sleep” doesn’t really work. Bodies are astonishing machines, capable of adapting to the most extreme conditions, but they do work better when they can repeat the same routines day after day.
As a fellow 6-hour-sleeper, I think modern society makes it a bit hard for people like me. The reality is that my body wants to sleep in 3-hour cycles, and doesn’t really appreciate doing three cycles in a row, but it still wants to sleep about 8 or 9 hours out of 24. That would work fine in past ages: wake up early, tend to animals and fields, then have a mid-day nap - at a time when it’s too hot to work anyway (at least where my genes mostly come from). Then get back in the game, do social stuff, and be at peak awareness by dusk / early evening, when the danger of common violence gets higher.
These days, when the dominant culture is clearly more “northern” in nature, one is still pushed to be an early riser, but to then do all work and social activity in a continuous chunk, no napping allowed. Because I sleep only 6 hours per night, after a few days I’ll be tired. The only option I have is to go to bed absurdly early, wake up after 6h, do some work in the middle of the night then go back to bed. That’s very antisocial in nature.
> Just a reminder that research basically found that “catch up on sleep” doesn’t really work
Yeah, i dont do that. I just used to be the case I had a night of less sleep, a stress and eventful day and then a night with a long sleep phase. I dont try to catch up or anything. I just slept this without a break (My Gear sport recorded no interruptions and very few restless phases).
As a fellow 6-hour-sleeper, I think modern society makes it a bit hard for people like me. The reality is that my body wants to sleep in 3-hour cycles, and doesn’t really appreciate doing three cycles in a row, but it still wants to sleep about 8 or 9 hours out of 24. That would work fine in past ages: wake up early, tend to animals and fields, then have a mid-day nap - at a time when it’s too hot to work anyway (at least where my genes mostly come from). Then get back in the game, do social stuff, and be at peak awareness by dusk / early evening, when the danger of common violence gets higher.
These days, when the dominant culture is clearly more “northern” in nature, one is still pushed to be an early riser, but to then do all work and social activity in a continuous chunk, no napping allowed. Because I sleep only 6 hours per night, after a few days I’ll be tired. The only option I have is to go to bed absurdly early, wake up after 6h, do some work in the middle of the night then go back to bed. That’s very antisocial in nature.