Opinion: The 8-hour sleep myth - How I learned everything I knew about sleep was wrong

From alternet.org

By Lynn Stuart Parramore

                                                                                                                           (Reuters)

I’ve always been at odds with sleep. Starting around adolescence, morning became a special form of hell. Long school commutes meant rising in 6am darkness, then huddling miserably near the bathroom heating vent as I struggled to wrest myself from near-paralysis. The sight of eggs turned my not-yet-wakened stomach, so I scuttled off without breakfast. In fourth grade, my mother noticed that instead of playing outside after school with the other kids, I lay zonked in front of the TV, dozing until dinner. “Lethargy of unknown cause,” pronounced the doctor.

High school trigonometry commenced at 7:50am. I flunked, stupefied with sleepiness. Only when college allowed me to schedule courses in the afternoon did the joy of learning return. My decision to opt for grad school was partly traceable to a horror of returning to the treadmill of too little sleep and exhaustion, which a 9-to-5 job would surely bring.

In my late 20s, I began to wake up often for a couple of hours in the middle of the night – a phenomenon linked to female hormonal shifts. I’ve met these vigils with dread, obsessed with lost sleep and the next day’s dysfunction. Beside my bed I stashed an arsenal of weapons against insomnia: lavender sachets, sleep CDs, and even a stuffed sheep that makes muffled ocean noises. I collected drugstore remedies -- valerian, melatonin, Nytol -- which caused me "rebound insomnia" the moment I stop taking them.

The Sleep Fairy continued to elude me.

I confessed my problem to the doctor, ashamed to fail at something so simple that babies and rodents can do it on a dime. When I asked for Ambien, she cut me a glance that made me feel like a heroin addict and lectured me on the dangers of “controlled substances.” Her offering of “sleep hygiene” bromides like reserving my bedroom solely for sleep was useless to a studio apartment-dweller.

Conventional medical wisdom dropped me at a dead end. Why did I need to use a bedroom for nothing but sleeping when no other mammal had such a requirement? When for most of history, humans didn’t either? Our ancestors crashed with beasties large and small roaming about, bodies tossing and snoring nearby, and temperatures fluctuating wildly. And yet they slept. How on earth did they do it?

A lot differently than we do, it turns out.

The 8-Hour Sleep Myth

Pursuing the truth about sleep means winding your way through a labyrinth of science, consumerism and myth. Researchers have had barely a clue about what constitutes “normal” sleep. Is it how many hours you sleep? A certain amount of time in a particular phase? The pharmaceutical industry recommends drug-induced oblivion, which, it turns out, doesn’t even work. The average time spent sleeping increases by only a few minutes with the use of prescription sleep aids. And -- surprise! -- doctors have linked sleeping pills to cancer. We have memory foam mattresses, sleep clinics, hotel pillow concierges, and countless others strategies to put us to bed. And yet we complain about sleep more than ever.

The blame for modern sleep disorders is usually laid at the doorstep of Thomas Edison, whose electric light bulb turned the night from a time of rest to one of potentially endless activity and work. Proponents of the rising industrial culture further pushed the emphasis of work over rest, and the sense of sleep as lazy indulgence.

But there’s something else, which I learned while engaged in a bout of insomnia-driven Googling. A Feb. 12, 2012 article on the BBC Web site, “The Myth of the 8-Hour Sleep,” has permanently altered the way I think about sleep. It proclaimed something that the body had always intuited, even as the mind floundered helplessly.

Turns out that psychiatrist Thomas Wehr ran an experiment back in the ‘90s in which people were thrust into darkness for 14 hours every day for a month. When their sleep regulated, a strange pattern emerged. They slept first for four hours, then woke for one or two hours before drifting off again into a second four-hour sleep.

Historian Roger Ekirch of Virginia Tech would not have been surprised by this pattern. In 2001, he published a groundbreaking paper based on 16 years of research, which revealed something quite amazing: humans did not evolve to sleep through the night in one solid chunk. Until very recently, they slept in two stages. Shazam.

In his book At Day's Close: Night in Times Past, Ekrich presents over 500 references to these two distinct sleep periods, known as the “first sleep” and the “second sleep,” culled from diaries, court records, medical manuals, anthropological studies, and literature, including The Odyssey. Like an astrolabe pointing to some forgotten star, these accounts referenced a first sleep that began two hours after dusk, followed by waking period of one or two hours and then a second sleep.

This waking period, known in some cultures as the “watch," was filled with everything from bringing in the animals to prayer. Some folks visited neighbours. Others smoked a pipe or analysed their dreams. Often they lounged in bed to read, chat with bedfellows, or have much more refreshing sex than we modern humans have at bedtime. A 16th-century doctor’s manual prescribed sex after the first sleep as the most enjoyable variety.

But these two sleeps and their magical interim were swept away so completely that by the 20th century, they were all but forgotten.

Historian Craig Koslofsky delves into the causes of this massive shift in human behaviour in his new book, Evening's Empire. He points out that before the 17th century, you’d have to be a fool to go wandering around at night, where ne’er-do-wells and cutthroats lurked on pitch-black streets. Only the wealthy had candles, and even they had little need or desire to venture from home at night. Street lighting and other trends gradually changed this, and eventually night-time became fashionable and hanging out in bed a mark of indolence. The industrial revolution put the exclamation point on this sentence of wakefulness. By the 19th century, health pundits argued in favor of a single, uninterrupted sleep.

We have been told over and over that the eight-hour sleep is ideal. But in many cases, our bodies have been telling us something else. Since our collective memory has been erased, anxiety about nighttime wakefulness has kept us up even longer, and our eight-hour sleep mandate may have made us more prone to stress. The long period of relaxation we used to get after a hard day’s work may have been better for our peace of mind than all the yoga in Manhattan.

After learning this, I went in search of lost sleep.

Past Life Regression

“Even a soul submerged in sleep
is hard at work and helps
make something of the world.”
― Heraclitus, Fragments

What intrigued me most about the sleep research was a feeling of connection to ancient humans and to a realm beyond clock-driven, electrified industrial life, whose endless demands are more punishing than ever. Much as Werner Herzog’s documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams pulls the viewer into the lives of ancient cave dwellers in southern France who painted the walls with marvelous images, reading about how our ancestors filled their nights with dream reflection, lovemaking and 10-to-12 hour stretches of down-time produced a strange sense of intimacy and wonder.

I’m a writer and editor who works from home, without children, so I’ve had the luxury, for the last couple of weeks, of completely relinquishing myself to a new (or quite old) way of sleeping. I’ve been working at a cognitive shift – looking upon early evening sleepiness as a gift, and plopping into bed if I feel like it. I try to view the wakeful period, if it should come, as a magical, blessed time when my email box stops flooding and the screeching horns outside my New York window subside.

Instead of heading to bed with anxiety, I’ve tried to dive in like a voluptuary, pushing away my guilt about the list of things I could be doing and letting myself become beautifully suspended between worlds. I’ve started dimming the lights a couple of hours after dusk and looking at the nighttime not as a time to pursue endless work, but to daydream, drift, putter about, and enter an almost meditative state.

The books I’ve been reading in the evening hours have been specially chosen as a link to dreamy ruminations of our ancestor’s “watch” period. Volumes like Norman O. Brown’s Love’s Body or Eduardo Galeano’s Mirrors provide the kind of reflective, incantatory experience the nighttime seems made for. Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams would be another excellent choice, and I know from experience that reading it before bedtime triggers the most vivid mental journeys.

In sleep, we slip back to a more primitive state. We go on a psychic archaeological dig. This is part of the reason that Freud proclaimed dreams to be the royal road to the unconscious and lifted his metaphors from the researchers who were sifting through the layers of ancient history on Egyptian digs, uncovering relics and forgotten memories. Ghosts flutter about us when we lie down to rest. Our waking identities dissolve, and we become creatures whose rhythms derive from the moon and the seas much more than the clock and the computer.

As we learn more, we may realize that giving sleep and rest the centre stage in our lives may be as fundamental to our well-being as the way we eat and the medicines that cure us. And if we come to treasure this time of splendid relaxation, we may have much more to offer in the daytime hours.

https://www.alternet.org/myths-about-sleeping/

The Case for Ditching Your Phone and Going Back to a Classic Alarm Clock

From realsimple.com

Ditch the phone and reclaim your mornings with one simple swap 

Key Takeaways

• The blue light and constant notifications from smartphones keep the nervous system alert, delay melatonin release, and make it harder to fall asleep and stay in deep sleep.
• Switching to a traditional alarm helps the brain wind down, reduces night-time awakenings, and leads to calmer, more refreshed mornings.
• People with insomnia, anxiety, or overstimulated nervous systems notice the biggest improvements in sleep quality and morning calm.

For some of us, smartphones have quietly taken over our lives. It wakes us up in the morning, keeps us entertained when we can’t fall asleep, and sits within our reach all day long. It's the last thing we see before we go to bed and it’s the first thing we pick up in the morning, but an increasing number of people are choosing to remove their phones from the bedroom and make the switch back to wind-up alarm clocks. Some sleep experts say that there are real health benefits to the change.

How Phones Can Disrupt Sleep

Phones, and the apps that live on them, are designed to capture and keep our attention, not support rest. Dr. Emma Lin, board-certified pulmonologist and sleep medicine specialist, says phones actively stimulate the brain at the wrong time. “Phones stimulate the brain when it needs to shut down,” Dr. Lin explains. “A mechanical alarm clock offers no light, no temptation, and no warning, which helps the brain feel secure enough to fall asleep.”

One of the issues that comes with having a phone nearby is light exposure. Phone screens emit blue light, which suppresses melatonin, the hormone that regulates the circadian rhythm. When melatonin release is disrupted, falling asleep can become an issue. Even small interactions with your device can cause major changes to your brain’s readiness for sleep. Dr. Lin explains that checking the time on a phone during the night is often enough to wake the brain up completely at times. “I see this leading to longer times to fall asleep and overall reduced sleep duration,” she says.

Karen Ann Canham, wellness practitioner and nervous system expert, explains that phones act as a constant source of cognitive stimulation. “Phones have become a default stress cue, delivering notifications, blue light, and cognitive load when the nervous system should be winding down,” she says. Dr. Lin observes this regularly in her patients: “When a phone is in the bedroom, the nervous system stays on standby,” she says. “Heart rate remains elevated, and true relaxation doesn’t occur, even if the phone isn’t touched.” This state of alertness can prevent the body from entering deeper stages of sleep.

What Changes When People Switch to Analog Alarm Clocks

The benefits of ditching the phone alarm extend beyond sleep quality. Many people also notice a big shift in how they feel when they wake up. “Patients who switch to a manual alarm clock often fall asleep faster, wake less during the night, and feel calmer and more refreshed in the morning,” Dr. Lin says. 

Canham hears similar results from her clients. “People report deeper sleep, fewer night-time disturbances, and a calmer morning rhythm without the urge to check messages,” she says. Without the immediate stimulation of a phone screen, the nervous system transitions more naturally from sleep to wakefulness. Dr. Lin also notes that patients report feeling less rushed and more emotionally regulated in the morning. “My patients have told me they feel more refreshed and less hurried,” she says. “These are signs of enhanced restorative sleep.” Without the immediate exposure to emails, headlines, or notifications on a screen, people are able to slowly wake themselves up physically and mentally before reacting to technological demands. 

Who Can Benefit from Ditching the Phone Alarm

While almost anyone can benefit from removing their phone from the bedroom, experts say some groups notice changes more quickly. “People with insomnia, anxiety, sleep apnea, and cardiovascular or lung conditions benefit the most from ditching the phone alarm,” Dr. Lin says. She adds that sleep deprivation places additional strain on many organs, but specifically the heart and lungs, making restful sleep especially important for these individuals.

Canham agrees that those with sensitive or overstimulated nervous systems often have room to experience the biggest improvements. “Those with high baseline stress, anxiety, or disrupted sleep patterns tend to see noticeable improvements,” she says. Parents and working professionals also see benefits, particularly from breaking the cycle of heavy mental stimulation late at night and first thing in the morning.

For Dr. Lin, the takeaway is simple. “Good sleep isn’t about adding more technology,” she says. “It’s about giving the body the quiet it needs to heal.” As more people seek simple, sustainable ways to improve their health and well-being, the solution may be surprisingly low-tech and simple: a quiet room with an alarm clock that does just one thing.

https://www.realsimple.com/manual-alarm-clocks-vs-phone-11874808

The Psychology of Delayed Sleep: Breaking the Cycle of Revenge Bedtime Procrastination

From latimes.com

Key Facts

• Revenge Bedtime Procrastination is a psychological response to a lack of daytime autonomy.
• Chronic sleep delay is linked to cardiovascular disease and impaired cognitive function.
• Adults typically require 7-9 hours of sleep for optimal metabolic and mental health.
• Blue light exposure from devices suppresses melatonin, delaying sleep onset.
• Daytime stress management is a primary lever for reducing night-time procrastination.

A silent crisis currently pervades the professional world, where the boundaries between restorative rest and personal autonomy have collapsed. Professionals increasingly engage in a behaviour where sleep is voluntarily sacrificed to reclaim time lost to demanding daytime schedules. This phenomenon represents a critical tension between the psychological need for freedom and the physiological necessity of rest.

People who engage in revenge bedtime procrastination are usually aware that it negatively impacts their sleep but continue to do it for personal enjoyment.

Sacrificing sleep in this way often leads to insufficient sleep, which can have serious negative health effects. Chronic sleep deprivation impairs immune function, reduces cognitive performance, and undermines overall well-being, further perpetuating the cycle of sleep procrastination.

Introduction to Bedtime Procrastination

Bedtime procrastination, or sleep procrastination, defines the habitual delay of sleep onset despite the absence of external barriers and the presence of fatigue. Unlike insomnia, where the inability to sleep is involuntary, this behaviour involves a conscious choice to stay awake. The consequences extend beyond mere drowsiness; consistent delay leads to chronic sleep deprivation, which negatively impacts overall physiological health.

Global Perspectives on Going to Sleep

The terminology surrounding this issue highlights its universal nature. The phrase “revenge bedtime procrastination” translates to a popular Chinese expression that initially gained traction on social media platforms. It describes people who stay up late to regain some freedom after working long hours. Research shows this sentiment resonates globally. It has evolved from a viral topic into a serious public health concern. Sleep science researchers have begun to rigorously quantify the trend.

Recent data underscores the severity of the issue. A systematic review and meta analysis published in a leading international journal correlates rising work hours with delayed sleep onset. Furthermore, findings from the Blood Institute link shortened sleep duration to immense strain on the cardiovascular system.

Environmental research and human services data also suggest that modern urban living exacerbates sleep problems. An exploratory study on worker fatigue indicates that mental health declines rapidly when rest is compromised. The evidence is clear: sacrificing sleep is a widespread, hazardous coping mechanism.

Revenge bedtime procrastination differentiates itself as a specific subtype where the delay functions as a retaliatory act against a restrictive daytime schedule. Individuals engaging in this behaviour trade hours of essential rest for leisure time they feel was “stolen” by work or other obligations. While this provides a temporary psychological release, the long-term effects are detrimental.

Research indicates that chronic sleep deprivation weakens the immune system and significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Understanding the mechanics of this cycle is the prerequisite for dismantling it and establishing sustainable sleep architecture.

Understanding Revenge Bedtime Procrastination

The phenomenon called revenge bedtime procrastination operates as a psychological coping mechanism. It manifests when individuals feel a lack of agency over their daylight hours, prompting an attempt to regain control during the night. The behaviour is characterized by a “intention-behaviour gap”: the individual intends to sleep at a reasonable hour but fails to do so, instead engaging in low-effort leisure activities such as scrolling through social media or watching television.

                                                                                                                                     (Natalia)

The Battle for Daytime Hours

The core conflict lies in the scarcity of personal time. When daytime demands and daily schedules consume all available energy, the night offers a seductive promise of free time. Bedtime procrastinators often view the late hours as the only opportunity for me time or autonomy. Consequently, they sacrifice sleep to engage in hobbies or entertainment. This creates a cycle where delaying sleep feels like an act of rebellion against a rigid routine.

Psychologists identify self control fatigue as a primary driver. By the end of a stressful day, the executive function required to go to bed is depleted. This leads to sleep insufficiency and while in bed procrastination, where an individual is physically in bed but refuses to sleep. Other aspects of life, such as family obligations, further compress available leisure time. The result is a paradox: the desperate need for downtime fuels habits that cause exhaustion.

This pattern serves as a maladaptive response to stress. While the quiet of the night offers a sense of solitude and autonomy, the trade-off creates a sleep deficit that compounds daily stress levels. Recognizing the specific signs—such as feeling “tired but wired,” consistently missing intended bedtimes, and experiencing daytime functional impairment—enables professionals to identify the habit. Recognition is the initial step toward behavioural modification.

(desdemona72)

Strategies for a Good Night’s Sleep

Breaking the cycle requires deliberate effort to stop revenge bedtime procrastination. The Sleep Foundation recommends establishing robust healthy habits that prioritize rest. A critical step is reducing bedtime procrastination by setting a strict sleep time. Using electronic devices or consuming caffeine late in the evening will negatively affect the ability to fall asleep. These stimulants must be eliminated from the pre-sleep window.

Consistency helps regulate the body. Waking up at the same wake up time and keeping a consistent bedtime, even on non working days, anchors the circadian rhythm. This same routine signals the brain that the end of the day has arrived.

If sleep disturbance persists or negative consequences affect daily life, it may be necessary to talk to a specialist about sleep medicine. Implementing a set bedtime might sound simple. However, for those to whom this struggle sound familiar, discipline is the only way to ensure a good night’s sleep.

Good Sleep Hygiene Practices

Stabilizing sleep patterns requires the implementation of robust sleep hygiene practices. These protocols serve to anchor the body’s circadian rhythm and reduce the friction associated with falling asleep. A cornerstone of effective hygiene is consistency; maintaining a fixed sleep schedule, even on weekends, regulates the body’s internal clock and improves sleep latency.

Developing a structured pre-sleep routine is equally critical. Activities that promote physiological relaxation, such as reading physical books or taking a warm bath, act as sensory cues signalling the brain that the active phase of the day has concluded.

Conversely, the consumption of stimulants must be strategically managed. Caffeine and electronic usage late in the evening disrupt the homeostatic drive for sleep. By replacing stimulating activities with calming rituals, individuals can smooth the transition from wakefulness to rest.

Environment Conducive to Sleep

The physical environment acts as a powerful modulator of sleep quality. An optimal sleep setting is engineered to minimize sensory input: it should be dark, quiet, and cool. Research suggests that ambient temperature plays a significant role in thermoregulation necessary for sleep onset, with cooler temperatures generally favoured. 

Light exposure is another critical variable. Blue light emissions from smartphones, tablets, and computers suppress the production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for regulating sleep-wake cycles. Creating a “tech-free” buffer zone in the bedroom removes these disruptions.

Furthermore, investment in ergonomic bedding—comfortable mattresses and supportive pillows—removes physical discomfort that might otherwise fragment sleep. A dedicated sleep environment reinforces the psychological association between the bed and rest, rather than the bed and activity.

Managing Daytime Stress

The urge to engage in revenge bedtime procrastination is often a symptom of unmanaged daytime stress. When the day is perceived as a series of obligations without respite, the night becomes the only available sanctuary. Therefore, effective stress management during the day is a preventive measure for night-time procrastination.

Techniques such as mindfulness meditation and deep breathing exercises can lower baseline cortisol levels, reducing the “fight or flight” urgency that often lingers into the evening . Incorporating regular physical activity also serves a dual purpose: it metabolizes stress hormones and increases sleep drive. Additionally, professionals benefit from reclaiming agency during the workday itself.

This involves prioritizing tasks, setting realistic boundaries, and practicing the ability to decline non-essential commitments. By inserting moments of autonomy and rest into the daylight hours, the psychological need to “revenge” the day at night is diminished.

The Importance of Enough Sleep

Adequate sleep is not a passive state but an active physiological necessity. Consensus among health organizations suggests that adults generally require between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night to maintain optimal health. This duration allows for the completion of critical sleep cycles, including REM and deep sleep, which are essential for memory consolidation and cellular repair.

The costs of neglecting this need are high. Chronic sleep deficiency impairs cognitive functions such as focus, decision-making, and emotional regulation. Physically, it is linked to a heightened risk of chronic conditions, including hypertension and metabolic disorders.

Prioritizing sleep as a non-negotiable pillar of health—equivalent to nutrition and exercise—protects long-term well-being. By viewing sleep as an investment in performance rather than a barrier to productivity, professionals can break the cycle of procrastination and achieve sustainable high performance.

Closing Thoughts

Revenge bedtime procrastination highlights a fundamental imbalance in modern life. It forces a choice between mental autonomy and physical restoration. However, sustainable health requires both. By acknowledging the psychological roots of this behaviour and implementing rigid sleep protocols, professionals can reclaim their nights without sacrificing their mornings. Sleep is not an obstacle to success. It is the foundation upon which all sustained achievement rests.

https://www.latimes.com/doctors-scientists/innovations/advancements/story/revenge-bedtime-procrastination-causes-risks-sleep-hygiene-help

"Hemp Gummies Eased My Joint Pain and Insomnia Naturally After Years of Suffering"

From womansworld.com

By Katie Smith

Plus discover more powerful perks of hemp in all its forms, from hemp seeds to hemp oil

After years of achy joints that robbed her of sleep and limited her mobility, Barbara Sharpe, 64, finally reached her breaking point. Desperate for lasting relief after lifestyle changes failed her, she finally discovered that high-quality, hemp-derived CBD products could be the answer she was looking for—and she was right. Keep reading to learn how hemp gummies eased her joint pain and improved her sleep, plus more benefits of the supplement. 

She suffered from joint pain for years

This is the third morning in a row where it feels like a battle just to get out of bed, Barbara thought. Her joint pain and stiffness had been creeping in for four years, but now she needed over-the-counter medication just to get moving. Even then, it was a very slow process.

Worst of all, the once-active 64-year-old felt like her life was slipping away from her. The pain kept her from getting a good night’s sleep and everyday tasks felt like a major effort—she knew something had to change. 

Barbara had tried acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen, all of which helped temporarily, but she wanted a cure—not just something to mask the pain. She then tried lifestyle changes, heat and cold therapy, stretching and gentle movement. But nothing helped for long. I don’t want to go on prescription painkillers, she worried. I have to find a natural remedy!

                                                                                                                                             Getty

Taking hemp gummies for pain relief

Through her online research, Barbara discovered that she was experiencing menopausal arthralgia: joint pain that can arise as oestrogen levels decline, which can lead to stiffness, swelling and discomfort. While symptoms can fluctuate, Barbara found that hers were persistent.

Her research soon introduced her to the potential benefits of hemp extract, a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant. Unlike marijuana, hemp contains very little THC—the compound responsible for a “high”—but is rich in cannabidiol (CBD), a non-intoxicating compound commonly available in capsules and gummies.

Barbara also discovered that studies suggest hemp-derived CBD may improve sleep quality and alleviate joint pain and stiffness. It works by interacting with the body’s endocannabinoid system, which helps regulate inflammation and pain signals, supporting relaxation in muscles and joints.

She was amazed by the results

Inspired, she began taking hemp-infused gummies (Rebel Garden 50 mg gummies). Within days, she noticed a remarkable difference. She started sleeping through the night and waking up refreshed. Her joint pain diminished and she was able to return to her cardio and weight-lifting classes.

“I used to wake up feeling defeated,” Barbara reflects. “Now, I’m ready to move, breathe and live fully. It’s not just about pain relief—it’s about reclaiming my body’s strength and the freedom to feel like myself again.”  

More powerful health benefits of hemp

Easing joint pain and improving sleep aren’t the only things naturally occurring hemp can do. 

It boosts brainpower

Research shows that consuming 2 grams of hemp seeds daily, along with exercise, increases levels of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), a protein that supports brain cell protection.

It softens skin 

Participants who took 2 Tbs. of hemp seed oil daily for 20 weeks experienced reduced itching and skin dryness, according to a study published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research.

It improves heart health

Adding 20 to 40 grams of hemp protein to a meal can reduce post-meal insulin spikes and lower blood sugar, found research in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism.

This article originally appeared in the January 12, 2026, issue of Woman’s World

https://www.womansworld.com/wellness/pain-management/hemp-gummies-for-joint-pain-and-insomnia