Waking up in the middle of the night may be good for you

Scientists have long argued over whether we need eight consecutive hours of sleep per night, and a look back through history seems to indicate that we may not. According to the BBC, Virginia Tech historian Roger Ekirch promotes the theory that humans have historically snoozed in two distinct chunks, broken up by an hour or two of alertness. Ekirch pored over "diaries, court records, medical books and literature" to back up his belief in segmented sleep.

Compelling evidence includes a 16th-century doctor's manual advising couples that the best time to conceive is "after the first sleep...when they have more enjoyment [and] do it better." As @PaulGreenberg tweets, "Good news for insomniacs."

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