Sleep may be one thing that unites us across generations, countries, cultures, and centuries, but that doesn’t mean that sleep habits are universally shared and set in stone.
Historical advancements such as artificial lighting (first in the form of candlesticks and oil lamps, but now in our electric bulbs) and the Industrial Revolution caused shifts to our sleeping habits that have changed sleep as our ancestors once knew it. However, scientific advancements and greater knowledge of the importance of sleep have also increased its priority in our lives.
You may be surprised to learn just what sleep practices those of the past used to follow and how much they differ from today.
7 Facts About Evolving Sleep Practices
Sleep practices and views have been as fluid as fashion trends, changing through the years and culminating in what we know now. However, it’s always fun to see what sleep used to look like and what opinions and practices we share with our ancestors.
1. Sleep Has Always Been Crucial
Even with centuries of study and decades of more advanced scientific equipment, scientists are still trying to learn exactly why the body needs sleep. Still, while they’re unsure of the reasoning for this state of being, it’s undeniable that the body undergoes some crucial restoration processes, especially when considering the negative effects of sleep deprivation.
As such, sleep has always been a part of life, and the need for sleep is one thing that has never changed. As for how we sleep and what we think of it, that’s another story that varies by generation and culture.
2. Some Civilizations Respect Sleep, Others Tolerate It.
While sleep has always been crucial, it wasn’t always revered. In ancient civilizations, people were afraid of sleep because of the many mysteries surrounding it, whereas the Egyptians worshipped sleep, considering it akin to death.
However, as our need for productivity increased, sleep soon was seen as a time-sucker, with many people trying to find ways to get by on less sleep.
Leonardo da Vinci, the master painter and inventor of the Renaissance, is known for his use of a polyphasic sleep schedule, where he took short 20-minute naps every few hours, allowing him to sleep less.
Thomas Edison, as well, felt that we didn’t need as much sleep as we got and that people were all too eager to overindulge.
For a more modern take on this belief, the Japanese value productivity and, as such, have established a practice called inemuri, also known as “being present while asleep.” It is characterized by periods of microsleep whenever someone gets the chance, whether that’s on public transportation or in the middle of a meeting. It’s not viewed as disrespectful, either, but instead as a sign of a hardworking individual.
3. India Is Where Pajamas (As We Know them) Originated From
Pajamas comes from the Hindu word “pai jama,” which dates back to the Ottoman Empire. It translates to leg clothing and was used to refer to loose-fitting pants that were tied at the waist with a drawstring. At the time, they were worn by those of both genders in public—they weren’t yet considered solely a nighttime article of clothing.
Even when they made their way to Europe in the 18th century as an inspiration from Indian fashions, they were called a comfortable form of fashionwear. However, in the 1900s, they evolved into the sleepwear we’re familiar with and still wear today.
Now, our pajamas still feature the loose pant design from the Ottoman Empire, but the fashions have also evolved to include loose-fitting shorts or even pajama pants with unique prints to reflect modern interests.
4. Electricity Allows Us to Stay Up Later
Back before electricity, most people would go to sleep as early as six in the evening. Why? With no electricity, there wasn’t much to do once the sun went down, so sleep was the most obvious solution for how to spend their time. Even with the invention of the oil lamp, going to sleep once the sun was down served as a way to save on energy—the oil used to light these lamps was expensive.
With electricity, though, it’s easier for us to stay up later, and it’s less costly. In fact, the increased ease with which we can stay up allows us to work well into the night, which can lead to people overworking themselves.
5. Later Nights Increased the Need for Daytime Napping
Whether it’s called a siesta, riposo, or wŭshuì, taking an afternoon nap is common across cultures, especially with electricity allowing for later nights—we need some way to maintain energy throughout the now longer days.
In these cultures, it’s even standard for shops to close for the afternoon while the staff goes home, eats lunch, and then engages in a short nap before returning for the rest of the day.
However, the reasoning for these naps varies. In Italy, the riposo is used to escape the heat during the hottest part of the day, while the Chinese encourage wŭshuì because napping is seen to fuel creativity and improve concentration.
6. Sleeping Through the Night Is a New Practice
In the grand scheme of the Earth’s history, the idea of sleeping for a solid eight hours is a relatively new practice. In the past, households would go to bed shortly after dusk, wake up in the middle of the night for an hour or two, and then go back to sleep for a second round that lasted until dawn.
As for what they would do during this nighttime interlude, some common habits include relaxing, having sex, or thinking about the dreams that woke them from their “first sleep.”
While we no longer take a break during the night, many of us still experience this segmented sleep with a longer period of sleep at night and then a shorter nap during the day.
7. Scooch Over! Sharing Beds Used to Be Common
It wasn’t until the 17th century that beds became purpose-built pieces of furniture—typically mattresses stuffed with rags and wool—that were accessible to the masses instead of just the upper class. However, they were undoubtedly an investment to be made, and many even cost a quarter of the value of a modest household, as documented by A. Roger Ekirch.
To put this into perspective, with our current market having an average household price of $412,000, it would be like a mattress costing $103,000.
With beds costing so much, most families didn’t have the means to buy multiple, and so sleeping became a family affair where multiple people shared one bed. As an added bonus, it allowed for the sharing of body heat at a time when heating for a residence wasn’t a thing.
It’s not just families that used to share beds, either. Samuel Pepys, a politician and diarist from the 17th century, remarked on sharing beds with others, including friends and those visiting. John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, as well, shared a bed at a New Jersey inn in 1776.
How Sleep Practices Have Evolved
While sleep itself has remained constant throughout the entire lifespan of humans, the practices we have surrounding it have changed, as have our sleep tools.
Pajamas are now common, and mattresses are more reasonable prices, allowing everyone to have one of their own. With electricity, we can also push back the time we go to bed, closing the nighttime gap that used to exist and instead sleeping soundly through the night.
Still, some habits have remained the same through time and across cultures. An afternoon nap is still seen as a refreshing way to power through the day, and sleep is still revered for its ability to replenish the body.
