I’ve always been curious by the biphasic sleep pattern of people in the medieval period. To my modern self it seems very odd, having two sleeps a night.
I’m currently reading Nightwalking: A Nocturnal History of London. It mentions that England’s curfew time under William the Conqueror was 20:00. Biphasic sleep makes more sense to me if you couldn’t go out late. I mean what else is there to do? Especially in the winter.
Picture it. You’re a medieval worker back home after a day of hard labour. You’ve had a small supper and chatted to the wife and kids. Now what? You’re exhausted, bored and the darkness has arrived. Before William’s curfew you might go to a neighbours house. The wives would knit by the one tallow candle they could afford whilst the men would chat in a corner. But it’s past the 20:00 curfew. So you’re probably just going to go to sleep for a few hours. It makes sense.
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