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Countless prayer manuals from the late 15th Century offered special prayers for the hours in between sleeps.

(United Kingdom)—An intriguing report in the BBC News challenges the notion that humans sleeping 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night is "normal."

Good news for those who find that they regularly wake up half-way through the night. If that's you, join your ancestors.

The understanding of first and second "sleeps" is based, in part, on a seminal 16-year study in 2001 by historian Roger Ekirch of Virginia Tech, who found that humans used to sleep in two "distinct chunks." (Photo: Thinkstock)

He wrote a book about his findings, entitled, "At Day's Close: Night in Times Past." In it, he explains why societies distinctly referred to a "first sleep" and a "second sleep." In essence, people would reportedly sleep four hours and then be wide awake for one or two hours before falling asleep again for another four hours.

"During this waking period," notes the BBC report, "people were quite active. Most people stayed in bed, read, wrote and often prayed. Countless prayer manuals from the late 15th Century offered special prayers for the hours in between sleeps."

Ekirch also explains why society's approach to sleeping changed, saying that outdoor lighting of cities after the 17th Century helped usher in the change.

Before then, he explains, the night belonged to "reprobates," but with the ability to see while outside the home after dark, other activities increased.

He uses, as one example, the plight of Protestants and Catholics during the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. The fact that they could meet clandestinely after dark, helped them avoid persecution.

Check out more of this study by clicking on the link provided.

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