This past week in class we talked about Sleep before electricity and it has been an interesting topic that I was quite honestly not expecting to learn new information about.
I always had the mindset and knowledge that sleep before electricity, specifically artificial light, was amazing and simple to get as much rest as the body needed. Little did I know although, that it was not as simple and easy as I thought.
Many factors back then came into effect which kept people awake or lingered their slumber. These included rodents, diseases, burglaries, and insects, along with others. People in the pre-industrial era indeed had these problems, but would go to bed way before our modern selves do. The protection we have in our homes allows us to fall asleep without fear of many things that pre-industrial people had, but we must go against the desire of staying awake late due to the fact that we can with electricity and artificial light.
Both eras have their ups and downs, but overall I did indeed learn more about this topic. I especially removed preconceptions that I had over this area.
Original picture found here: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220107-the-lost-medieval-habit-of-biphasic-sleep
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