During a period of his life, the famous author Charles Dickens suffered from severe insomnia, leading him to wander the gas-lit streets of London at midnight. While he famously chronicled his "night walks," Dickens wasn’t alone in experiencing such fragmented sleep patterns. Long before electric lights, many people followed a similar sleep routine. A 2015 paper in Current Biology revealed that three pre-industrial societies in Tanzania, Namibia, and Bolivia also practiced this “split-sleep” habit. A report by Inverse linked this medieval sleep pattern to what we now refer to as “polyphasic sleep.”
In this research, scientists who studied these three hunter-gatherer and hunter-horticultural societies found that these people stayed up for hours after sunset. These civilizations didn’t have access to electricity and their only source of light after dark was a campfire. They slept for 4 to 5 hours and then woke up to do certain activities like reading, walking, or eating small meals. This looks similar to what Spain’s people call their “afternoon siestas,” in which they close their shops during noontime to relax, nap, or have a cup of coffee.
It's time for sleep, Round Two.CanvaAs it turns out, “polyphasic sleep” or “segmented sleep” is a well-known concept in sleep psychiatry. Polyphasic sleep is the practice of sleeping in multiple smaller segments during the day as opposed to sleeping once as is common in many countries. Apart from Dickens, some of the most eminent personalities in history used to have this habit, including Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, Napoleon Bonaparte, Salvador Dali, Benjamin Franklin, and even Albert Einstein.
“These historical figures' quirky sleep habits may seem eccentric, but they offer us a unique lens through which to explore the human experience of sleep. Whether it's polyphasic slumber, midnight walks, or dream-infused artistry, these peculiar sleep patterns remind us that, throughout history, sleep has been as much an art as it is a science — a canvas where creativity, genius, and individuality converge in the world of dreams,” Alen Juginović, a doctor and researcher at Harvard Medical School who studies the effect of poor sleep quality on health, explained in an article.
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Adding to the sleep habits of ancestors, the researchers of this 2015 study related the cause of modern-day insomnia with the advent of electric lighting and technological development. “The invention of the electric light, followed by the development of television, the Internet, and related technologies, along with increased caffeine usage, has greatly shortened sleep duration from ‘natural’ levels and disrupted its evolved timing,” they wrote in the paper, adding that the “reduction in sleep duration has been linked to obesity, mood disorders, and a host of other physical and mental illnesses thought to have increased recently.”
One of the greatest advantages of polyphasic sleep is that it enables the person to directly plunge into deep sleep. “If you look at the standard sleep period, our sleep is typically deepest at the beginning of the night, and then it's getting more and more shallow,” Mathias Basner, professor of sleep psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School for Medicine, told Inverse, and added, “You're basically capitalizing on this deeper sleep at the beginning of the sleep period.”
However, this kind of sleep pattern has its cons. Basner said that switching between the processes of falling asleep and waking up is not so simple. “The brain needs time to come online again to fire up all the systems,” he said. “It can take up to an hour or even longer, depending on which state you're awake from, to be fully alert again.” This sleep inertia could possibly impact productivity, and hamper a person from using their daytime to the fullest.
However, Roger Ekirch, who is probably the biggest expert on “segmented sleep,” believes that this kind of sleep is extremely beneficial for those who regularly suffer from insomnia. He explained to Harpers Magazine that segmented sleep can help insomniacs “fall back asleep by easing their anxiety.” But, for people who don’t have insomnia, probably the regular 7 to 8-hour sleep is the best thing to continue. Changing it could disturb their circadian rhythms, “There's no going back because conditions have changed,” Ekirch told BBC.
This article originally appeared last year.
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21 products that are gaslighting us into thinking they’re essential when they’re not
Some things in life are actually necessary—clean water, decent healthcare, basic human decency. But then there are the things that feel like they’re gaslighting us. The things we’re told we can’t live without, even though we survived just fine before they existed. Things like "smart" fridges, lawn fertilizer services, and yes—whole body deodorant.
Recently, our sister-site Upworthy asked their Facebook audience the question: What's a product or service that feels like it's gaslighting all of us into thinking it's necessary? More than 8,000 responses poured in. The answers were passionate, funny, and surprisingly unified.
Here are 21 products, services, and systems people called out for pretending to be essential—when they might actually be optional, overpriced, or flat-out invented.
1. Whole body deodorant
"Take a shower," said Shannon H.
“How did we ever manage all those years without it!! 😂😵💫” added Karen R.
Others noted it may help people with medical conditions—but for the average person, it's definitely a marketing creation.
2. Health insurance
It topped the list. Erica L. explained: “My doctor prescribes, the pharmacist issues meds, nurses care for people, surgeons do surgery—Health Insurance stands between health care and patients and says no, exclusively on whether they think it’s financially effective to treat you.”
Important note: Health insurance can provide life-saving access for many—but what people are frustrated by here is the profit-first system, not care itself.
3. The wedding industry
Multiple people slammed the high cost of modern weddings.
JoElla B. put it plainly: “We spend too much time and money planning one day, and not enough thought on how to blend two lives in a mutually beneficial one.”
Others called out expensive dresses, venues, and pressure to perform for social media.
4. Bottled water
Carole D. said: “Water in plastic bottles! Get a cup!”
While bottled water has value in emergencies, it’s often just filtered tap water—sold for profit in plastic.
5. Baby product overload
“Most baby products,” wrote Kelli O. “They really aren’t as needy and complicated as companies want us to think.”
6. Fabric softener
“It’s bad for clothes, bad for the Earth, bad for the wallet, and totally unnecessary,” said Gail H.
Some experts agree—many softeners contain chemicals that can reduce fabric lifespan and irritate skin.
7. Smart appliances
“Adding ‘phone controls’ to every appliance instead of making them last as long as they used to,” wrote Sherry S.
When your fridge needs a software update, something’s gone off the rails.
8. Makeup and anti-aging products
“Anything anti-aging,” said Melissa T., “Please just let me age into the gargoyle I was meant to become.”
Others questioned products designed to “fix” eyelashes, eyebrows, pores, and graying hair.
April S. added, “Products that women are convinced they MUST have in order to be ‘beautiful’ and therefore ‘loved.’”
9. Cosmetic surgery
Ron P. called out the industry as a whole. And while body autonomy matters, many commenters questioned whether insecurities are being commodified and sold back to us.
10. Ticketmaster and “convenience fees”
“Let’s go back to waiting in line at a record store,” wrote Nicole C.
Zaida B. added: “Convenience fee for online purchases—then charging $10 more at the actual event.”
11. Engagement rings
James P. didn’t mince words: “Engagement rings.”
The diamond industry has long been criticized for manufactured scarcity and marketing-fueled necessity.
12. Lawn chemicals and services
“Plant native grasses and you don’t have the pests or need for constant watering,” wrote Jamie B.
Environmental groups have raised similar concerns over runoff and unnecessary pesticide use.
13. AI and generative tech
“This stuff squeezes the lifeblood and individuality out of the human experience,” said Teresa L.
Saskia D. and others echoed skepticism about its necessity, even as many of us are being pushed to use it.
14. Funeral services
Amy W. shared: “My parents both have already paid to have themselves cremated and are very adamant that they do not want anything big done for them. In their words, ‘I won’t care, I’m dead.’”
Of course, some families find comfort in tradition—but the cost and pressure can feel overwhelming and predatory.
15. Rinse and repeat
Amy D. nailed it: “It’s just to sell more. Not even sure you need it at all.”
16. Credit Card Surcharges
Shawn S. took aim at the extra fees popping up at checkout: “That is the cost of doing business and shouldn’t be the burden of the purchaser.”
Many questioned why customers are increasingly being asked to pay extra simply for the convenience of using a card.
17. Constant phone upgrades
“Apple are notorious for releasing the same shit every year,” said Steph S.
Diana H. added, “Needing to upgrade our phones so frequently.”
Built-in obsolescence and marketing cycles drive most of the demand.
18. Vitamins and supplements
“If I took every supplement they say I NEED I wouldn’t need food. Nor could I afford it,” said Tausha L.
19. Fake pockets on women’s pants
Jessica W. said, “I have to buy men’s pants for work because women’s pants would just get torn up too fast!”
Form over function, and then they charge more for it.
20. Disposable everything
“The ‘convenience’ of disposable everything,” said Rick R.
It’s killing the planet—and draining wallets.
21. Tipping
“I’m sick of supplementing for corporations that refuse to pay a living wage,” wrote Susan V.
Tipping culture has evolved into something far removed from its original intent, and for many, it now feels like a burden shifted onto the customer.
The bigger picture
People aren’t saying all these things should vanish tomorrow. But when we start seeing convenience sold as necessity, and insecurity turned into billion-dollar markets, it's worth asking: who benefits from all of this?
And more importantly—who pays?
This article originally appeared earlier this year.