medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
It's true - we are unaware of how early and deeply our 'natural' needs for sleep are to some extent conditioned. I cannot sleep without genuine darkness, but in many developing countries where space is at a premium and hours less regular (or, more simply, just longer) one sees people asleep half-standing, in crowded stations, beneath bright neon. I'm sure they'd prefer not to be, but the fact is I can't do this no matter how tired I feel; and the people who can do this are not only the downtrodde and plain dog-tired. Likewise I know from experience how the western desire to get babies 'sleeping through' and in their own beds as quickly as possible is likewise culturally specific: it can seem positively unnatural to people of other backgrounds.
By the same token, having spent time (not long enough) in the far north of Scotland at midsummer, one's need for sleep seems to evaporate; while in any underground bunker (yes, done this too) 10-12 hrs is not unusual.
All this is relevant to understanding the past..
yours phenonemonogically,
Jon
> Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:07:14 +0100
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [M-R] Medieval lighting
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> Again, thanks. Some of that I knew, but much is new and interesting.
> One point though. While pre-modern people certainly slept on a
> different cycle than we do, they can't simply have gone to bed as soon
> as it got dark and gotten up when it was light, for the simple reason
> that humans only need about 8 hours of sleep and for most of the year
> there is more than 8 hours of darkness.
>
> Andrew E. Larsen
>
>
> I don't know how far north you live, but when nights are long you sleep
> longer. Long hours of summer daylight are far too precious to waste asleep,
> and I find I genuinely don't need as much as 8 hours in the summer, though
> in winter I can easily sleep round the clock.
>
>
> Anne
>
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