Sleep less. Nap more. Get better circadian health?
A possible landmark sleep study came out this year (2025)
Sleep less. Nap more. Get better circadian health?
Research from the 90’s that led to bright light therapy for SAD suggested the need for 8 hours of nightly sleep was merely a product of a 16 hour lighting schedule1.
Human beings do differ from other animals in that they use artificial light to create an unending 16-h photoperiod for themselves. This fact raises the possibility that the sleep of human beings differs from that of animals because the artificial long photoperiod compresses and consolidates their sleep in an unnatural way.
Reduce the artificial light, and human sleep naturally drifts into biphasic or polyphasic sleep patterns instead of the solid 8 hour block most of us imagine to be ideal.
(of course spreading sleep out isn’t practical for work and school, so they this information has been used to prescribe MORE rather than less artificial light)
What would it look like to re-integrate napping into the modern world?
In my experience and observation, that biphasic/polyphasic sleep pattern is EXACTLY what new mothers need in order to get adequate rest while also providing the care babies need.
This is why new moms, whether they follow it or not, are often advised to “sleep when your baby sleeps.”
Mothers should be able to care for their babies without pathological fatigue
It’s physiological for a mother to be able to care for her baby.
Yes, motherhood is difficult, but it shouldn’t lead to pathology.
Likewise, I don’t think it’s acceptable that so many everyday people have diagnosable sleep disorders.
There’s something off about sleep in today’s world.
Shorter overnight sleep and more frequent napping, like what we want to see for a postpartum family, is also more similar to sleep patterns observed in people who have significantly more natural to artificial light ratios as well as what has been observed in pre-industrial societies.
However, in sleep research, this kind of sleeping is often derogatorily labled as being less efficient compared to more consolidated sleep!
What is the benefit of less efficient sleep?
What I am coming to believe about sleep is that perhaps most of us could benefit from leaning into shorter overnight sleep and more napping?
A study published in February, 2025 reported a startling discovery2:
Our research revealed a startling juxtaposition between sleep and circadian function across small-scale non-industrial and large-scale industrial societies. People dwelling within non-industrial societies—many of which are local subsistence, non-electric, ‘off-the-grid’ and residing in the Global South— experience shorter, less efficient sleep yet have a greater circadian function. The inverse is also true, where people dwelling within industrial societies—many of which are characterized as heavily reliant on provisioned food, access to electricity, and residing in the Global North—are experiencing longer and more efficient sleep yet reduced circadian function.
Shoutout to Musings of a WiseWoman for sending the study to me—thank you!
While the study had many limitations, and as is usual, they used the commentary to re-enforce the value of longer, more “efficient” (ie, consolidated) over shorter, less “efficient” (ie, unconsolidated) sleep—in spite of the observation of the latter being more correlated with circadian health—it’s very interesting what they found.
I think this could possibly be seen in the future as a landmark study that could pave the way for better research to elucidate the complex relationships between sleep, lifestyles, and circadian health.
What does strong circadian rhythms with less efficient sleep mean?
It is my personal belief that understanding circadian polyphasic sleep (which is led by the circadian rhythm, not any kind of external rigidity or rule) is vitally important for living in alignment with the local environment.
By circadian polyphasic sleep, I mean the sleep patterns that arise spontaneously from a healthy circadian rhythm in response to seasonal variations.
I do NOT mean any of the polyphasic sleep hacks such as uberman, everyman or dymaxion.
Circadian polyphasic sleep patterns tend to be most common in extreme climates.
Being up with the moon in the middle of polar winter.
Sleeping to avoid the heat of a blistering summer.
And also in motherhood, in order to care for a baby around the clock without getting sleep deprived.
How circadian polyphasic sleep gets activated in a modern home:
Get dim, warm lighting for the bedroom. Evening artificial light exposure is most responsible for consolidating sleep, so cutting it out is what makes people most likely to shift into an unconsolidated pattern.
I love these candle lanterns with the 12 hour burn beeswax candles
I like the amber & red battery-powered nightlights from Block Blue Light for convenience of motion-sensitivity and battery powered to fit anywhere
And know many families who use Himalayan salt lamps
Open windows, and get outside (especially in the morning)—the higher your ratio of natural light to artificial light, the more likely your body is to settle into a biphasic or polyphasic sleep pattern based on a robust circadian activation in the morning.
Natural light includes sunlight, moonlight, starlight, and firelight.
The more extreme your climate is in terms of light/heat and darkness/cold, the more likely your body is to choose a polyphasic sleep pattern.
Mindset: there’s nothing to force or time with regard to sleep. You can’t make sleep happen, or prevent sleep from happening if your body decides it is or isn’t time to sleep.
What I teach is applicable to all stages of life—my focus on the time leading up to and following birth is just a very acute situation where this all comes to a head.
Updates from Nikko:
I have a new sleep class coming out soon! Leave a comment if you would be interested in attending live—if there is enough interest, I can set that up. Otherwise, I’ll probably just pre-record it for you.
Interested in circadian & quantum biology? I’ll be leading the welcome call for the next cohort at the Institute of Applied Quantum Biology on April 25th, 2025. Learn more and sign up here: Get certified as an Applied Quantum Biology Practitioner
Wehr, T. A. (1992). In short photoperiods, human sleep is biphasic. Journal of Sleep Research, 1(2), 103–107. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2869.1992.tb00019.x
Samson, D. R., & McKinnon, L. (2025). Are humans facing a sleep epidemic or enlightenment? Large-scale, industrial societies exhibit long, efficient sleep yet weak circadian function. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 292(2041), 20242319. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.2319
What do you suggest for those who say “oh I'm not a good napper”, “I can't nap” ?
I would come live! 👋🏼