The Myth of the 8-Hour Sleep: Why Waking Up at 3 AM Might Be Natural

By Top 5 Supplements Research Team | Updated February 16, 2026

For decades, science has idolized the "perfect" eight uninterrupted hours. But what if our ancestors never actually slept that way?

Researchers often preach that modern society and its constant distractions are to blame for the current epidemic of sleeplessness. The reality is surprising: for the majority of human history, people slept in two distinct stages during the night.

Credit: Oxford

A 200-Year-Old Invention

The notion of one continuous sleep block only dates back approximately 200 years. Before electricity, people commonly retired to bed shortly after dusk to begin their "first sleep". This phase lasted about four hours, after which our ancestors awoke and remained active for one to two hours.

During this period, people typically returned to bed for "second sleep," which lasted another four hours until dawn. This natural inclination persisted until the Industrial Revolution, when life began to revolve around factory efficiency.