If you think you can sleep for five hours a night, relying on power napping to keep you smart, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, you’re totally dreaming.

Historical sleep

You’ve probably heard all about the totally ancient but now trendy sleep schedule that humans who lived before us maintained.

People used to engage in a “first sleep,” also known as “beauty sleep” or “deep sleep,” when the sun went down. Then, they’d wake up around midnight and live like fully functioning people for about three hours; around 3 a.m., they’d call it a night and have a second sleep until the sun came up.

You can imagine the interest modern humans have in this schedule, especially considering that so many of us are getting less and less shut-eye these busy days. In fact, some people have amended that ancient sleep schedule even further into a sleep pattern that can best be described as extreme power napping.

When naps don’t cut it

One of the more prolific power nappers out there was Buckminster Fuller, an American architect. He followed the relatively flexible “Dymaxion sleep schedule” for a few years. During this period, “he would work for several hours, nap briefly, then work again, around the clock,” The Atlantic reports.

“He marveled at his productivity within a 22-hour daily waking life.”

Well, leave it to modern humans to take that schedule to the very edge; people have since created the “Uberman schedule.”

The Uberman allows for twenty-minute naps every four hours. The lame “Everyman schedule”—probably similar to the schedule you keep—allows for core sleep with naps in between.

Well, sorry Ubermans—science has proven that that sleep schedule is quite terrible.

Keeping a bare-minimum sleep schedule can:

– Suppress the release of a growth hormone.

– Kill cognitive functioning. “Sleep is the most powerful cognitive enhancer we know of, and without it people are much more impaired than they realize,” The Atlantic reports.

“Just as a drinker emerging from the bar is not the best judge of his ability to drive, many of society’s four-hour sleepers should not be operating heavy machinery.”

But worry not, kind of funky sleepers. You can try a different sleep schedule as long as you get enough sleep.

“That’s not to say that sleeping in blocks is unhealthy,” The Atlantic adds.

“Following the biphasic (two-block) pattern of our ancestors is a fine idea if one can fit a day’s aspirations into ten daytime hours and a midnight anti-nap. Likewise, a siesta in the early afternoon fits with a natural dip in our body’s arousal levels. As long as there are long stretches where sleep cycles can proceed undisturbed, the brain will awaken ready to learn again.”

Whew.

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Seasonal Allergies at an All-Time Suck

Whoa – did you feel that? That wasn’t another earthquake. That was the collective sneeze of 40 million allergy sufferers. Thanks to a wetter-than-usual winter and warmer temps this spring (likely linked to climate change), we’ve been graced with an explosion of beautiful blooms”¦ and a near-record high pollen count to go with it.

If you’re not one to stop and smell the roses for fear of your head exploding, there are some safe and natural treatments to try before reaching for potentially dangerous prescription meds. Keep windows closed, change clothes after coming in from outside (and maybe even take a quick shower), try natural herbal remedies like capsaicin and Quercetin and use a neti pot to flush offending allergens from your nasal passages.

FDA May Wash Its Hands of Triclosan

Natural health advocates have been saying it forever and now the federal government is catching on: triclosan – the germ-zapping ingredient in hand sanitizers and antibacterial soaps – is potentially unsafe for humans and wildlife. The chemical additive has long been accused of disrupting the body’s endocrine system and possibly helping to create antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The FDA, at the urging of Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), will review the safety of the ubiquitous chemical later this year.

Nap It Out

Stumped on how to solve a tough problem? Sleep on it! A recent study published in Current Biology concludes that napping after working on a difficult task may make the job easier to do upon awakening. Researchers believe that the dreaming brain can see connections it might not notice when it’s awake, boosting its ability to process and store information tenfold.

Image: Sydigill


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