Natural sleep
There is an idea gaining traction that our modern idea of eight or so hours of uninterrupted sleep is more an unnatural response the demands of commerce. In pre -industrial Europe, people would typically go to bed as it became too dark to work, would have a period of deep sleep for a few hours, be wakeful though the wee hours of the night, and then enjoy a second lighter sleep until dawn. The wakeful time at night was occupied by meditation, prayer, stoking the fire, making love. During the full moon, people would be more active doing chores, visiting with neighbours, maybe pillaging. Perhaps this is the root of the perception that behaviours become more extreme during the time of the full moon. In many countries not governed by the demands of Western commerce, this pattern of sleep continues. in such cultures, sleep is supplemented by a mid-day nap or siesta. We find a similar pattern in most other higher primates. Ergo, that time spent awake through the night, and that groggy time yo