Editing Sleep (section)

=== Distribution ===
In [[polyphasic sleep]], an organism sleeps several times in a 24-hour cycle, whereas in monophasic sleep this occurs all at once. Under experimental conditions, humans tend to alternate more frequently between sleep and wakefulness (i.e., exhibit more polyphasic sleep) if they have nothing better to do.<ref name=DijkEdgar1999 /> Given a 14-hour period of darkness in experimental conditions, humans tended towards bimodal sleep, with two sleep periods concentrated at the beginning and at the end of the dark time. Bimodal sleep in humans was more common before the [[Industrial Revolution]].<ref name=Wehr1999 />

Different characteristic sleep patterns, such as the familiarly so-called "[[Lark (person)|early bird]]" and "[[Night owl (person)|night owl]]", are called ''[[chronotype]]s''. Genetics and sex have some influence on chronotype, but so do habits. Chronotype is also liable to change over the course of a person's lifetime. Seven-year-olds are better disposed to wake up early in the morning than are fifteen-year-olds.<ref name=WaterhouseEtAl2012 /><ref name=RonnenbergEtAl2007 /> Chronotypes far outside the normal range are called circadian rhythm sleep disorders.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Dagan Y | title = Circadian rhythm sleep disorders (CRSD) | journal = Sleep Medicine Reviews | volume = 6 | issue = 1 | pages = 45–54 | date = February 2002 | pmid = 12531141 | doi = 10.1053/smrv.2001.0190 | url = https://www.neurosono.com.br/arquivos/1155473343.pdf | access-date = 5 June 2016 | url-status = dead | quote = Early onset of CRSD, the ease of diagnosis, the high frequency of misdiagnosis and erroneous treatment, the potentially harmful psychological and adjustment consequences, and the availability of promising treatments, all indicate the importance of greater awareness of these disorders. | format = PDF: full text | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080227161654/https://www.neurosono.com.br/arquivos/1155473343.pdf | archive-date = 27 February 2008 }}</ref>

====Naps====
{{main|Nap}}Naps are short periods of sleep that one might take during the daytime, often in order to get the necessary amount of rest. Napping is often associated with childhood, but around one-third of American adults partake in it daily. The optimal nap duration is around 10–20 minutes, as researchers have proven that it takes at least 30 minutes to enter slow-wave sleep, the deepest period of sleep.<ref name=":0">Fry, A. (9 October 2020). ''Napping: Health Benefits & Tips for your best nap''. Sleep Foundation. Retrieved 14 November 2021, from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/napping .</ref> Napping too long and entering the slow wave cycles can make it difficult to awake from the nap and leave one feeling unrested. This period of drowsiness is called [[sleep inertia]].

[[File:Hombre echando una siesta en San Cristóbal, Cusco, Perú, 2015-07-31, DD 49.JPG|thumb|Man napping in San Cristobal, [[Peru]]]]
The [[siesta]] habit has recently been associated with a 37% lower coronary mortality, possibly due to reduced cardiovascular stress mediated by daytime sleep.<ref name=Naska>{{cite journal | vauthors = Naska A, Oikonomou E, Trichopoulou A, Psaltopoulou T, Trichopoulos D | title = Siesta in healthy adults and coronary mortality in the general population | journal = Archives of Internal Medicine | volume = 167 | issue = 3 | pages = 296–301 | date = February 2007 | pmid = 17296887 | doi = 10.1001/archinte.167.3.296 | doi-access = free }}</ref> Short naps at mid-day and mild evening exercise were found to be effective for improved sleep, cognitive tasks, and mental health in elderly people.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Tanaka H, Tamura N | title = Sleep education with self-help treatment and sleep health promotion for mental and physical wellness in Japan | journal = Sleep and Biological Rhythms | volume = 14 | issue = S1 | pages = 89–99 | date = January 2016 | pmid = 26855610 | pmc = 4732678 | doi = 10.1007/s41105-015-0018-6 }}</ref>