Lesson plan
Polyphasic sleep
Polyphasic sleep or segmented sleep is the system of sleeping during multiple periods over the course of 24 hours, in contrast to monophasic sleep, a single period of sleep within 24 hours. Polyphasic usually means more than two periods of sleep, as distinct from biphasic (or diphasic, bifurcated, or bimodal) sleep, meaning two periods of sleep. The term polyphasic sleep was first used in the early 20th century by psychologist J. S. Szymanski, who observed daily fluctuations in activity patterns. While today monophasic sleep is the norm, historical analysis suggests that polyphasic nighttime sleep was common practice across societies before industrialization. Scientific experiments and observational studies have supported a theory of biphasic sleep in humans. Polyphasic sleep is common in many animals, and is believed to be the ancestral sleep state for mammals, although simians are monophasic. A common practice of biphasic sleep is a nap, a short period of daytime sleep in addition to nighttime sleep. An example of involuntary polyphasic sleep is the circadian rhythm disorder irregular sleep–wake syndrome. The term polyphasic sleep is also used by an online community that experiments with alternative sleeping schedules in an attempt to increase productivity. There is no scientific evidence that this practice is effective or beneficial.
Article summary
Polyphasic sleep or segmented sleep is the system of sleeping during multiple periods over the course of 24 hours, in contrast to monophasic sleep, a single period of sleep within 24 hours. Polyphasic usually means more than two periods of sleep, as distinct from biphasic (or diphasic, bifurcated, or bimodal) sleep, meaning two periods of sleep. The term polyphasic sleep was first used in the early 20th century by psychologist J. S. Szymanski, who observed daily fluctuations in activity patterns. While today monophasic sleep is the norm, historical analysis suggests that polyphasic nighttime sleep was common practice across societies before industrialization. Scientific experiments and observational studies have supported a theory of biphasic sleep in humans. Polyphasic sleep is common in many animals, and is believed to be the ancestral sleep state for mammals, although simians are monophasic. A common practice of biphasic sleep is a nap, a short period of daytime sleep in addition to nighttime sleep. An example of involuntary polyphasic sleep is the circadian rhythm disorder irregular sleep–wake syndrome. The term polyphasic sleep is also used by an online community that experiments with alternative sleeping schedules in an attempt to increase productivity. There is no scientific evidence that this practice is effective or beneficial.
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.