Conocido como el “sueño bifásico”, durante siglos, los seres humanos durmieron en dos tandas: desde el anochecer hasta la medianoche, para levantarse a realizar labores nocturnas y reflexivas, para retomar el sueño de madrugada hasta el amanecer. La noche dividida en dos mitades, era algo propio de sociedades donde no existía la luz eléctrica y donde actividades contemplativas como la oración, la conversación o la vida sexual requerían estricta intimidad. En “At Day’s Close: A History of Nighttime”. el historiador Roger Ekirch de la Universidad Virginia Tech ha dedicado la última década a indagar en aspectos cotidianos de la vida medieval, sorprendiéndose con el hábito del descanso nocturno y sus características.
A través de la pesquisa de archivos, cartas, diarios de vida, literatura médica, poemas, canciones y otros registros, el autor encontró evidencia de que este sueño fragmentado era comúnmente utilizado para dar espacio a la cena después de la primera siesta, ponerse al día con la familia y vecinos conversando e incluso para cometer crímenes y robos, según documentos judiciales. La balada “Old Robin of Portingale” describe: “al despertar de tu primer sueño, te prepararán una bebida caliente, y al despertar de tu próximo sueño, tus penas se apagarán”, destaca el académico.
El sueño bifásico se practicaba ampliamente en todo el mundo preindustrial. En Francia, el sueño inicial era conocido como el “premier somme”; en Italia, era el “primo sonno” e incluso en África, Asia, Australia, Medio Oriente o América se practicaba una costumbre similar. “Un relato colonial de Río de Janeiro, Brasil en 1555 describía cómo el pueblo tupinambá cenaba después de su primer sueño, mientras que en otro, del siglo XIX Muscat, Omán, explicaba que la gente local se retiraba de la vida social para su primer sueño antes de las 22”, escribe Ekirch. Un par de horas más tarde, la gente comenzaba a despertarse de este sueño inicial e iniciaba una vigilia que continuaba hasta pasadas las 01 AM, aproximadamente, para dormir de nuevo hasta las 6 AM, el canto del gallo o la salida del sol. Esta ventana entre sueños era conocida en Inglaterra como “el reloj”. En ella se aprovechaba de alimentar el fuego, verificar el estado de los animales, peinar lana, elaborar cervezas o recitar oraciones escritas específicamente para la madrugada. Pero, sobre todo, el reloj era útil para socializar y para tener sexo, señala Ekirch. “Para los esposos y esposas que lograron manejar la logística de compartir una cama con otros, también fue un intervalo conveniente para la intimidad física: si habían tenido un largo día de trabajo manual, el primer sueño les quitó el cansancio y el período posterior era un momento excelente para concebir un gran número de niños”, anota el historiador.
Roger Ekirch sostiene que el sueño bifásico no ha desaparecido del todo, ya que inclusive hay un componente evolutivo en esta práctica que se ha ido abandonando progresivamente desde a partir de las grandes revoluciones industriales, el uso del reloj y la iluminación artificial, elementos que alteraron el ritmo circadiano de las personas. La gente comenzó a acostarse más tarde y “comprimir” ese sueño bifásico en uno sólo más profundo levantándose a la misma hora por la mañana, agrega. Este cambio en el hábito del sueño ha transformado también la actitud ante el descanso, cree Ekirch. “Hay un efecto secundario que considera valiosas a las personas que se acuestan tarde y se levantan temprano para ser más productivos, generando ansiedades y preocupaciones que inciden en esa calidad del sueño”, dice sobre un cambio de la cultura que va de la mano también con nuevas externalidades, entre ellas el televisor en la habitación, el celular junto a la almohada o las maratones nocturnas de streaming.
“Para mí, la principal transformación desde el sueño bifásico al sueño consolidado actual, se produjo a lo largo del siglo XIX. La excepción de hoy consiste en personas propensas a sufrir insomnio en medio de la noche, algo que en muchos casos, según la evidencia histórica, es un remanente probable de este patrón preindustrial en las sociedades occidentales. Y, mientras que en el pasado, algunas actividades, como la conversación entre familiares y la intimidad sexual, se compartían después del intervalo del “primer sueño”, otros eran más privados, incluyendo la meditación, la lectura, la escritura y la oración”, señala el autor de “At Day’s Close: A History of Nighttime”.
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