Sleep It Off

A recent study indicated that you might get a better night’s rest if you break up sleep into two three-to four-hour time periods, with a three-hour awake period in the middle. But before you set your alarm for 2 a.m., Subin Jain, MD, a pulmonologist with the Baptist Health Sleep Center at Baptist Health Louisville, weighs in on this theory.

“I don’t think there’s robust data that suggests the circadian (body) clocks work in a three-hour time spans,” Dr. Jain said.

So what is a good pattern?

“Most people do well with seven to eight hours of sleep during the normal nighttime,” Dr. Jain said, adding that some people naturally require shorter or longer sleep periods. But if your job or new baby interrupts your sleep, the next best thing is to just try to get eight hours of sleep in a 24-hour period.