Let it be: treat the wake span as a planned intermission

Here’s a neat lens on your night: historians think many people before industrial time slept in two chunks—“first sleep” and “second sleep” with a quiet, creative intermission in between. Your between‑sleeps grocery walk and blog drafting could be echoing that older rhythm rather than “insomnia.” 

How this maps to today (fast take):

A short, calm wake window after “first sleep” for prayer, chores, sex, or writing shows up repeatedly in historical sources; the pattern declined as artificial lighting and schedules spread.  Creativity can spike at sleep onset and light drowsiness (the “N1” edge), which may explain why ideas flow in that middle interval.  Still, modern sleep science cautions against chopping sleep too much: aim for a solid 7–9 hours total and avoid extreme polyphasic schedules.  If you do wake: expect a few minutes of sleep inertia (grogginess). Gentle light, a note‑jot, or a warm drink can help; cognition improves as you’re up a bit. 

Quick guide for your rhythm tonight:

Let it be: treat the wake span as a planned intermission (read, outline, stretch), then return to bed. Keep it dim and short (20–60 min), and protect total sleep time over 24h. 

WE&P by: EZorrillaMc&Co.