AINISSA RAMIREZ, (THE) ALCHEMY OF US — Our ancestors slept differently. ... [T]hey'd wake up after midnight and stay up for... an hour or so. ... These distinct doses of slumber were known as "first sleep" and "second sleep," and this was the customary way of catching z's.
Our ancestors slept differently. They didn't sleep longer. They didn't sleep better. What they did do was sleep in a manner that wouldn't really be recognizable to us today. Before the Industrial Revolution, our ancestors slept at night in two separate intervals. If we looked back, we would see them retiring for the evening around 9 or 10 p.m. and sleep for three and a half hours. Then, unceremoniously, they'd wake up after midnight and stay up for about an hour or so. When they grew tired again, they would return to bed and doze off for another three and a half. These distinct doses of slumber were known as "first sleep" and "second sleep," and this was the customary way of catching z's.
| A. | Moving aimlessly | ADRIFT |
| B. | Seemingly insoluble snag, stumbling block | IMPASSE |
| C. | Go out for a bit (2 wds.) | NODOFF |
| D. | Rock band named for a demon | INCUBUS |
| E. | Schoolyard fixture (2 wds.) | SWINGSET |
| F. | Indicators of inattention | SNORES |
| G. | Mountaineering achievement | ASCENT |
| H. | Lord Voldemort's surname at birth | RIDDLE |
| I. | Crocheted blanket or throw | AFGHAN |
| J. | God of dreams | MORPHEUS |
| K. | Guessing game for kids (2 wds.) | ISPY |
| L. | Queens area popular with surfers | ROCKAWAY |
| M. | Music played during intermission | ENTRACTE |
| N. | Mentally beat, ready to hit the hay | ZONKED |
| O. | Flower abundant in an underworld meadow | ASPHODEL |
| P. | Block for many a moonlighter (2 wds.) | LATESHIFT |
| Q. | Produced, as an artisan's wares | CRAFTED |
| R. | Poem at the center of a 1957 obscenity trial | HOWL |
| S. | Mirthful sister of the Graces Thalia and Aglaia | EUPHROSYNE |
| T. | Twin or double, perhaps | MATTRESS |
| U. | Transmissible result of fatigue | YAWN |
| V. | Christmas Eve seafood dish traditional in the South (2 wds.) | OYSTERSTEW |
| W. | Spare bed; special magazine feature | FOLDOUT |
| X. | Precursor to revolution, sometimes | UNREST |
| Y. | Acted as an informant | SNITCHED |