It has always struck me as an unlikely hypothesis. While I'm not a historian, I do get some insight into the Elizabethan period in particular by a very close familiarity with its plays. Shakespeare never mentions it, and he does talk about sleep quite a bit.
One example that comes to mind, from Henry V:
But, like a lackey, from the rise to set
Sweats in the eye of Phoebus and all night
Sleeps in Elysium
Hal doesn't say "All night sleeps in Elysium except for that bit where he wakes up in the middle of it". He's explicitly referring to untroubled, continuous sleep for most people (as compared to his own insomnia from worry about his kingdom).
I haven't done an exhaustive survey, but I don't believe Shakespeare characters ever wake in the middle of the night unless there is something to disturb them. They may drink late, or chimneys may come crashing down around them, but nobody ever says "Hey, see you in a few hours when we're both awake".
This is obviously far from conclusive. But the man writes about sleep often enough that I'd have expected at least some hint of it.
One example that comes to mind, from Henry V:
Hal doesn't say "All night sleeps in Elysium except for that bit where he wakes up in the middle of it". He's explicitly referring to untroubled, continuous sleep for most people (as compared to his own insomnia from worry about his kingdom).I haven't done an exhaustive survey, but I don't believe Shakespeare characters ever wake in the middle of the night unless there is something to disturb them. They may drink late, or chimneys may come crashing down around them, but nobody ever says "Hey, see you in a few hours when we're both awake".
This is obviously far from conclusive. But the man writes about sleep often enough that I'd have expected at least some hint of it.