Is there scientific proof of a need for a constant 8 hours of sleep?

I’m not asking about the need of getting at least 8 hours of sleep, I’m asking if there is a need for it to be all at one time, as opposed to getting 1 hour in the evening 7 hours at night.

So, does anyone know about any scientific studies on this topic?

I have only briefly skimmed through this topic during offhand readings. Sleep research has proven to produce very few strong theories on anything related to the topic including why we even need it. From what I understand 8 hrs is 8hrs though athletes would probably be better off going for 9ish hours. I have heard research on both sides of the nap debate, I believe it favor is actually going towards more a nap during the day, but these are just from a couple 10, 15 minute readings I’ve done, you might want to look up studies on polyphasic sleep for more information though I dont think many studies have been done on this topic.