Polyphasic Sleeping - Day 1 & 2
I'm currently trying to become a polyphasic sleeper, which is where instead of sleeping for one block of roughly eight hours in one night, one takes six or seven short 20-30 minute naps in a twenty-four-hour period (the Uberman Sleep Schedule). Allegedly the body will learn to go into REM sleep, which is the most necessary form of sleep*, almost immediately when one starts a nap, and one will need much less sleep overall (3 hours or less per planetary revolution). However, there is an adjustment period of at least a week, more like two.
* - (However, cravings for certain nutritional supplements, such as grapes, to make up for the lack of other types of sleep are reportedly common, and one is well-advised to take heed and serve the cravings)
It's currently Wednesday afternoon. I started taking 30 minute naps at four-hour intervals throughout the day Tuesday (yesterday). I was already used to taking a 30 minute nap at 4PM most days prior to starting this, which may have helped somewhat. However, I tend to have a lot of trouble falling asleep most of the time, especially at night, oddly enough. 2AM-6AM was the worst; as you can imagine, there was much groaning when my alarm went off after a mere 30 minutes at roughly 4 in the morning.
One of the worst things one can do on this sleep schedule is to miss a nap, or be more than an hour late for a nap, especially twice in a row. I'm pretty flexible on timing at the moment, so that doesn't pose a difficulty. If I manage to land a full-time job (8hrs/day), however, I'm going to have to use part of my lunch to catch a 12-noon nap. One of the positive aspects of this sleep schedule is that you can fall asleep (deliberately) almost anywhere when it's time for a nap, even if you weren't previously accustomed to sleeping outdoors, say, or in a moving vehicle.
Another one of the worst things you can do on this sleep schedule is to sleep late. Longer than 30 minutes (or even 20-25 minutes for some people) will tend to leave you feeling somewhat groggy for the next waking period. It's especially inadvisable to oversleep during the acclimation period, as it will slow the process and just make things more difficult. So I was rather concerned when I woke up from my noon nap today not sure whether I had slept through my alarm or whether it was still going off or what. I was pretty confused, but once more of my brain came online it appeared that I'd only overslept by 2 minutes.
Still, I'm going to have to be careful. From what I hear, I'm going to be getting really tired tomorrow, and I don't want to stretch this adjustment period any longer than it needs to be - I hate being short on sleep, and I really want the quiet time during the night so I can work without interruption. My watch has dual alarms, so maybe I'll set a backup alarm to go off a minute or two after the first, in case I sleep through one. Once I've adjusted to the schedule, from all accounts, I should sleep 20-30 minutes and wake up naturally without even needing an alarm, as long as I'm taking my naps on time.
One last thing - I'm abstaining from any stimulants such as caffeine or chocolate, at least during the adjustment period. Caffeine wouldn't have time to wear off in the 3.5-hour period between naps, and I don't need it decreasing the quality of my naps. Furthermore, I'm eating when I first get up from a nap, and never within two or three hours of my next nap - the theory being that if one is still digesting when one tries to take a nap, the digestion will tend to keep one awake longer.
We'll see what kind of a mental state I'm in for day 3 (or 4).
* - (However, cravings for certain nutritional supplements, such as grapes, to make up for the lack of other types of sleep are reportedly common, and one is well-advised to take heed and serve the cravings)
It's currently Wednesday afternoon. I started taking 30 minute naps at four-hour intervals throughout the day Tuesday (yesterday). I was already used to taking a 30 minute nap at 4PM most days prior to starting this, which may have helped somewhat. However, I tend to have a lot of trouble falling asleep most of the time, especially at night, oddly enough. 2AM-6AM was the worst; as you can imagine, there was much groaning when my alarm went off after a mere 30 minutes at roughly 4 in the morning.
One of the worst things one can do on this sleep schedule is to miss a nap, or be more than an hour late for a nap, especially twice in a row. I'm pretty flexible on timing at the moment, so that doesn't pose a difficulty. If I manage to land a full-time job (8hrs/day), however, I'm going to have to use part of my lunch to catch a 12-noon nap. One of the positive aspects of this sleep schedule is that you can fall asleep (deliberately) almost anywhere when it's time for a nap, even if you weren't previously accustomed to sleeping outdoors, say, or in a moving vehicle.
Another one of the worst things you can do on this sleep schedule is to sleep late. Longer than 30 minutes (or even 20-25 minutes for some people) will tend to leave you feeling somewhat groggy for the next waking period. It's especially inadvisable to oversleep during the acclimation period, as it will slow the process and just make things more difficult. So I was rather concerned when I woke up from my noon nap today not sure whether I had slept through my alarm or whether it was still going off or what. I was pretty confused, but once more of my brain came online it appeared that I'd only overslept by 2 minutes.
Still, I'm going to have to be careful. From what I hear, I'm going to be getting really tired tomorrow, and I don't want to stretch this adjustment period any longer than it needs to be - I hate being short on sleep, and I really want the quiet time during the night so I can work without interruption. My watch has dual alarms, so maybe I'll set a backup alarm to go off a minute or two after the first, in case I sleep through one. Once I've adjusted to the schedule, from all accounts, I should sleep 20-30 minutes and wake up naturally without even needing an alarm, as long as I'm taking my naps on time.
One last thing - I'm abstaining from any stimulants such as caffeine or chocolate, at least during the adjustment period. Caffeine wouldn't have time to wear off in the 3.5-hour period between naps, and I don't need it decreasing the quality of my naps. Furthermore, I'm eating when I first get up from a nap, and never within two or three hours of my next nap - the theory being that if one is still digesting when one tries to take a nap, the digestion will tend to keep one awake longer.
We'll see what kind of a mental state I'm in for day 3 (or 4).
posted by Wireball at 2:21 PM
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