Polyphasic Sleep

[adramaay]

Recently, I got interested in polyphasic sleep. I know it gives you more time during the day, but I have a feeling that it can be harder to organize it. The next issue; is it healthy? It's better to feel refreshed rather than sleepy all the time. I don't know anyone who has experienced with it. Maybe someone here has already tried, I would really like to know your opinion.

[nbolt]

My basic takeaway from the research I've done on polyphasic sleep is that if you really need or want those extra hours in the day, it's certainly an approach you can take with varying degrees of success, however I haven't been convinced it's desirable for peak creative output, and the vast majority of the time it isn't more hours in the day you need, but more focus in the hours that you have.
 

 

Edited February 9, 2016 by Neill Bolton

[NariusV]

I tried it for a couple weeks.

Some issues:

1. You can't focus on a project for more than a few hours then you'll start getting tired, and ready to sleep again. 

2. You'll be awake all hours of the day, so if you're in relationship or living with other people it can be challanging to schedule things with them. If you're in a house with others, then you'll be up when everyone else is sleeping and then its kind of a challange if you want to be up and about and not interefere with others (or wake them).

3. Scheduling meetings or seminars etc. or most normal jobs can be a real problem since it intereferes with your sleep.

It's good if you're alone and need to get a mass amount of work done and won't be interrupted, and don't need to interface too much with others.

I can't speak to long term health effects.

Edited February 9, 2016 by NariusV

[adramaay]

Thank you all guys, I knew I can find someone that have tried it on this forum.

@NariusV  I know it makes scheduling my day a little bit more complicated, but I hope I will be able to try it out for at least 2-3 months. I have a possibility to organize my time independently right now, so experiencing a little can be interesting.

@Sbartolek Thanks a lot, I will for sure study the website you linked. I don't want to go for the extreme schedules and I'm not planning to stop my exercising routine; I don't need to limit my sleep to only 2-3 hours a day. I wanted to experience with power naps and limit the core as much as I can, so I believe the Everyman that you recommended seems to be a good choice for me. I like working at night, but I have huge problem with getting up in the morning, so I feel tired the whole day. That was also the main reason I got interested in this.

[Hunter Arrington]

Sleeping nine at least eight hours a night, preferably nine, and then taking a fifteen to twenty minute nap eight hours afterward works the best in my experience and has been the most practical with a busy schedule. The nap is critical. It's a halfway point, and it's what get's you through the rest of the day very smoothly. 

[Ramu]

One thing you should be aware of with sleep is the body's natural circadian rhythm.  The natural circadian rhythm is 1.5 hours.  9 hours is naturally the best solution for optimal cognitive performance.  Anything less than that should be realistically manipulated in multiples of 1.5.  1.5 is better than 1 or 2.  4.5 is better than 4 or 5.  Why?  Because a full 1.5 hour cycle (and more in 1.5 hour increments) supports full cerebral restoration.  When interrupted, the brain doesn't go through sleep stages 1-4 and REM stage which is vital for performance in wakeful state.  REM state is the dream state.  Why do we need this?  Because despite all the fiction you've read about dreaming, its actual function is for the consolidation of memory.  If you don't dream (REM), you don't learn as well as those who don't deprive themselves of sleep.  My recommendation?  Get on a regular sleep pattern.  Its healthy, and when you're tired take a nap for at least an hour and a half!  

[jackson]

I used it for a couple of months during my last semester at University, I slept for 4.5 hours overnight and had two or three 20 minute naps each day.

Works great in the short time if you really need the extra time to get shit done, but from experience I can tell you that it doesn't work as a lifestyle despite what everybody else claims on the internet.

This dude called Claudio Stampi did a study about 30 years ago that found 3 hours of Polyphasic Sleep will leave you more alert and refreshed under sleep deprived conditions compared to 3 hours of monophasic sleep - but he doesn't recommend it as a lifestyle.

Like what Neill said above - if you are going for peak creative output you are probably better off just getting more sleep. With that said however a biphasic sleep schedule has been proven to improve creativity, as the midday nap tends to 'clear the cobwebs' and break any preconceptions you might have about a problem or creative endeavor.

From experience I would say that it is worth a try so you an at least see for yourself what it is like. I would suggest trying the 4.5 hour core with two 20 minute naps. Humans like all great apes are naturally biphasic and hence this 4.5 hour core schedule is pretty easy to use because it isn't all that different to the natural cycle.

I'm pretty passionate about this stuff and ensuring that people use it safely and appropriately, if you want more information about the whole polyphasic thing and how to use it effectively etc. I have written a heap about it here; http://www.hypercapable.com/blog/polyphasicsleep.html

Message me if you have any more questions man

 

[Psychonaut]

I think polyphasic sleep is unhealthy and a brainfart of darkorange people. 

But I think biphasic sleep is good. Meaning taking a nap in the afternoon when you are tired. I don't do it everyday, but when I'm tired I sleep. I think sometimes my body tells me things that are important. So when my body tells me it needs some rest I give it rest. 

[Guest]

53 minutes ago, A Lone Wanderer said:

I think polyphasic sleep is unhealthy and a brainfart of darkorange people. 

But I think biphasic sleep is good. Meaning taking a nap in the afternoon when you are tired. I don't do it everyday, but when I'm tired I sleep. I think sometimes my body tells me things that are important. So when my body tells me it needs some rest I give it rest. 

Isn't this interesting...there are too many brainfarts in our day and age. Thank god we have our own brain(and I mean mind and heartbrain too) to use so we can differ between bullshit and good stuff. I completely agree with this post.

[Rosie]

On 9 February 2016 at 1:41 AM, adramaay said:

Recently, I got interested in polyphasic sleep. I know it gives you more time during the day, but I have a feeling that it can be harder to organize it. The next issue; is it healthy? It's better to feel refreshed rather than sleepy all the time. I don't know anyone who has experienced with it. Maybe someone here has already tried, I would really like to know your opinion.

As I work on a cruise ship, I basically must do this. I work, then socialise ( otherwise impossible to stay sane for 6-9 months without one single free day even if you are sick)  It does the job, but as per my experience and i speak in the name of many cruise workers, the fist thing you do when you get home is to sleep for 2 weeks in a row with minimal time awake. Which proves that it is unhealthy, and exhausting to your body

 

23 minutes ago, The Alchemist said:

Isn't this interesting...there are too many brainfarts in our day and age. Thank god we have our own brain(and I mean mind and heartbrain too) to use so we can differ between bullshit and good stuff. I completely agree with this post.

I do not agree with his though. Sleeping is in connection in too much other things than just brain. vitamin levels, blood, diet etc. If you have issues with sleeping then you have issues with many other things. If after 6-8 hours sleep you have fatigue in the afternoons, then you need to look into the causes.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Rosie said:

As I work on a cruise ship, I basically must do this. I work, then socialise ( otherwise impossible to stay sane for 6-9 months without one single free day even if you are sick)  It does the job, but as per my experience and i speak in the name of many cruise workers, the fist thing you do when you get home is to sleep for 2 weeks in a row with minimal time awake. Which proves that it is unhealthy, and exhausting to your body

 

I do not agree with his though. Sleeping is in connection in too much other things than just brain. vitamin levels, blood, diet etc. If you have issues with sleeping then you have issues with many other things. If after 6-8 hours sleep you have fatigue in the afternoons, then you need to look into the causes.

I agree with the first paragraph, but what has the second to do with my post?  I simply assumed the guy sleeps less at night or maybe he wakes up too early. Maybe he just sleeps 6 hours in the night and then he need to sleep 1-2 hours in the afternoon? That's perfectly fine.

[Rosie]

Just now, The Alchemist said:

I agree with the first paragraph, but what has the second to do with my post?  I simply assumed the guy sleeps less at night or maybe he wakes up too early. Maybe he just sleeps 6 hours in the night and then he need to sleep 1-2 hours in the afternoon? That's perfectly fine.

I would say if someone has a good 7 hours sleep than nap time would not be necessary, 7-9 hours a night is the general sleep what an adult need. if after this someone needs a nap then I would have a health check. With sleep i would have a check anyways if he needs a nap time as its just too difficult to test it out yourself. That's why I said, that I don't think that with sleep you can simply believe what your body says... 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Rosie said:

I would say if someone has a good 7 hours sleep than nap time would not be necessary, 7-9 hours a night is the general sleep what an adult need. if after this someone needs a nap then I would have a health check. With sleep i would have a check anyways if he needs a nap time as its just too difficult to test it out yourself. That's why I said, that I don't think that with sleep you can simply believe what your body says... 

You should still listen to your body though. There are only two ways for this: One is you need more sleep, and Two is you need to check your health. But any way if you don't even listen to your body how will you ever know? I think we are both right? If you sleep only 5 hours a night or maybe six then you probably just need more sleep. If you sleep 8 hours a night and still need sleep in the afternoon then something is probably wrong with your energy levels or your health.

Aand, even if you have ill health, you still need to sleep in the afternoon as long as you don't imrpove your health, or you will suffer from tiredness and shit like that the whole day.

[Rosie]

I agree, I think we are coming to the same place just from different directions... 
Anyways you are an expert and i am just an apprentice, so I trust whatever you say. Except maybe if you say: jump out of the window. I would not trust you on that idea...

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Rosie said:

I agree, I think we are coming to the same place just from different directions... 
Anyways you are an expert and i am just an apprentice, so I trust whatever you say. Except maybe if you say: jump out of the window. I would not trust you on that idea...

I am just a student, just like you, and I learned even from this conversation with you. Also don't jump out of the window...just bring me a coffee, would you be so kind apprentice?  Btw I like the term "minion" better...oh, this is my ego rising again.

[Rosie]

3 minutes ago, The Alchemist said:

I am just a student, just like you, and I learned even from this conversation with you. Also don't jump out of the window...just bring me a coffee, would you be so kind apprentice?  Btw I like the term "minion" better...oh, this is my ego rising again.

sorry, too tired to do so. I'll go and have a nap instead.

[Psychonaut]

2 hours ago, The Alchemist said:

I agree with the first paragraph, but what has the second to do with my post?  I simply assumed the guy sleeps less at night or maybe he wakes up too early. Maybe he just sleeps 6 hours in the night and then he need to sleep 1-2 hours in the afternoon? That's perfectly fine.

I often just sleep 5-6 hours a night and then I need to sleep in the afternoon. If I can sleep 7-8 hours then I usually don't need to sleep. Sometimes I also have to sleep after a strenuous working day or when I did physically taxing work. I'm not going to try to drag myself through the day when I'm tired. 

[Guest]

23 minutes ago, A Lone Wanderer said:

I often just sleep 5-6 hours a night and then I need to sleep in the afternoon. If I can sleep 7-8 hours then I usually don't need to sleep. Sometimes I also have to sleep after a strenuous working day or when I did physically taxing work. I'm not going to try to drag myself through the day when I'm tired. 

Just what i said

[Rosie]

@A Lone Wanderer obviously, thats not what i meant. But I think sleeping after an exhausting day for an hour is normal. However sleeping 5 times a week in the afternoon. Well there is something not right.  Anyways i think i might explained myself on the wrong way...

[Myagooshki]

There's a website out now if you haven't heard of it.

https://www.polyphasic.net/

From this and the associated discord channel, you should be able to get versed in good sleep hygiene if you're attempting alternative sleep schedules. I did "Everyman 1" for 8 weeks. The first 4.5 weeks were part of the adaptation phase. After the adaptation phase I was able to be very wakeful when I needed to. I wouldn't recommend driving during adaptation, I don't think. I wasn't driving at the time but I don't remember what it felt like and whether or not I would advise it. Very possibly you could pull it off. Just be careful.