Day 7 - One Week Completed!

So the end of today marks the first completed week of my polyphasic sleep routine! Huzzah! My naps today were good - the second one especially so. I had set my alarm for 20 minutes and awoke in 19! Talk about good timing. I'm still a little drowsy during the day and suffering from a bit of sleep inertia when I wake up in the morning, but the fact that both naps are starting to function better is a clear sign that things should start getting better from here.

From what I've read in the books from the library,William Dement's "The Promise of Sleep," and Stanley Coren's "Sleep Thieves," it appears that our systems gradually "forgive" sleep-dep. This explains why we don't need to sleep for days on end to make up years of lost sleep (and trust me, I've lost a lot of sleep during this time). Therefore, I'm speculating that the adaption time of a month is basically a combination of two things. First, it's just the natural adaption to the new routine. Second, it's the gradual forgiveness of sleep depravity. I don't think a polyphaser accumulates much of a sleep "surplus," but rather sleeps enough to function optimally for shorter chunks of time. This is evidenced from the extremely rapid deterioration when a polysleeper misses a nap. The more emphasis on the naps, the more extreme this effect. Since I'm working on a 6 hr core and two naps, I essentially have some more latitude on the timing of naps, but I'm guessing that if I miss one of them, I'll definitely notice the consequences at some point during the day. And since we're not sleeping any extra, the only other possibility I can conjecture is the gradual "forgiveness" of the accumulating dep one accrues during the adaptation period. I'm curious to learn if this is true, and if so, at what rate is sleep-dep forgiven ...

Also of note, my thinking, memory, and overall feeling of well being is improving. I did a light run of 1.5-2 miles today and feel quite good. My soreness from the past few days of activity is vanishing at what feels to be a normal pace, and my energy and stamina seem spot on (except for the fact that I am once again out of shape).

Anyhow, back to practicing the trumpet, then some reading, and then bed! I look forward to next week and hope that the routine will continue to feel more natural.