Back on the Polyphasic Routine ... sorta

So I obviously haven't posted anything here in a while. My former polyphasic routine is in shambles because I simply gave it up due to work. I had a big grant I was working on with an approaching deadline, so I gave work the priority and went back to a monophasic routine that would get me through the writing process. Sadly, the grant still ended up in disaster for a handful of reasons, including a fiasco with the company's CEO, but that's a discussion for another time. If I had known the outcome, I would have stuck with adapting to the 3-hr Everyman.

Moving on, what I'm working on now is essentially the 6-hr Everyman. Most of the polyphasers seem to toss this one with being biphasic, but I'm starting to have reservations about the whole "2-4 hrs of sleep each night and everything is wonderful." Am I denying their systems don't work? No. But I am saying that a major variable is individual, with what the body needs and can tolerate.

 Note this pic, courtesy of the National Institute of Health (NIH). This is their example of a "typical hypnogram from a young, healthy adult." Light-gray areas are NREM sleep and the dark areas are REM sleep. Note the period post 6-hrs. Almost every graph I've seen mimics this general pattern, even though the REM / NREM oscillations tend to variate. By the beginning of the 4th REM cycle, you're persistently hitting REM and the lightest stages of sleep (1 and 2). It seems like your body gets the deep slow-wave sleep it needs within the first 6 hours.

Again, another one showing the lightness of sleep after 5-6 hrs of sleeping. Most of the graphs that I can find are emulations of either this one or the NIH graph further above.

So to cut to the chase, I'm going to stick with 6-hrs of sleep at take 2-3 naps throughout the day. Simply put, naps kick ass. They feel wonderful and are surprisingly restorative. When I was on the 3-hr Everyman, I was taking wonderful naps almost every time by day 4. I could remember dreaming to some degree and the 20 minutes felt like an hour. Since these naps are short in duration, and I know I was dreaming most of the time, I'm inclined to believe that the naps are indeed progressing to REM at some point. Ergo, the naps fulfill the missing lighter phases / REM from sleeping only 6 hrs compared to sleep a full 8 hrs each night. And take it from me, for someone who normally "needs" 8 hrs of sleep but only gets 6 hrs ends up accumulating a massive sleep debt fast. Just check out Stanley Coren's book, "Sleep Thieves." He tried cutting sleep back by 30 minutes each week for about six weeks. He was noticing decreases in work performance after only cutting back sleep to 7 hrs each night. The conclusion (mine, not his): if you want to cut down that core nightly sleep period, you NEED to get those naps in. There's no way around it.

Back to the Uberman, 1.5, 3, or 4.5-hr Everyman. Since these routines cut into the deeper slow-wave sleep that one normally gets at night, I'm worried that there are consequences for its absence. Some polyphaser blogs, including a facebook convo with another successful adapter, mention metabolic difficulties, particularly weight gain. The body is indeed quite active during the night - just check out the NIH again. And although no one really understands sleep fully, I'd posit that if we didn't need slow-wave sleep, we would never bother with it in the first place. Therefore, I say get it and supplement the missed REM and lighter sleep throughout the day with some good naps.

I anticipate that this could be the true "Everyman" routine for the typical 8-hr sleeper, shaving off at least one solid hour from a typical day's worth of sleep without any major consequences. Unfortunately, I still feel a bit tired and can't wait until the upcoming nap, but hey, this is only day 1. Stay tuned to see how this works out!

The Polyphasic Sleep Experiment: Day 5

This morning represents the beginning of my 6th day on the 3-hr Everyman and boy was yesterday eventful!

My 6 am nap was particularly interesting - I had my first lucid dreams in a long time (for what I can remember)! I was actually dreaming that I was sleeping in my dream and then woke up at a noise outside my window. I'm almost positive it's a dream because although I remember my vision during the dream to blurry for a brief moment, everything then came into focus (and I know that I didn't put on my glasses during this dream). The lack of glasses and seeing in perfect focus = dream. Sometime later, during the same nap, I dreamed that my cousin and his wife were outside my window and asked me to print something off my computer. I was going to say the ink cartridges in my cheap printer were empty, but my alarm clocks beat me to the cue and I officially woke up.

Although that 6 am nap was pretty neat, it wasn't terribly restorative. I was feeling pretty tired, so I decided to add in another cat nap. I read on Steve Pavlina's blog that while he was (successfully) adapting to Uberman, he'd insert an additional 7th nap at times where he felt he needed it. Therefore, I ended up adding a fifth 20 minute nap at 8 am, giving me three naps at 6am, 8am, and 10am, respectively. I have to say that it did the trick, especially as the fatigue went away for the remainder of the day. I will continue to add an extra quick nap, spacing naps to approximately 2 hours apart, should I ever enter another spell of fatigue again since it seems to be efficacious.

On that note, I should also mention how much easier it is becoming to fall asleep once I start my nap. I'm not sure how they're working as it relates to the 1-5 cycles of sleep, but I notice that I sleep off into unconsciousness sooner than I did during the first few days.

Lastly, it's just shy of 2 am and I'd like to get some work done. However, I feel a bit tired. I was reading in Sleep Thieves, by Stanley Coren, that for *most* people, their period of maximum tiredness was between 1-4am. I'm starting to see some truth behind this, so I wonder if my placement of the 10pm-1am core is not being used optimally. Just so I don't completely butcher my transition, I think I'll move my core to 11-2am tonight and try that our for a few days. Depending on how that works, I can also play around with 12-3am. The 1-4am nap will be difficult since I like to get a 20 minute nap in before work (6-6:30am, then get ready for work for 6:30-7:30, and get to work at 8:00). That being said, I suppose that I could move the early morning nap to 6:30-7, make my lunch before hand, hop in the shower once I wake up, and then out the door I go.

We'll see ... but today, my primary concern is just being able to function well during work. I struggled during my first two days on Everyman because they were on workdays, so this will be a great opportunity to see what kind of progress I am making!

The Polyphasic Sleep Experiment: Day 4

Successful completion of day 4 on the 3-hour Everyman! Yesterday was better than the previous three days in just about every way and I am continuing to hit the naps perfectly (thank God for the weekend!). I'm also having no problem with the alarms. Admittedly, I am setting 3 to wake me up during my core sleep, but I'm getting away with only needing 1 alarm during my daily naps. Huzzah for 10 years of alarm conditioning!

So the major development during day 4 was my ability to sit down and read for 2-hours between my last nap and three-hour core going into day 5 without my brain kicking and screaming along the way. The book I was reading was quite heavy, but still, it was an awkward feeling considering that I could play on the PC or watch netflix on-end without any negative consequences (actually, I feel less tired on the computer). Every past attempt to sit down and do any substantive reading resulted in feeling heavy fatigue after 15-30 minutes (even earlier yesterday). It was great to finish my book last night because now I'm going to start reading about sleep itself, starting with "Sleep Thieves" by Stanley Coren. Even more so, I'm going polyphasic to learn more, to read more, to milk more out of life ... not to become a video game junkie (those years are behind me now, like my daily coffee).

The massive headaches and feeling that I'd been run over by a semi is gone, also. As I noted earlier, this feeling hit me quite hard around 2 pm on Day 2 and around 8 pm on Day 3. I think this is the most substantive proof that I'm slowly going beyond the sleep-dep and getting the rest my body needs. I wish the adaptation phase was quicker, but considering that I'm making progress, I guess I can't complain. The next big challenge is that I'll be at work again tomorrow for day-6 of my polyphasic transition. I'm almost positive that it will be better than day-2, but I wonder how much more so?

And before I forget, I also awoke early from another one of my 4 naps yesterday by exactly 1 minute again. I had the alarm set for 23 minutes, which I hope is a happy medium between 20 and 25 minutes. I'm still aiming for the 20 minutes of good-quality nap, so I'm adding the 3 minutes to compensate for the time I need to fall asleep (if I actually manage to do so).

As for dreaming - I only remember having one dream during my naps thus far, and even that one is fuzzy in my memory. I think it had something to do with an episode of South Park I had watched before taking the nap....

The Polyphasic Sleep Experiment: Day 3

Another early morning update, and I have plenty to write about!

On the list of interesting things: I did wake up 1 minute before my alarms during my 2 pm nap. Was it neat? Absolutely. Can I do it again? Most likely not because I am hopelessly fixed to the alarm clock (it's a blessing and a curse, depending on your perspective). So, the only reason I can attribute this occurrence is to the fact I was napping in the car, napped lightly, and got lucky. If I can do this again, perhaps it might indicate I am starting to adjust more fully to the naps, but I wouldn't hold my breath. I've been waking to an alarm every single morning for the better part of a decade.

Secondly, the pounding headache and sensation of slept-dep occurred today ... BUT it happened about 6 hours later (1pm vs 7 pm). Perhaps I'm ever so slowly sleeping better? Perhaps my internal rhythm isn't fixed on a 24 hour schedule. I feel fine now, so I'm curious to see if I experience the same (unpleasant) sensation again today and at what time. Also, curiously enough, when I awoke from my 3-hr core nap, I felt like I had before going to bed (as in, tired and God awful) but after getting out of bed and moving around for a minute, the feeling vanished. Now, I still feel that subtle drag from being mildly-sleep deprived, but this wouldn't really hinder me unless I was doing something colossally boring or sitting still for a long period of time.

An unfortunate development I've noticed over the past three days is my poor short-term memory. Now, I haven't turned into the mindless zombie that so many people have recalled while adjusting to the Uberman routine, but I do find that in my conversations and readings, my recollection isn't as keen as normal. I'm going to attribute this to the sleep-dep because after all, when I haven't slept well in the past, I always had shoddy memory, too. To test this a bit, I'm going to start making lists of 10-20 GRE vocab words and study them each day. I'm curious to see how much I struggle with them while in the early phases of adaption, and if it improves over time (and I do hope it does!).

Also, since I've done a horrible job citing my comments in my blog, let me add this link to one of the most comprehensive accumulations of polyphasic sleep I've come across in my internet-wanderings. This will take you to a blog written by Pure Doxyk, the founder of "uberman" and probably one of the most interesting people I've ever read about. Her work, if everything is replicable, could be the foundation for an revolution in the way people sleep. Sleep, like all things, is an individual affair, so I'm just a bit nervous that my own physiological limits may inhibit me from really taking advantage of this adjustment. I guess we'll see!

Even though I'm still a bit scatter-brained, I am going to try finishing the book I'm working on: "The Age of Abundance: How Prosperity Transformed America's Politics and Culture," by Brink Lindsey of the Cato Institute. The next book on the list is "Sleep Thieves" by Stanley Coren, and learn a few more details about sleep.

The Polyphasic Sleep Experiment: Day 2

It's 1:25 AM as I'm writing this and this marks the completion of the second full day on the 3 Hour Everyman ... and boy, what a day! I really struggled this morning and afternoon. For a better part of the morning and early afternoon I was absolutely exhausted (tantamount to pulling an all-nighter). The naps were having no restorative effect what-so-ever, so I basically felt like I was operating on the little bit of "good" sleep from the previous two nights of core sleep (4.5 and 3 hours, respectfully).

However, the afternoon nap at 2 pm was the tipping point. I think this was my *first* genuinely restorative nap. I was seriously suffering from bad sleep depravity by this point and was having a horrible time focusing on any of my work (which made me feel awful to begin with - I hate not being productive when I'm at work and on the clock). So my early afternoon was basically me watching each minute slowly tick by until it was time for the scheduled nap. Needless to say, by the time 2 pm finally rolled around, I had my yoga mat and pillow out, alarms set, and was ready to get some much needed rest.

Considering how I felt, I am extremely proud of myself for not over-sleeping. I set my alarms for 23 minutes and an 28 minutes (my backup just in case I managed to sleep through the first symphonic battery of alarms). All I remember was going to sleep and then waking up some unknown period later. I was still "out of it" when I turned my alarms off, so my next conscious moment was sitting up on my office in total silence. The first rational thought that my brain managed to process (and it took maybe 30 seconds to do this) was "!@#$ I overslept." BUT that was not the case. I had slept for exactly 23 minutes.  Better yet, I know I went beyond the first 2 phases of lighter sleep. Did I reach REM during this time? I think so, perhaps for a bit. I had no memory of dreaming, but perhaps that's a poor metric to use considering I don't remember dreaming since this experiment began two days ago.

Anyways, the rest of the day was still a struggle. After progressively getting more and more sleep deprived, there's no way even one fantastic nap is going to immediately fix everything. I spoke with my supervisor after this nap and finally enlightened him with what I was doing (he seemed more interested than surprised, but God knows what he's thinking of me now). Fearing that I'd have to endure more of the early-afternoon conditions while adapting over the next few days, I requested to have today (Friday) off. I have enough Paid Time Off (PTO) to take a total of 3 days off, so it was no problem burning one of these. Plus, I now also get a 3-day weekend, huzzah!

My 6 pm nap was not as pronounced as the previous one, but I also woke from that nap feeling progressively better, yet. I managed to regain a bit of an appetite for dinner, and my ability to concentrate and focus steadily improved. While I was no where close to being *normal* I did manage to read a Newsweek cover-to-cover from 8:30 - 9:30 and remember most of what I read. 

Lastly, my 3 hour core tonight went well. I'm awake, reasonably alert, and I think I can get some decent reading and cleaning done. Although my parents are extremely skeptical about this, my Mom does love how my room is getting cleaner after each night! Back to the point, while I by no means think that I'm out of the woods yet (I'm just starting day 3), I think I am moving in the right direction and might have a serious opportunity to make the 3-hour Everyman work!

The Polyphasic Sleep Experiment: Day 1

I just completed my first day on the new polyphasic sleep routine. Conventionally, it's known as the 3 hour Everyman and consists of one "core' 3-hour nap from 10 pm to 1 AM and then four 25-minute naps spaced out equidistantly throughout the day at 6 am, 10 am , 2 pm, and 6 pm. To me, this is a challenge, an opportunity, and in the long run, I think (and hope) a blessing in disguise.

Sleep has never been one of my strengths. Historically, I tire easily, handle sleep depravity poorly, and need at least 8 hours of sleep to have any shot of having a fully functional day. In comparison with other people who suffer from serious bouts of insomnia, night terrors, sleepwalking, or other nocturnal difficulties, I realize I am not one to complain. Still, I cannot help to think that something is wrong with my own sleep routine ... and I'm determined to fix it.

The purpose of this experiment is simply to feel more rested and energetic throughout the day. Of course, this is where the irony of cutting down on my sleep comes to play. But the theory goes, as purported by successful polyphasers, that the body simply does not need 8 hours of continuous sleep each night, nor is it naturally inclined to receive its rest from such. I've read some argue that biphasic sleep is the mankind's natural predisposition (siesta, anyone?). But honestly, who can squeeze in a 90-120 minute nap in the middle of the day?  Derivations of polyphasic sleep stem from the biphasic schedule by dispersing sleep opportunities throughout the day and reducing the length of "core" sleeps.

The ultimate practice in the polyphasic realm is the "uberman" routine. I tried this for about a week during my Freshman year and boy did it suck. The adaption period is supposedly 14-28 days, so I should have stuck with it longer. It shouldn't seem surprising that an ingrained habit (particularly one for nearly 20 decades) would be resistant to change (think homeostasis), but, I chalk this past snafu up to weak self-discipline and hope that a more mature and grown up "me" will be successful this time - particularly on a more moderate and replicable cycle.

So with that said: My first day on the 3 Hour Everyman was well ... not the 3 hour everyman. I actually slept for a core 4.5 hours and took four naps. While this still reduces sleeping time to 6.5 hours daily (quite an accomplishment for me, really), I thought, "lets raise the bar just a bit." So, I've reduced my core to 3 hours and will continue with the 4 naps, which seems to be quite standard for this particular routine. Four naps on the 4.5 hr everyman seems to be overkill from what I've read, but I always need to avoid the "one-shoe-fits-all" mentality for sleep as it rarely applies to anything in life.

My first accomplishment of this experiment is actually quite monumental for me. For the first time since I can remember (and I'm talking about years here), I did not have my early morning coffee ... and the universe did not implode! Under normal conditions, God forbid I forget my AM cup of joe. This would result in a prolonged day of headaches and utter unpleasantness. I don't know if my body is in "WTF" mode, or I'm just overly preoccupied with this alteration, but absence of caffeine did not cripple me! In fact, I didn't even notice it (so much for ingrained habits).

Note: Coffee apparently inhibits REM sleep (the ultimate target of the polysleeper), so while I'm adjusting and adapting to the 3-hour Everyman, no more coffee for me! Which is just fine, except I will miss its taste.

As for actually waking up and functioning, I'm doing ok. I feel a little fatigued (and felt that way for the better part of yesterday), but was surprisingly productive at work. There was certainly a lot less noise in my head, which often prevented me from concentrating, and I'm guessing this is just from the disruption of my normal routine. I'd like to eventually feel rested but focused; energetic yet composed. Many who have made the transition into the polyphasic realm claim to reap these benefits, so I hope the rule applies to me.

Other than that, I feel like I've been mildly sleep-deprived, and as time passes, the sleep-dep will eventually catch up with me (week 2-3). That's when I expect the real adjustment to take place. As for now, there really isn't anything exceptional or noticeable to report ... except that it's 2:15 am and I am awake writing on a new blog. But hey, things could be much, much stranger!