After some very serious consideration, I have decided that it's probably way smarter for me to do this slowly. While I thought I had a flexible enough schedule to try 6 naps every 4 hours, it turns out that it's going to be a bit more of a logistical challenge than I considered. So, instead of the Uberman schedule that Chris is going to be sticking to, I am going to be trying the Everyman cycle.
What's the Everyman cycle? It's another form of polyphasic sleep, just less intense. I will be sleeping a total of 4 hours a day instead of only 2. Everyman polyphasic sleep involves a cycle of core sleep that lasts anywhere from 1.5-3 hours depending on how many naps you want to throw in. The greater the amount of core sleep, the less naps you need. In my case, I will be experimenting with 3 hours of core sleep with three 20-25 minute naps incorporated into my day. To me, this sounds like it will be a bit of an easier adjustment since I'll be getting the essential 90-minute cycle in my core sleep. The "goal" is still the same: to get the body to fall into REM sleep sooner. Steve Pavlina entertained the idea of easing into a full uberman cycle after he already started, hypothesizing that it might have been easier to slowly reduce long periods of sleep by adding more naps or by simply cutting back on core sleep.
The point is that I feel like this will be a much more manageable adaptation period for me, which I feel will make it a bit easier for me to take on a full uberman schedule.
I have decided that my core sleep will be from 1am-4am, nap 1 will be at 9:30am, nap 2 will be at 3:30pm, and nap 3 will be at 8:30pm. I feel that from there, I will ultimately be able to add more naps and reduce my core sleep.
That's the plan. And it starts tonight :D
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Polyphasic Sleep
Hello everyone!
Before I say anything more, I need to credit my boyfriend for this experiment. This was actually something he's been wanting to try for several weeks now and I am jumping on the curiosity train with him. Best of luck to you, babe. Hopefully we don't kill each other.
Polyphasic sleep is something that I've been hearing about quite a bit for some time now. For those of you who don't know what that term means, it's a sleep cycle that is broken up into a series of naps over the course of 24 hours. Basically, Chris and I are abandoning the 8 hour monophasic sleep cycle and will be taking six 20-25 minute naps every four hours. The "goal" is for the body to fall instantly into REM sleep whenever we take those naps. When done correctly, it's a skill that we will never lose. We will be able to fall straight into deep sleep anywhere at any time if we so choose once we come off of this cycle.
I know. It sounds kind of crazy. Truth be told, it actually is kind of crazy. Believe me, I was mostly against the idea of this experiment when Chris first told me he was going to do it. My mind was filled with all kinds of questions: What will this do to him physically? What if something comes up that conflicts with a nap? What if I want to spend time with him, but he's way too tired to be social? What about diet and exercise? How will this affect moods? Brain function? Sex drive? What about the very obvious fact that the world does not work on a polyphasic sleep schedule?
Lucky for me, I happen to be dating a logical person who does his research. Chris recommended a bunch of things for me to read so that I could better understand the process. Again, I will openly admit that I was still not entirely sold on the idea, but I did my reading. The most interesting and helpful source I read was a blog by a guy named Steve Pavlina. He documented the entire experience in great detail, so it gave me a better idea of what to expect. You can check out what he has to say HERE.
Chris and I are going to be taking our naps at the same times: 9am, 1pm, 5pm, 9pm, 1am, and 5am. Again, these will only be for about 20-25 minutes. When you do the math, that means we will only be sleeping about 2-3 hours a day.
I have had the chance to work out how this will affect all of the major obligations I have for the next week. The adaptation part of this cycle is going to be the hardest. In doing so, I found that I only have two big things to worry about -- work and travel. I have managed to work it out so I will be sleeping when I normally take lunch. As far as travel is concerned, I just won't be operating a vehicle for the next few days. Driving on very little sleep is a big no-no. I am going to be visiting my sister tomorrow evening, but that's going to be at the tail end of what my body is used to in terms of an all-nighter. I'll be coming back early in the evening in time for my 9pm nap.
Other than that, I kind of can't believe we're doing this. Just like before, Chris and I are going to need your support. Please feel free to ask us questions -- you can leave a comment or shoot me an email at abby.rudnicki@gmail.com. This is going to be a pretty big endeavor, so you'll have to excuse us if we're a little anti-social for the next few days. Oh, and thanks in advance for being so cool.
I started this day off perfectly, actually. I woke up naturally around 9:30am for work, which is great! I just go up from my 1pm nap that I took as my lunch. I didn't really feel like I slept, but I was drifting in some related form of unconsciousness. I will give a full update once the morning comes.
Wish us luck!
Before I say anything more, I need to credit my boyfriend for this experiment. This was actually something he's been wanting to try for several weeks now and I am jumping on the curiosity train with him. Best of luck to you, babe. Hopefully we don't kill each other.
Polyphasic sleep is something that I've been hearing about quite a bit for some time now. For those of you who don't know what that term means, it's a sleep cycle that is broken up into a series of naps over the course of 24 hours. Basically, Chris and I are abandoning the 8 hour monophasic sleep cycle and will be taking six 20-25 minute naps every four hours. The "goal" is for the body to fall instantly into REM sleep whenever we take those naps. When done correctly, it's a skill that we will never lose. We will be able to fall straight into deep sleep anywhere at any time if we so choose once we come off of this cycle.
I know. It sounds kind of crazy. Truth be told, it actually is kind of crazy. Believe me, I was mostly against the idea of this experiment when Chris first told me he was going to do it. My mind was filled with all kinds of questions: What will this do to him physically? What if something comes up that conflicts with a nap? What if I want to spend time with him, but he's way too tired to be social? What about diet and exercise? How will this affect moods? Brain function? Sex drive? What about the very obvious fact that the world does not work on a polyphasic sleep schedule?
Lucky for me, I happen to be dating a logical person who does his research. Chris recommended a bunch of things for me to read so that I could better understand the process. Again, I will openly admit that I was still not entirely sold on the idea, but I did my reading. The most interesting and helpful source I read was a blog by a guy named Steve Pavlina. He documented the entire experience in great detail, so it gave me a better idea of what to expect. You can check out what he has to say HERE.
Chris and I are going to be taking our naps at the same times: 9am, 1pm, 5pm, 9pm, 1am, and 5am. Again, these will only be for about 20-25 minutes. When you do the math, that means we will only be sleeping about 2-3 hours a day.
I have had the chance to work out how this will affect all of the major obligations I have for the next week. The adaptation part of this cycle is going to be the hardest. In doing so, I found that I only have two big things to worry about -- work and travel. I have managed to work it out so I will be sleeping when I normally take lunch. As far as travel is concerned, I just won't be operating a vehicle for the next few days. Driving on very little sleep is a big no-no. I am going to be visiting my sister tomorrow evening, but that's going to be at the tail end of what my body is used to in terms of an all-nighter. I'll be coming back early in the evening in time for my 9pm nap.
Other than that, I kind of can't believe we're doing this. Just like before, Chris and I are going to need your support. Please feel free to ask us questions -- you can leave a comment or shoot me an email at abby.rudnicki@gmail.com. This is going to be a pretty big endeavor, so you'll have to excuse us if we're a little anti-social for the next few days. Oh, and thanks in advance for being so cool.
I started this day off perfectly, actually. I woke up naturally around 9:30am for work, which is great! I just go up from my 1pm nap that I took as my lunch. I didn't really feel like I slept, but I was drifting in some related form of unconsciousness. I will give a full update once the morning comes.
Wish us luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)