Polyphasic sleep

[Ambi]

Two of my friends experimented with the Uberman sleeping schedule, the one where you have six twenty or thirty minute naps per twenty four hours to increase your waking hours. One of them is still doing it, although he lapsed a few times. I see him asleep on the couch in the library at recess. I find it amusing. He said he needs to find something to engage himself or his body just feels like going to sleep, but he seems functional enough.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphasic_sleep

At first I was curious about trying it, but I really like sleep, and I don't like really like schedules.

What do you think of it?

 

[BonsaiK]

Er, if the idea doesn't appeal to you, don't do it, I guess.

I wouldn't do it personally. Couldn't care less what anyone else does.

 

[IDIifferentname]

I think his body is going to shut down from lack of proper rest one of these days.
Oh, and brain tumors.

 

[PureChaos]

i wouldn't do it, i like my proper nights sleep

 

[onewheeled]

Six 20-30 minute naps a day... If my math isn't failing me now, doesn't that equal about 3 hours of sleep every 24 hours?

I can't imagine that being very healthy for your body, since every health class I've ever taken says 8 hours is best for your body.

 

[Avaholic03]

I thought it took longer than 20 or 30 minutes to achieve REM sleep (something that's essential for a healthy brain).

I wouldn't recommend doing that sleep schedule for very long. Then again, I'm not really one to talk, I've got the "sleep when I feel tired" schedule...which sometimes includes staying up for 30+ hours in a row.

 

[subtlefuge]

Six 20-30 minute naps a day... If my math isn't failing me now, doesn't that equal about 3 hours of sleep every 24 hours?

I can't imagine that being very healthy for your body, since every health class I've ever taken says 8 hours is best for your body.

The basic concept has to do with your sleep cycles. If you sleep 8 hours, you reach REM sleep roughly six times, and if you sleep six times for 20 minutes it essentially accomplishes the same.

Unfortunately, for it to work the schedule has to be extremely regular, which basically means that you have to be self employed and have no responsibilities or social life that could possibly interfere with the timing of your naps.

 

[Angerwing]

Six 20-30 minute naps a day... If my math isn't failing me now, doesn't that equal about 3 hours of sleep every 24 hours?

I can't imagine that being very healthy for your body, since every health class I've ever taken says 8 hours is best for your body.

Basically, the good stuff is the REM sleep. What the Uberman cycle tries to do is get you to trick you body into lapsing straight into REM sleep when you take your structured, scheduled naps. That way, you're getting roughly the same amount of REM sleep (the important shit), or even slightly more, with way less unnecessary rest. The principle is sound, but in practice you need to have the will of a god, because a single missed nap can destroy your schedule and make you be a walking zombie.

I wouldn't advise it.

 

[gutterball17]

i would never do this ever.

 

[Najos]

The problem with scheduling your day around six 20-30 minute naps everyday to achieve more waking hours is that you end up forcing yourself to miss things to adhere to the nap...which kind of makes the waking hours suck.

 

[grimsprice]

Fuck. That. Shit.

I nap about 9-10 hours a day, and i'm the happiest person i know. I wouldn't infringe on that for the world.

 

[manaman]

Six 20-30 minute naps a day... If my math isn't failing me now, doesn't that equal about 3 hours of sleep every 24 hours?

I can't imagine that being very healthy for your body, since every health class I've ever taken says 8 hours is best for your body.

Every health class you have ever taken is wrong then. They are just repeating old bad information. Studies show that people that sleep six hours on average live longer healthier lives then people who sleep eight. Start going below six and the trend starts to reverse. It seems the sweet zone is between six and seven hours.

 

[Cody211282]

That just sounds like a bad idea, it's best to get 8 hours of sleep a day, and it's also best if it's all in one chunk of time. They way your friend is doing it just sounds like he will be tired all the time.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Six 20-30 minute naps a day... If my math isn't failing me now, doesn't that equal about 3 hours of sleep every 24 hours?

I can't imagine that being very healthy for your body, since every health class I've ever taken says 8 hours is best for your body.

Every health class you have ever taken is wrong then. They are just repeating old bad information. Studies show that people that sleep six hours on average live longer healthier lives then people who sleep eight. Start going below six and the trend starts to reverse. It seems the sweet zone is between six and seven hours.

So my 12 hour sleep is probably not a good idea? Damn.

 

[Death916]

I thought it took longer than 20 or 30 minutes to achieve REM sleep (something that's essential for a healthy brain).

I wouldn't recommend doing that sleep schedule for very long. Then again, I'm not really one to talk, I've got the "sleep when I feel tired" schedule...which sometimes includes staying up for 30+ hours in a row.

ya thats the schedule im on right now

 

[Mimssy]

I'm familiar with the idea. Apparently after a week your body adjusts to it. Tell your friends to keep at it, and then you could get back to us?

I tried it for about four days. In the end I felt a strong desire to eat myself like a bowl of cornflakes, but thankfully I passed out before I could add milk.

I was awake for 6 days straight once and by the end of it my line of thought was right there with you. I was more paranoid that the people around me thought I was a tasty tasty snack, though.

 

[GudangGaram]

I've actually tried it, and it kind of works. It's truly amazing how much you can do in a when you only sleep a few hours every day. The bad thing is actually the social life. You can't have a long lunch, do groceries and run into a friend. If you run into a friend and say, your car or bike stops working properly, you are basically screwed. Something to do with missing the regular nap.

It does take quite some time to get used to it, and the first couple of weeks I've had some real issues integrating it into my school and life pattern. Also there are the issues of when do you see your girlfriend, do you go on dates, see friends, when do you eat, work out, etc.
I've found that if you are self-employed, you can really get a lot of work done with polyphasic, especially because it is not easy to have social distractions at night, mostly because that's the time that everyone else sleeps. Right now I'm sleeping about 3 hours/24cycle for about three weeks now, but at times my body would really want to shut down or something.

All in all I think I prefer a biphasic pattern of sleep. One nap and one 5 hour nightsleep

 

[Tourette]

Nothing beats a good nights sleep.

 

[Chancie]

No thank you. I like my sleep way to much to give it up to have "more waking time." I could see the benefit, but it's not something I do and it just doesn't sound healthy.

 

[Mimssy]

I'm familiar with the idea. Apparently after a week your body adjusts to it. Tell your friends to keep at it, and then you could get back to us?

I tried it for about four days. In the end I felt a strong desire to eat myself like a bowl of cornflakes, but thankfully I passed out before I could add milk.

I was awake for 6 days straight once and by the end of it my line of thought was right there with you. I was more paranoid that the people around me thought I was a tasty tasty snack, though.

Haha, I love the idea that you had that cartoon hot-dog dilemma. You know, where everyone's on a desert island and suddenly their best friend turns into a delicious apple pie? =]
By the way, welcome to The Escapist. Be wary of people who are obsessed with "DEINE PERFECK GRAMMAR, HERR!" God forbid you should make a spelling mistake around here.

haha, thanks. I get really hungry when I'm more sleep deprived than usual (When I became a vegetarian, everyone looked like a roast beef sandwich for a week). It's a little surprising that I haven't bitten anyone yet. Right now I'm trying out a sleep schedule that involves little to no sunlight. It's great for evening out my pale.