Polyphasic Sleep, Day 5

I was not able to update yesterday, because I overslept terribly. I basically overslept by 5 hours. This is the first time it's happened, and I don't understand why. I set two alarms and had every intention of waking up. I have no recollection of even turning the alarms off. Grr...The same thing happened this morning. I overslept by about 5 hours again.

I do not know why I am hitting this wall. I don't know if all the progress I'd made during days 1-4 is now lost or not. I suppose I'll keep trying the schedule, but if I start to feel as zombie-like as I did on Day 3, I don't know if I'll be able to continue for now. I am taking lots of hard classes, and I really can't afford any lapses in motivation and focus. Wish me luck...

Polyphasic Sleep, Day 3

It has now been almost 72 hours since I last had a night's sleep. At some level, it is hard to fathom that I am still functioning.

Today was...difficult. From about 10:30 AM (right after my mid-morning nap) to 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM to about 9:00 PM, I felt pretty good. I am chronically fatigued now, so I think I have started to get used to it, but I was able to attend my classes in fine form and accomplish some work during these hours. The rest of the day, however, was awful. Half-catatonic, I went to breakfast. For the last few hours, I've been staggering around my dorm like a zombie. There is a constant mental haze, a stark synapse between what I think in my head and what I perceive. It's bizarre and mentally and physically draining. It has become harder and harder to motivate myself to do work and to focus on any task more involved than watching TV. I have also developed a voracious appetite, wolfing down almost twice as much as I ate on the monophasic schedule.

I had my first oversleep today. During my mid-afternoon nap (1:40 PM), I somehow turned off my alarm accidentally, so it never went off. I was supposed to sleep until 2:00, but I didn't wake until about 3:20. Oops...but most people who have tried this sleep pattern oversleep by 6 or 7 hours. I do not think my 2 hour nap negated my progress, because it is possible that I didn't even get REM sleep out of it. I don't remember dreaming, and the time passed very quickly. This perhaps explains why I felt pretty decent during the early evening.

So, to predict, I expect to hit the low point of the adaptation process on Friday (today). Today will probably be the most difficult stretch I have faced thus far. I doubt I will be able to do much except eat and stare at the ceiling of my room. I do hope, however, that I will begin getting REM sleep during my naps on Saturday. Stay tuned...

Polyphasic Sleep, Day 2

I've now gone 48 hours without any real sleep (only 20 minute naps at 1:40, 5:40, and 9:40, twice daily). I had some trouble yesterday staying awake in one class, but after I took my mid-day nap, I was on the ball for the rest of the day. Well, almost. I ended yesterday in good spirits regarding my energy, appearance, intellectual activity, motor function, and sleep schedule consistently.

Day 2 has commenced, and I think today will be very difficult. I am still getting all my naps on time, although I haven't had any REM naps. Once I start hitting these, I will get into a groove and start loving the program. But for now, it really sucks trying to study when my concentration is such that I can't read efficiently one line of text. My motor function seems unimpeded as I write this, but there is a solid mental haze I can feel. I must constantly battle to stay awake, and drifting in and out of semi-conscious semi-sleep has become as second nature as breathing. I harbor no illusions about going to class today and actually learning anything. I have one single goal at any point in time: making it to the next nap, even though they often leave me more tired.

My whole concept of time has been trampled underfoot. Days have no end; nights have no beginning. Nights have no end; days have no beginning. Everything just flows into everything else. It has become eminently clear that the "time" we humans have constructed serves only one purpose: structure.

My appetite has increased considerably. I am probably eating 1.5 times as much as I did on the monophasic schedule. This makes sense, as I am moving, working, and thinking for 6 extra hours per day. It is hard to wrap my head around just how much time I have wasted in hibernation. Almost 1/3 of my life to date has been "wasted" because of the monophasic cycle, and I now see just how much time that is and exactly what one can do with it.

Polyphasic Sleep, Day 1

So last night was my first night adhering to the polyphasic (or Uberman) sleep program. I took naps from 9:40-10:00, 1:40-2:00, and 5:40-6:00, and followed strictly the twenty minute time limit. It feels like a long time has passed since I took that first nap, but it hasn't even been 12 hours. I can already tell that my perception of time will change dramatically in the coming days. I feel fine as far as motor function is concerned. I have a slightly increased appetite, accompanied by a strange feeling of coldness in relatively warm places. I am fatigued due to the fact that I haven't slept in the past 24 hours (I didn't actually fall asleep during the naps), and I am making a conscious effort to expend less energy. All in all, though, I have felt this tired before and it is not something that feels overwhelming at this point.

Note: Instead of a standard alarm, I am using the alarm outfitted on my iPod. This way, I need only put on the headphones and crank the volume up. I'm assuming this will help me avoid over-sleeping and waking my roommate.

Tomorrow and Friday will be the hardest, I'm sure. I will update this blog with the latest from my polyphasic sleep endeavor.

Uberman Sleep Program Commencing

I have decided to alter my sleeping patterns, namely by sleeping only 2 hours per day. I will take a 20 minute nap every 4 hours, resulting in 2 hours of sleep every day. Apart from giving me 22 hours to do with as I please, this should also help cure some of my sleeping problems and, paradoxically, give me more energy.

A normal sleep session lasting 8 hours contains perhaps 1.5 hours of REM sleep, the crucial stage in the sleep cycle where muscles relax and dreams occur. The other 6.5 hours spent asleep are essentially useless; they give your body a chance to relax, but they do not serve an essential physical or mental function. The goal of the program I am attempting is to trick my body into producing only REM sleep, but 2 hours instead of 1.5 hours. It will take probably a week for my body to adjust to the new cycle, a time during which I will probably be grumpy and almost delusional. After my body finally discards the non-essential stages of sleep in order to maximize the REM sleep, I will get more vital sleep than the average sleeper and have more energy, as I will receive a 20 minute dose of REM every 4 hours.

Wish me luck...

Still here...after a long hiatus

Yes, I am still blogging. I just had to take a long break as I transferred schools and worked 80 hour weeks this summer. Next update shortly...