# Polyphasic Sleep Patterns: Do they work?



## boblikesoup (Nov 26, 2011)

I've read some articles about the subject but don't know if it really works. The idea is you sleep more frequently but for shorter periods of time and go into REM sleep faster. This is an ENTJ's wet dream...

Example:
Uberman Sleep cycle	2 h total sleep	Six twenty-minute naps (every 4 hours).

Please share your experiences/scientific understanding of the subject.


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## Arcaeus (Dec 31, 2011)

I tried it for a single day. Didn't last, went to sleep, and woke up with - I kid you not - the worst headache a person could possibly have. It is wholly possible it was worse than a migraine. At least a 9.8 out of 10. Any greater than that and you've probably had a stroke.

Aside from that, a lot of the people who profess to do it on blogs and articles - if you pay close attention - inevitably fail, and they always make excuses for it, like, "It just wasn't the right time. Work was too tough to keep up with. It conflicted with my social life." And they always say, "But it's great. I can definitely imagine picking it up again. I'll definitely get it down right next time." If it was so great, you'd think more people would be succeeding at it. But people tend to last no more than a few months. The majority probably don't make it past a couple days.

And I'm not sure if there is actually scientific evidence backing it up. Especially the claims that your body will eventually adjust to such an extreme lifestyle change and that your body will enter REM faster when you take your naps. I don't think any of that has been proven even likely, so take that into consideration.

Even if you just want to try it out, you have to consider that this thing will beat you to a pulp; it's a grueling experience, to say the least. And, supposedly, from those who've tried it, the adaptation period lasts no less than two weeks. So for two weeks, at the minimum, you'll feel worse than you've felt in most other situations in your life. To be incredibly overdramatic and succinct: it's probably what dying would feel like.

Believe me, it's an INTPs wet dream, too. All that time to read, study, and learn; my God! My brain just shat a brick... of course, you have to take into consideration that all the time you do have now you probably don't use wisely, anyway. Why would you want more of it?


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## Mav (Dec 19, 2010)

I read that Churchill often only had a couple of hours every night but punctuated his day with short naps. 

I for one subscribe to that theory. When I am really busy at work or study I might squeeze in 4 hours at night, wake up break for about three twenty-thirty minute power naps each day. I do supplement that with drinking more Coca Cola than I should. 

I don't think it is overly healthy or sustainable. Indeed, the longest I have pulled that off for was a month. Then it took me about three days to recover until I was sleeping properly. 

I think the best thing to do would be to not give up too much sleep but work out how to be more productive in the hours you are awake.


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## Hastings (Jan 8, 2011)

Mav said:


> I think the best thing to do would be to not give up too much sleep but work out how to be more productive in the hours you are awake.


I agree. Also, people over-hype the capability of being able to sleep very little. Being able to sleep very little and yet function normally is an anomaly and shouldn't be a goal, lest you want to screw with your head.


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## NotSoRighteousRob (Jan 1, 2010)

Your body requires a certain amount of time to enter REM sleep and there are several stages before and after REM when a body goes through the process naturally. In a sense you can appear to have more rem periods by keeping your body on the verge of fatigue and taking power naps, however I would not say it is any more efficient than sleeping soundly for 6 hours in a singular night. I do believe that optimally a person will function better when sleeping for 4-6 hours at night with an additional 1-2 hour nap in the middle of the day. But I do believe it is essential for good mental health to get at least several hours of sleep once a day in order for you body to complete the full cycles normally experienced. 

Manipulating your body into entering REM sleep faster will likely wear you out psychologically in the long run. Sleep deprivation can lead to dangerous symptoms such as micro sleep periods despite feeling wide awake. If experimenting with altering your sleep patterns it is best to avoid activities such as driving until you are comfortable with the results.


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## boblikesoup (Nov 26, 2011)

Thanks for the feedback guys. The Uberman does seem too rigid a schedule for today's society but I think I am going to try this one for a couple weeks:

Biphasic	≈6.3 h	6 hours major sleep episode and one 20 minute power nap (I do this many days anyways) 

--- and phase it into this one---

Everyman (with 2 naps) 5.2 h 4.5 hours major sleep episode and two 20-minute power naps. (doable with net gain of almost 3 h sleep/day)

I'll try to revive this thread in about a month and let you know how it goes.


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## Arbite (Dec 26, 2010)

I was polyphasic for a while. I would get 5 hours sleep between 3 and 8am and then get another hour between 4 and 5pm. Worked really well for about 2 months. Unfortunately, if you miss the nap, you feel like absolute shit for the next day or so.


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## WolfStar (Aug 18, 2009)

Requires far too much energy invested for what I don't perceive as any real gain.


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## Coppertony (Jun 22, 2011)

Accidentally got onto one last year. I didn't plan for it, but I would just sleep whenever I was tired and it pretty much developed into a regular poly schedule.

It was bad shit, though, because you end up being really awake at times when no one else is, and when everyone else is ready to do shit you're exhausted and sleeping. The lesson I learned was that you can't dictate your personal sleep schedule without considerations of other people.


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## The Proof (Aug 5, 2009)

hell I'd just like to have 1 phase sleep pattern, the kind from midnight to 7 am haha


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## Hastings (Jan 8, 2011)

In any case, having a regular sleep cycle is so much more dependable. The more you break up your sleep in different phases, the more vulnerable you get.


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## Maura (Dec 2, 2011)

I had a functional biphasic cycle when I worked as a babysitter - slept 4-6h per night and had that 1.5-0.5h nap in the middle of a day and it usually worked great. But these few days when the children didn't sleep at the same time I ended up dead on my feet and then asleep for about 10h at night. I agree that this pattern makes a person more vulnerable.


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## redmanXNTP (May 17, 2011)

I believe we can teach ourselves to function on less than the typically prescribed 8 hours per night. That said, the people who function with minimal sleep, on the order of 2-4 hours over long periods of time, are abnormal and shouldn't be emulated. They said Thomas Edison regularly slept for only 2 hours per night. I doubt he was following some sort of regimen - he was just doing what his body told him felt right. Great for him, but I'm not Thomas Edison and neither (probably) are you.


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## boblikesoup (Nov 26, 2011)

I'm in Argentina now and have been doing a 6 hour sleep + 20 minute siesta sleep pattern. Working out very well (I usually do 8 hour sleep). Was just driving a motorcycle for the first time ever today (in Uruguay)...drunk. Got in a 40+ mph accident. The tip of my bike broke off. I somehow came out fine + $7. Just had to share that I'm happy to be alive right now  (also just won a 6 player online boardgame I've been playing for months and a cute chick is hitting on me via FB right now, damn I'm awesome  )


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