OK,
First things first. I posted yesterday (which I am not really sure actually happened because of my radical change of perception of time–but I’m already getting ahead of myself) about sleeping polyphasically. I meant to post every day about my experience with it, but alas–I wasn’t able to get this blog up in time. Here we are in any case. Here’s what I was rambling about:
I have been wanting to switch to a polyphasic sleep schedule for quite some time now. A quick explanation of what Polyphasic Sleeping is for someone who doesn’t know: The idea is that you are able to take short 15-30 minute naps throughout the entire day (every 4 hours or so), while still feeling alert, and completely refreshed. I am going for what they call the Uberman Sleep schedule, which is a 20-minute nap every 4 hours, leaving you with a grand total of 2-3 hours of sleep every day.
This works because after an initial adjustment phase, (read: serious sleep deprivation) you are able to train your brain into entering REM very quickly after falling asleep, which is the restorative part of sleeping.
I first heard about it from a friend of mine about a year ago, and he was saying how a buddy of his did it, and was the most productive person he knew. Selfishly, this was what initially attracted me to it. After doing much research and reading about it on Steve Pavlina’s Blog, I finally decided to see for myself what it was like and take the plunge.
This happened for several reasons. First, I had finally quit my “real” job, and was working for myself for the most part. I think this was key in making this actually happen. Secondly, I have no wife or kids to take care of, so I felt that if I wanted to do it, now would definitely be the time. Another reason was that instead of just wanting to be more productive, I had somewhat of an epiphany (it’s ongoing, really) that I need to start investing in myself right now in order to do the things that I would like to do later on in life. To go along with that, after reading about other people’s experience with it, I was overcome by intense curiosity about it. As a result of feeling that I needed to start taking responsibility for who I become later in life, I started writing down my life goals. I started reading more, and I started learning about things that I had wanted to know more about for some time. Polyphasic sleeping just seemed like the next step for me.
So that brings us to today. I think. As far as my experience with it so far, it’s been quite hard to make the initial adjustment period smooth. Yesterday, right before I posted nonsense about it, I was almost ready to give the whole thing up. I was seriously sleep deprived, and I was having to constantly think of things to keep my mind active so I wouldn’t fall asleep prematurely. (lots of pushups did the trick for a bit) I decided to use Steve Pavlina’s idea and add in an extra nap in the initial adjustment phase if the urge to sleep was overwhelming. Also, I decided to set an alarm for 25 minutes after I initially lay down. I think this may change to 15-20 minutes after I get used to it, and am able to fall asleep quicker. Also, I have chosen to take naps at 1pm, 5pm, 9pm, 1am, 5am, and 9am.
One of the biggest challenges so far is being able to clear my mind before going to sleep. When I was on a regular sleep schedule, I was able to fall asleep very quickly, due to my ability to almost turn off my brain. (Anyone who has slept in the same room as me will testify that within 1 or 2 minutes of me saying good night to them, I will be completely out.) I was also accustomed to taking naps sometimes during the day with no trouble. Now, it seems like I have so much to think about, and my brain won’t shut off, and I am thinking “Gosh, it’s going to be so cool when I am over this stupid adjustment phase and I’m able to feel really good after waking up.” Then I realize in order for that to happen, I need to make the most of my naps right now, and that I should just shut up and stop thinking about everything, and it’s like a terrible repeating cycle that I have to consciously break. I think I might be partially psyching myself out too, which only compounds the problem. It’s like trying not to think about a purple elephant.
For the first two 24-hour periods, I was able to get to sleep, but not feel like I got any rest. That was until yesterday when I had my first dream, which means that I entered into REM. I was so happy about it, not only because it was a lot sooner than I had expected, but that I woke up feeling like I got a full night’s sleep.
Currently, I am still pretty foggy as far as mental clarity goes, but it’s akin to feeling a little jet lagged. I can definitely deal with it, and I expect it to go away with time. Luckily, I am able to get up immediately after my alarm goes off. Like Steve Pavlina said, he has no mental negotiation with himself early in the morning, and I think this is a huge key to succeed at adapting to polyphasic sleeping.
I guess that’s it for now. I will keep this updated to track my progress along the way.