Polyphasic Sleep

[DaveFoster]

For those interesting in learning more about polyphasic sleep see here.

For my purposes, I'm attempting the SPAMAYL schedule, which stands for Sleep Polyphasically as Much as You Like.

It's a modified version of the Uberman schedule, but with irregular nap times, so you can sleep whenever you need it.

Adapting is incredibly rough, and I feel the effects of elevated nitric oxide, estrogen, and cortisol, particuarly with nipple sensitivity and random bouts of tiredness.

Does anyone have any experience with polyphasic sleeping? I'm going to stick to the schedule and see if the hormonal problems nullify as time goes on, but I'll be taking some famotidine to combat the nitric oxide in the mean time.

 

[ecstatichamster]

I've done biphasic sleep. Where I sleep, then wake up for a few hours, then go back to sleep. Does that count? To me, it feels very natural. Between the first sleep and the second sleep is a delightful wake up period, Where the mind can really relax.

 

[DaveFoster]

I've done biphasic sleep. Where I sleep, then wake up for a few hours, then go back to sleep. Does that count? To me, it feels very natural. Between the first sleep and the second sleep is a delightful wake up period, Where the mind can really relax.

It does feel very natural. Most agree that biphasic is preferable to monophasic based on evolutionary biology, and it boosts libido to boot.

 

[Brian]

It only feels natural to me during the winter when nights are long and I go to bed early. If I fall asleep around 8-9 PM I usually wake up around 2 AM and I am awake for an hour or two and go back to bed for a few more hours.

My guess is that a polyphasic sleep schedule is simply a byproduct of seasonal longer nights in higher latitudes, since humans only typically need 8 hours of sleep even if it is dark for 14 hours a day. Before modern lighting the abrupt decline in ambient lumens after a sunset signaled melatonin release. But with modern environments there usually is no sudden drop in lumens if the person has been in doors in the afternoon and evening.

I don't think there is any advantage to a divided sleep pattern. My best hormonal production and profile have always been with an early to bed early to rise schedule with lots of morning and daytime sun.

 

[sladerunner69]

What would your guys' recommendations be for a solid biphasic schedule? What about one in which I sleep for 4 hours and take multiple naps during the day? How should that look? How long do the naps need to be to get adequate REM cycles? Would I be able to continue sleeping this way indefinitely?

 

[James_001]

I am going to try 4 hours core, 2 hours awake, followed by 4 hours core. No naps during the day. First day on this I notice the testosterone boost for sure, really horny and productive.

 

[CoolTweetPete]

I am going to try 4 hours core, 2 hours awake, followed by 4 hours core. No naps during the day. First day on this I notice the testosterone boost for sure, really horny and productive.

These usually don't go hand in hand for me.

I'm interested in this. I tried polyphaisic a few years ago, but my work schedule made it difficult. I can say that if I wake up in the middle of the night, I seem better served getting up and eating something small, than going back to bed immediately. This a trick Tim Ferriss included in his book 4-Hour Body (which also recommends a diet revolving around beans ). He measured a much higher average amount of REM when he woke up for 5 minutes in the middle of the night and went back to sleep.

Haidut also mentioned that some traditional societies understood that sleep wasn't to be tackled in one shot, and would do something similar to what you mention, James. I will try it this weekend.

 

[DaveFoster]

Any updates on this; anybody have good results?