Now, I'm certainly not an expert on sleep, but my current night reading just happens to be "The Promise of Sleep" by Willam Dement, founder of the Stanford sleep center and student of Kleitman, the discoverer of REM sleep. And this article contradicts what he writes in so many ways. Here's what I took away from the book:
Just as a start, the author got that thing about REM sleep being the only sleep that matters exactly backwards. Depriving people of REM sleep has not shown any effects on increasing sleep debt (ie feeling tired), it's the non-REM sleep that you need to not feel tired. (Which makes sense because in REM sleep your brain is essentially awake.) What the purpose of REM sleep is, is not known.
Furthermore, the idea that you can "train" yourself to need less sleep has no basis in science. This does not mean there aren't a few people who have all kinds of strange sleep issues, but for the majority of people there seems to be no scientific evidence that this works at all.
About the "intrinsic 28-hour pattern", in most cases (not all, there are probably people with real physiological disorders) this tendency to have a longer day than 24 hours is induced by artificial light in the evening. Electric lighting, and certainly staring into a bright LCD screen, is bright enough to register as daylight to your biological clock, and cause it to shift forward. In studies where people were isolated from artificial lights, people who normally would have a rhythm slightly longer reverted back to almost exactly 24 hours.
Rather than "hacking your brain", it would probably be more beneficial for the majority of people to just learn about how sleep works and of the importance of managing it properly.
I am trying to find a couple primary sources to back up your suggestion that I got the REM/other phases backwards. That would be quite embarrassing, but I am pretty sure I am correct. Does anyone know of any of any good studies done on REM deficit?
Polyphasic sleep does not train the body to "need less sleep" directly. But it appears the body adapts to use the naps more efficiently than it would use a longer chunk of sleep. To suggest there is "no basis in science" for this seems kind of a stretch. There is science that describes this process.
I'm aware that people claiming to have messed up biological clocks tend to have environmental or physiological factors that cause the problems. I have done pretty much everything sort of isolating myself from artificial light for a period of time longer than about a week, and my body is stuck on a 28-hour clock.
Also, you suggest that people deprived of artificial light snap into a "exactly" 24-hour schedule. This is actually not correct. Many studies have been done showing that the default schedule ends up being about 25 hours when you deprive people of clocks and light sources.
there seems to be no scientific evidence that this works at all
Do you know if there has been a serious scientific study of this technique? Otherwise, you're being a bit disingenuous in subtly applying the "unscientific" label. The set of things that are true is much larger than the set of true things that have been proven scientifically.
What I worry about is recent studies that suggest that declarative memories (memories of events, objects, and so on) are consolidated during slow-wave sleep. I'm thinking specifically of Rasch et al., 2007 (DOI: 10.1126/science.1138581).
Since the theory behind these polyphasic schedules is that it mainly reduces the time spent in slow-wave sleep, I would expect that the declarative memory would be affected.
You are definetely right but let me just comment about the physiological exception.
In the in the case of this blog post the might actually be some differences. The writer may really have some genetic problem in his/her circadian clock. Sleep is known to be under regulation of two mechanism: a circadian mechanism (about 24 hour for most of us) and a homeostatic mechanism. It is known (it is actually one of the few things we actually know pretty well about sleep) that the NREM is under control of the homeostatic mechanism while REM is under control of the circadian mechanism.
The blog author has a longer cycle and it is likely that his/her REM kicks in later on in their night, therefore being incompatible with obtaining enough REM. By doing polyphasic he/she might be able to compensate for that.
I was thinking of that study of a guy who lived without clocks for several weeks (I think it was underground), and he tended to a 25-hour pattern (IIRC). But of course (apart from the sample size), he had electric lighting.
That explains why I slept so well when I was locked up (back as a young'n in juvie): You didn't have control of the light in your cell, so from ~10pm to ~7am lights were out whether you liked it or not. I'm a life-long insomniac.
I always wonder about these people who claim to have adjusted sleep cycles (i.e. 28 hours). Personally I find that I also drift to staying awake later and later if I'm not exercising during the week.
If I get in a solid hour workout daily (like I usually do), I'm out like a light in 5 minutes as soon as it's time for bed. Do enough physical work during the day and your body will have no problem passing out because it's simply exhausted.
I also love how he labels the 8-hour sleep "the waste". Any other athletes here will confirm that you can't possibly recover, build muscle, and have the energy for hard workouts with 20 minute naps during the day. Polyphasic sleep might allow one to just barely function, but it's hardly functioning at your best.
Jay Cutler (Mr. Olympia 2006, 2007) is reported to sleep no longer than 3 hours at a time with his weight-lifting regimen. It's not polyphasic, but it's entirely possible to build muscle with a reduced sleep schedule.
That's actually a really good point, I just posted on my blog (blog.aximilation.com) an article about how I got sick and polyphasic sleep was not enough for my body to get the rest it needed at the time. (article: http://blog.aximilation.com/blog.php?title=the-sickness&...)
Excerpt:
"...if you begin working out, do some hard labor, experience a lot of stress or get sick, your body may need more downtime, physically, in which case a polyphasic schedule may not be sufficient..."
You may or may not be functioning at your best, puredoxyk, one of the pioneers of polyphasic sleep is very active in kung fu and various physical activities and has no trouble. I would not say that it's hardly functioning at your best, it depends on what your body needs, what it is used to, and also your lifestyle.
My wife and I are both very attuned to our learning processes, and we both notice immediate skill improvements after "sleeping on it". This applies to learning, retention, and even physical skills (sports and video games).
Because sleep affects cognition, being poorly rested can amplify all kinds of bad habits. When I'm fully rested, I'll think "let me sketch out a solution and plan my code changes". When I'm sleep deprived, I just jump in and flail. It's literally the difference between "oh, I know I should do X, but I'll just dive in 'cause that's fun" versus just doing X, and having fun anyway.
There were times in university where I would get up at 6 pm, and go to sleep at 6 am. I couldn't understand so-called "morning people".
Now, though, if I go to bed tired at 10:30 pm, I wake up rested at 6:30 am. It really is a matter of training. I rarely go to bed later than midnight now, after 20 years of rarely going to bed before midnight.
That feeling of being fully rested was a vivid surprise. My eyes open, and I realize I'm lying down, but I could just as well be standing up. There's no friction. There's no pain. I'm ready to go.
So, in summary ... be very careful about messing with your sleep patterns, and don't assume that you're somehow incompatible with the standard sleep schedule. i suspect that a lot of it is just plain old boring training, not sexy hacking.
There were times in university where I would get up at 6 pm, and go to sleep at 6 am. I couldn't understand so-called "morning people".
Now, though, if I go to bed tired at 10:30 pm, I wake up rested at 6:30 am. It really is a matter of training. I rarely go to bed later than midnight now, after 20 years of rarely going to bed before midnight.
I actually had a very different experience. In college I spent a month trying to become a "morning person." After the initial adjusment period, it worked great for a little under two weeks - I'd go to sleep at 10:30, and hop out of bed at 7:00 feeling fresh and ready to go. But suddenly (perhaps once I finally caught up on my sleep debt) I stopped falling asleep at 11. Instead I'd lie in bed wide awake for two or three hours, and feel as grumpy as ever the next morning. After three consecutive days of that, I gave up on being a morning person and have yet to look back.
That would be expected. Physical skills are still resident in the nervous system, just somewhat removed from consciousness. What is stressed during the day is strengthened at night.
I've always wondered if the polyphasic sleep hackers have girlfriends or wives. It seems like you'd either have to be chaste, or else have a very odd relationship with your significant other. I can't imagine having sex, then taking a 20 minute nap, then getting right back to SEO strategy or whatever it is the polyphasic crowd needs all that extra time for.
The other thing is that I've never heard of a woman trying polyphasic sleep or even being mildly interested in trying it. It seems to be one of those things that only guys with blogs care about.
Steve Pavlina is married, and he describes the effect his sleep cycle had on his relationship to his wife. I can't remember if he discusses sex at all, but you may be interested in finding out for yourself:
Ahem. PureDoxyK, the one who posted about polyphasic sleep on a couple of sites (kuro5hin, everything2) a few years ago, who mostly started the whole craze and who still tries various sleep patterns out, is female: http://www.puredoxyk.com/index.php/about-me/
And Steve Pavlina who tried out polyphasic sleep for quite some time is married.
Having done the polyphasic experience some years back, and having a long-term girlfriend, I can confirm that it does not negatively impact the important things in life.
In fact, because you have so many extra hours at your disposal, you can seem almost magical. You can work 12 hours a day and spend another 9-10 hours doing engaging things with other people in your life.
Yes, hi, only myself and my best friend were the first ones that I know of since Bucky Fuller to do it and write anything about it, and we're both women.
After you get done going to the store and buying some Google-fu (you'll need a lot, it seems), you can also check out the post I wrote in January about polyphasic sleep and sex. Enjoy!
Sorry, Dustin. Your writing and sense of design (as always) are really wonderful. But your medical suggestions... not so much.
It's really not possible to "hack" your sleep schedule effectively for any length of time. True, some people, called "short sleepers" do function rather well on 3-4 hours of sleep a night. But, most people require an average of 7-9 hours of sleep, and when they deviate from that for any length of time, they eventually rebound to their required length of sleep.
When you do try to "hack" your natural sleep schedule, you end up tired, and functioning sub optimally. Scientific studies have shown that people who are chronically sleep deprived are as dangerous behind the wheel of a car as someone who is legally intoxicated. Why would you do that to yourself willingly?
There is a lot of good scientific research being done in the field of sleep medicine. There are physicians who specialize in sleep. I've been going to one for the past year. And, while sleep medicine is a young discipline, a sleep doctor can be quite helpful.
If you're tired all the time, may I suggest you see a physician who has studies and specialized in such things instead of trying to diagnose and treat yourself via the internet.
I have several friends who have successfully gone on and off of the polyphasic sleep cycle. Just as with most things in life, you need to be open and willing and dedicated to make it work. This relates to forging your way with a startup, gaining muscle, adjusting sleep patterns, dating... everything.
It's fair to go from your own experiences, but I know polyphasic sleep is doable, reasonable, and even better for some people. My cup of tea? Definitely not.
We have the latest technologies when it comes to automobiles and other products, yet our bed is still using the same technology that's existed for thousands of years. Let's rethink our sleeping apparatus.
Here's my inventive thoughts on sleeping.
Why not use all the technology at our disposal to create the ultimate sleeping bed?
Here's the basic design:
1. The bed has a lid that closes over top (think coffin but roomier inside).
2. Bed has temperature control system to vent air and adjust to sleeping preferences.
3. Bed mattress has cooling pipes to control mattress temperatures.
4. Lot of control systems to monitor air temperature, mattress temperature and body temperature and keeps them all in check.
5. Integrated lighting in the dome of the bed is used for waking and mood setting
6. Bed sits on motorized incline to help with morning assist routines
The fun with this projects comes in setting up the control system for optimal sleep cycles. With the variable being temperature (air and mattress), light, sound, and bed angle.
Any takers?
Edit: additional note is this could be considered a "green" bed because it has a self contain heating/cooling system which is more efficient than heating/cooling your entire house. So at night, you can lower your overall energy requirements for hvac related bills.
Aside from claustrophobes, this might work alright. But it would require a lot of material, and it would have to look good, because people like beds that are made out of nice looking wood. And it's expensive building a roomy king-size coffin out of maple ;)
What's conspicuously missing from this article is the author mentioning which method he is using, and how long he has maintained it.
Without that, it reads like an article about what he wants to do, but has never managed to maintain. It's akin to taking diet advice from someone who has lost and gained weight many times in their lives and has never proven they can stop the cycling.
I think there are two major problems with "hacking" one's sleeping patterns like this. First is physiological side effects that can go undetected for a very long time and cause permanent damage. Lack of sleep increases blood pressure, for instance.
Or the effectiveness of the thinking process itself (which is more difficult to measure) -- I was told at school that when I sleep my brain "processes and sorts information". Well if you reduce the amount of sleep four times perhaps you become more prone to make mistakes when working (and lose time fixing them).
The original article's claims, and your counter-claims, need to be proven/disproven by a study of individuals practicing poly-phasic sleep for e.g. 10-20 years. Until then, we're basically in anecdote territory.
I agree with Dustin - it works but you have to be strict on the schedule. My life didn't accommodate the schedule so I had to stop, but it did work for the short time I could schedule it.
Just do heavy exercise, you will require more sleep and sleep deeper. I don't sleep well unless I'm doing 1.5 hours of exercise.
Doing mentally stimulating work before going to bed is the worst way to sleep well. I need almost 2 hours of mindless tv or something besides programming before going to bed to sleep properly. Otherwise I have programming dreams.
Perhaps Dustin exercises a lot, or maybe he's always been more into intellectual pursuits.
I can appreciate how effective these methods are, but I personally don't like the idea of stripping one of the enjoyable things in my schedule down to how efficient it is. Working hard is great, but I think there is such thing as too much of it at the cost of an enjoyable life (for me).
I imagine that trying to do weird sleep patterns will exclude you from that other great evolutionary need : sex. Not many partners would put up with someone dropping everything and running off for a 20 minute nap. They'd likely classify you under 'freak' and go and find someone else to share genetic material with.
great submission. Thanks. I really like hearing about this kind of hacking vs using something like provigil.
My experience has been that I can function with less sleep (4-5 hours with 1/2 hour nap), but less optimally, eventually. The naps can often be very refreshing, and sustaining even, but eventually it's not enough. At least for me. I've done these sleep patterns for about 6 months at a time - with longer sleep once a week.
Exercise (more precisely, blood flow to the brain) makes a big difference for me. Staying vertical in a chair for 12 hours a day with no exercise or nap vs 16 hours a day with exercise break/nap feels comparable.
Until there's more research studying the long term effects of this, I really don't think it's a good idea.
Current research has identified that conventional sleeping helps memory, learning, creativity, and muscle repair/recovery (related to working out); not sleeping well can lead to stuff like high blood pressure and the hardening of heart arteries (which leads to heart attacks).
Then again if you don't have much of a choice if you have a hard deadline, this may be a useful tool to use now and again.
Polyphasic sleep != sleep deprivation unless it is not done correctly. Yes, not sleeping well (deprivation) can cause those things, but it does not mean that polyphasic sleep causes them. if you have adapted and are on a consistent schedule, you should be more rested than before.
There’s no clearly defined biological reason for it, and it is intuitively an evolutionary disadvantage.
Sleeping during the night was extremely important for human survival. We evolved to find food during the day. Any waking hours at night time instead of sleeping means a huge amount of extra energy expended to support being awake. Sleep pressure has a huge evolutionary advantage. It may be a disadvantage now.
Humans are naturally biphasic, but more in the 6-7 hours + .5-1 hours range. Which is why some cultures have a midday siesta.
Famous people who actually slept biphasically include Winston Churchill, who was by all accounts energetic, hardworking, and did not sleep that much overall.
[+] [-] lutorm|17 years ago|reply
Just as a start, the author got that thing about REM sleep being the only sleep that matters exactly backwards. Depriving people of REM sleep has not shown any effects on increasing sleep debt (ie feeling tired), it's the non-REM sleep that you need to not feel tired. (Which makes sense because in REM sleep your brain is essentially awake.) What the purpose of REM sleep is, is not known.
Furthermore, the idea that you can "train" yourself to need less sleep has no basis in science. This does not mean there aren't a few people who have all kinds of strange sleep issues, but for the majority of people there seems to be no scientific evidence that this works at all.
About the "intrinsic 28-hour pattern", in most cases (not all, there are probably people with real physiological disorders) this tendency to have a longer day than 24 hours is induced by artificial light in the evening. Electric lighting, and certainly staring into a bright LCD screen, is bright enough to register as daylight to your biological clock, and cause it to shift forward. In studies where people were isolated from artificial lights, people who normally would have a rhythm slightly longer reverted back to almost exactly 24 hours.
Rather than "hacking your brain", it would probably be more beneficial for the majority of people to just learn about how sleep works and of the importance of managing it properly.
[+] [-] dcurtis|17 years ago|reply
Polyphasic sleep does not train the body to "need less sleep" directly. But it appears the body adapts to use the naps more efficiently than it would use a longer chunk of sleep. To suggest there is "no basis in science" for this seems kind of a stretch. There is science that describes this process.
I'm aware that people claiming to have messed up biological clocks tend to have environmental or physiological factors that cause the problems. I have done pretty much everything sort of isolating myself from artificial light for a period of time longer than about a week, and my body is stuck on a 28-hour clock.
Also, you suggest that people deprived of artificial light snap into a "exactly" 24-hour schedule. This is actually not correct. Many studies have been done showing that the default schedule ends up being about 25 hours when you deprive people of clocks and light sources.
[+] [-] tc|17 years ago|reply
Do you know if there has been a serious scientific study of this technique? Otherwise, you're being a bit disingenuous in subtly applying the "unscientific" label. The set of things that are true is much larger than the set of true things that have been proven scientifically.
[+] [-] a-priori|17 years ago|reply
Since the theory behind these polyphasic schedules is that it mainly reduces the time spent in slow-wave sleep, I would expect that the declarative memory would be affected.
[+] [-] crocowhile|17 years ago|reply
In the in the case of this blog post the might actually be some differences. The writer may really have some genetic problem in his/her circadian clock. Sleep is known to be under regulation of two mechanism: a circadian mechanism (about 24 hour for most of us) and a homeostatic mechanism. It is known (it is actually one of the few things we actually know pretty well about sleep) that the NREM is under control of the homeostatic mechanism while REM is under control of the circadian mechanism.
The blog author has a longer cycle and it is likely that his/her REM kicks in later on in their night, therefore being incompatible with obtaining enough REM. By doing polyphasic he/she might be able to compensate for that.
[+] [-] 10ren|17 years ago|reply
[+] [-] erlanger|17 years ago|reply
[+] [-] kirse|17 years ago|reply
If I get in a solid hour workout daily (like I usually do), I'm out like a light in 5 minutes as soon as it's time for bed. Do enough physical work during the day and your body will have no problem passing out because it's simply exhausted.
I also love how he labels the 8-hour sleep "the waste". Any other athletes here will confirm that you can't possibly recover, build muscle, and have the energy for hard workouts with 20 minute naps during the day. Polyphasic sleep might allow one to just barely function, but it's hardly functioning at your best.
[+] [-] miracle|17 years ago|reply
You could still lay on the coach and read a book and your muscles would recover as well, or not?
[+] [-] abossy|17 years ago|reply
Old FHM Article http://forum.bodybuilding.com/archive/index.php/t-3330281.ht...
Source found Googling http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0KFY/is_3_22/ai_n6108... (bottom of page)
[+] [-] Aximilation|17 years ago|reply
You may or may not be functioning at your best, puredoxyk, one of the pioneers of polyphasic sleep is very active in kung fu and various physical activities and has no trouble. I would not say that it's hardly functioning at your best, it depends on what your body needs, what it is used to, and also your lifestyle.
[+] [-] JabavuAdams|17 years ago|reply
anecdotes:
My wife and I are both very attuned to our learning processes, and we both notice immediate skill improvements after "sleeping on it". This applies to learning, retention, and even physical skills (sports and video games).
Because sleep affects cognition, being poorly rested can amplify all kinds of bad habits. When I'm fully rested, I'll think "let me sketch out a solution and plan my code changes". When I'm sleep deprived, I just jump in and flail. It's literally the difference between "oh, I know I should do X, but I'll just dive in 'cause that's fun" versus just doing X, and having fun anyway.
There were times in university where I would get up at 6 pm, and go to sleep at 6 am. I couldn't understand so-called "morning people".
Now, though, if I go to bed tired at 10:30 pm, I wake up rested at 6:30 am. It really is a matter of training. I rarely go to bed later than midnight now, after 20 years of rarely going to bed before midnight.
That feeling of being fully rested was a vivid surprise. My eyes open, and I realize I'm lying down, but I could just as well be standing up. There's no friction. There's no pain. I'm ready to go.
So, in summary ... be very careful about messing with your sleep patterns, and don't assume that you're somehow incompatible with the standard sleep schedule. i suspect that a lot of it is just plain old boring training, not sexy hacking.
[+] [-] youngian|17 years ago|reply
Now, though, if I go to bed tired at 10:30 pm, I wake up rested at 6:30 am. It really is a matter of training. I rarely go to bed later than midnight now, after 20 years of rarely going to bed before midnight.
I actually had a very different experience. In college I spent a month trying to become a "morning person." After the initial adjusment period, it worked great for a little under two weeks - I'd go to sleep at 10:30, and hop out of bed at 7:00 feeling fresh and ready to go. But suddenly (perhaps once I finally caught up on my sleep debt) I stopped falling asleep at 11. Instead I'd lie in bed wide awake for two or three hours, and feel as grumpy as ever the next morning. After three consecutive days of that, I gave up on being a morning person and have yet to look back.
[+] [-] pradocchia|17 years ago|reply
That would be expected. Physical skills are still resident in the nervous system, just somewhat removed from consciousness. What is stressed during the day is strengthened at night.
[+] [-] menloparkbum|17 years ago|reply
The other thing is that I've never heard of a woman trying polyphasic sleep or even being mildly interested in trying it. It seems to be one of those things that only guys with blogs care about.
[+] [-] abossy|17 years ago|reply
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/10/polyphasic-sleep/
[+] [-] die_sekte|17 years ago|reply
And Steve Pavlina who tried out polyphasic sleep for quite some time is married.
[+] [-] tc|17 years ago|reply
In fact, because you have so many extra hours at your disposal, you can seem almost magical. You can work 12 hours a day and spend another 9-10 hours doing engaging things with other people in your life.
[+] [-] PureDoxyk|16 years ago|reply
After you get done going to the store and buying some Google-fu (you'll need a lot, it seems), you can also check out the post I wrote in January about polyphasic sleep and sex. Enjoy!
PD
http://www.puredoxyk.com/index.php/index.php/about-polyphasi...
[+] [-] unknown|17 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] iamelgringo|17 years ago|reply
It's really not possible to "hack" your sleep schedule effectively for any length of time. True, some people, called "short sleepers" do function rather well on 3-4 hours of sleep a night. But, most people require an average of 7-9 hours of sleep, and when they deviate from that for any length of time, they eventually rebound to their required length of sleep.
When you do try to "hack" your natural sleep schedule, you end up tired, and functioning sub optimally. Scientific studies have shown that people who are chronically sleep deprived are as dangerous behind the wheel of a car as someone who is legally intoxicated. Why would you do that to yourself willingly?
There is a lot of good scientific research being done in the field of sleep medicine. There are physicians who specialize in sleep. I've been going to one for the past year. And, while sleep medicine is a young discipline, a sleep doctor can be quite helpful.
If you're tired all the time, may I suggest you see a physician who has studies and specialized in such things instead of trying to diagnose and treat yourself via the internet.
[+] [-] symptic|17 years ago|reply
It's fair to go from your own experiences, but I know polyphasic sleep is doable, reasonable, and even better for some people. My cup of tea? Definitely not.
[+] [-] proee|17 years ago|reply
We have the latest technologies when it comes to automobiles and other products, yet our bed is still using the same technology that's existed for thousands of years. Let's rethink our sleeping apparatus.
Here's my inventive thoughts on sleeping.
Why not use all the technology at our disposal to create the ultimate sleeping bed?
Here's the basic design:
1. The bed has a lid that closes over top (think coffin but roomier inside).
2. Bed has temperature control system to vent air and adjust to sleeping preferences.
3. Bed mattress has cooling pipes to control mattress temperatures.
4. Lot of control systems to monitor air temperature, mattress temperature and body temperature and keeps them all in check.
5. Integrated lighting in the dome of the bed is used for waking and mood setting
6. Bed sits on motorized incline to help with morning assist routines
The fun with this projects comes in setting up the control system for optimal sleep cycles. With the variable being temperature (air and mattress), light, sound, and bed angle.
Any takers?
Edit: additional note is this could be considered a "green" bed because it has a self contain heating/cooling system which is more efficient than heating/cooling your entire house. So at night, you can lower your overall energy requirements for hvac related bills.
[+] [-] philwelch|17 years ago|reply
[+] [-] TheSOB88|17 years ago|reply
[+] [-] WilliamLP|17 years ago|reply
Without that, it reads like an article about what he wants to do, but has never managed to maintain. It's akin to taking diet advice from someone who has lost and gained weight many times in their lives and has never proven they can stop the cycling.
[+] [-] oliveoil|17 years ago|reply
Or the effectiveness of the thinking process itself (which is more difficult to measure) -- I was told at school that when I sleep my brain "processes and sorts information". Well if you reduce the amount of sleep four times perhaps you become more prone to make mistakes when working (and lose time fixing them).
[+] [-] ph0rque|17 years ago|reply
[+] [-] scott_s|17 years ago|reply
[+] [-] pchristensen|17 years ago|reply
I agree with Dustin - it works but you have to be strict on the schedule. My life didn't accommodate the schedule so I had to stop, but it did work for the short time I could schedule it.
[+] [-] scott_s|17 years ago|reply
[+] [-] endergen|17 years ago|reply
Doing mentally stimulating work before going to bed is the worst way to sleep well. I need almost 2 hours of mindless tv or something besides programming before going to bed to sleep properly. Otherwise I have programming dreams.
Perhaps Dustin exercises a lot, or maybe he's always been more into intellectual pursuits.
[+] [-] symptic|17 years ago|reply
[+] [-] brc|17 years ago|reply
[+] [-] hendler|17 years ago|reply
My experience has been that I can function with less sleep (4-5 hours with 1/2 hour nap), but less optimally, eventually. The naps can often be very refreshing, and sustaining even, but eventually it's not enough. At least for me. I've done these sleep patterns for about 6 months at a time - with longer sleep once a week.
Exercise (more precisely, blood flow to the brain) makes a big difference for me. Staying vertical in a chair for 12 hours a day with no exercise or nap vs 16 hours a day with exercise break/nap feels comparable.
[+] [-] bcl|17 years ago|reply
[+] [-] miracle|17 years ago|reply
A friend tried passing to it through multiple core sleep phases, but failed miserably after one week.
[+] [-] chaostheory|17 years ago|reply
Current research has identified that conventional sleeping helps memory, learning, creativity, and muscle repair/recovery (related to working out); not sleeping well can lead to stuff like high blood pressure and the hardening of heart arteries (which leads to heart attacks).
Then again if you don't have much of a choice if you have a hard deadline, this may be a useful tool to use now and again.
[+] [-] Aximilation|17 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gregwebs|17 years ago|reply
Sleeping during the night was extremely important for human survival. We evolved to find food during the day. Any waking hours at night time instead of sleeping means a huge amount of extra energy expended to support being awake. Sleep pressure has a huge evolutionary advantage. It may be a disadvantage now.
[+] [-] rms|17 years ago|reply
[+] [-] philwelch|17 years ago|reply
Famous people who actually slept biphasically include Winston Churchill, who was by all accounts energetic, hardworking, and did not sleep that much overall.
[+] [-] quizbiz|17 years ago|reply
[+] [-] albemuth|17 years ago|reply