NationStates Jolt Archive

Has anyone ever tried it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphasic_sleep)?

I had the sudden interest after staying awake for 38 hours for the first time. It was pretty harsh for a while, but after 24 hours, I no longer felt tired, which apparently meant that my circadian rhythm was reset. You learn something new every day, thanks to Wikipedia.

I'm considering long-term experimentation with my sleeping patterns. Have any of you tried anything similar, and if so, what were the results?

Has anyone ever tried it?

I had the sudden interest after staying awake for 38 hours for the first time. It was pretty harsh for a while, but after 24 hours, I no longer felt tired, which apparently meant that my circadian rhythm was reset. You learn something new every day, thanks to Wikipedia.

I'm considering long-term experimentation with my sleeping patterns. Have any of you tried anything similar, and if so, what were the results?

What is polyphaisic sleep?

Also, I originally read this as polyphaisic sheep, and was totally lost until about halfway through this OP. It's way too early in the day for me to be this tired.

I may or may not have tried it.

I can't be more certain, because I haven't a clue what it is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphasic_sleep

Its interesting because I have a lot of trouble sleeping as is. On average I sleep about 4 hours per 24 hour period, but around 5 this morning was the first time I slept in two days.

I'd like to try it, but now I'm not sure I want to tamper with my sensitive sleep state during a busy part of the semester.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphasic_sleep

Its interesting because I have a lot of trouble sleeping as is. On average I sleep about 4 hours per 24 hour period, but around 5 this morning was the first time I slept in two days.

I'd like to try it, but now I'm not sure I want to tamper with my sensitive sleep state during a busy part of the semester.

Right, that's a definite con for me too, though my college is on the quarter system, so things haven't gotten too bad yet. But it wouldn't be a good idea for me to try this over the summer, since I tend to do a lot of driving when I go back home.

I'm considering long-term experimentation with my sleeping patterns. Have any of you tried anything similar, and if so, what were the results?
I want to try it! I so want to try it! My fiancee however thinks I will go crazy, so I would prefer to have someone IRLly who can check my status when I start.

Has anyone ever tried it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphasic_sleep)?

I had the sudden interest after staying awake for 38 hours for the first time. It was pretty harsh for a while, but after 24 hours, I no longer felt tired, which apparently meant that my circadian rhythm was reset. You learn something new every day, thanks to Wikipedia.

I'm considering long-term experimentation with my sleeping patterns. Have any of you tried anything similar, and if so, what were the results?

Yes I have. I take naps all the time to ensure I have enough energy to go through the day. And heres something related to the topic. Did you know that some people are genetically gifted in that they need no sleep at all?

I totally read that as Polyphasic Sheep.

I'm all disappointed now. :(


And hell no, I've never tried that. My sleep patterns are fucked up enough as it is. Also, I suck at "napping" - it takes me at least an hour to go to sleep and afterwards I'm all woozy.

Yes I have. I take naps all the time to ensure I have enough energy to go through the day. And heres something related to the topic. Did you know that some people are genetically gifted in that they need no sleep at all?
Can someone apply that patch on my code and reboot me? :)

Did you know that some people are genetically gifted in that they need no sleep at all?

I would love to have that gene

I wouldn't say your 'circadian rhythm' was reset. That would imply you're in a new rhythm, when quite simply after 24 hours of being awake you at the stage where you are meant to be waking up, and hence you are no longer tired.

I would think that polyphasic sleep wasn't an especially good thing. Mainly because it gets rid of deep sleep. REM tends to be thought as of the most important part of the sleep cycle, but then why is the minor part of the sleep cycle. Why does the brain spend so much time in deep sleep, when it could just get on with REM and allow you to wake up earlier.

I'd start getting sick. I get very sick if I don't get lots of rest.

And bipolar.

Sort of. I sleep 7 hours at night and an hour nap after school if I can.

And hell no, I've never tried that. My sleep patterns are fucked up enough as it is. Also, I suck at "napping" - it takes me at least an hour to go to sleep and afterwards I'm all woozy.

You've got a colleague here. It takes me ~1 hour to sleep unless I am really tired. I can't take a nap 'cause it'll take me long to doze off. And sometimes, even if I slept for 12 hours, I am still sleepy. Or, when I enter vacation mode, my rhythm converts to the nocturnal type: sleep in the day, awake at night.

Perhaps this polyphasic sleep thing isn't recommended for normal, everyday folks. Maybe it's just for certain situations and people who need to reduce/break up their sleep tine to smaller chunks. And if you're young, sleep well. When you get older you might not be able to sleep that well. Enjoy sleep.

I wouldn't say your 'circadian rhythm' was reset. That would imply you're in a new rhythm, when quite simply after 24 hours of being awake you at the stage where you are meant to be waking up, and hence you are no longer tired.

I would think that polyphasic sleep wasn't an especially good thing. Mainly because it gets rid of deep sleep. REM tends to be thought as of the most important part of the sleep cycle, but then why is the minor part of the sleep cycle. Why does the brain spend so much time in deep sleep, when it could just get on with REM and allow you to wake up earlier.

Er, that's what I meant >_<. I really don't know much about the specifics, but as far as I've read, there are no serious health risks.

You've got a colleague here. It takes me ~1 hour to sleep unless I am really tired. I can't take a nap 'cause it'll take me long to doze off. And sometimes, even if I slept for 12 hours, I am still sleepy. Or, when I enter vacation mode, my rhythm converts to the nocturnal type: sleep in the day, awake at night.

Perhaps this polyphasic sleep thing isn't recommended for normal, everyday folks. Maybe it's just for certain situations and people who need to reduce/break up their sleep tine to smaller chunks. And if you're young, sleep well. When you get older you might not be able to sleep that well. Enjoy sleep.
Yay, I always wanted a sleeping colleague. :p
And apparently I'm on vacation mode right now...

From a polyphasic sleep blogger:

The big challenge I’m facing right now is how to put all this time to use in a balanced and sustainable way. That’s much harder than I thought it would be. Polyphasic sleep completely rewrote my whole concept of time, and I was totally unprepared for that. I no longer think of time in terms of individual days — now it’s a continuous and never-ending flow. It’s largely irrelevant to me whether the sky is black or blue. Instead of scheduling my work into separate days, my to-do list has become an ongoing queue. This is causing some problems for me though. The main problem is a complete lack of balance between work, family, exercise, personal tasks, etc. Because I can work 20 hours a day, I often succumb to the temptation to do so. There’s always “one more task” to be done. And with no lengthy nighttime sleep period to force a reboot, when I get into “work mode,” I find it hard to stop. It no longer makes any sense for me to say, “Well, I’m done for the day. I’ll pick this up again tomorrow.” There is no tomorrow. For me this is still the same day as Halloween. Everything is just a certain number of hours away. Instead of stopping for the day because I need to start winding down before bed, I only stop to take breaks (naps, meals, time with family, exercise, etc.). And then it’s back to work once again to keep plowing through that queue. It’s as if the workday never really ends.

Interesting. And vaguely creepy.

Has anyone ever tried it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphasic_sleep)?

I had the sudden interest after staying awake for 38 hours for the first time. It was pretty harsh for a while, but after 24 hours, I no longer felt tired, which apparently meant that my circadian rhythm was reset. You learn something new every day, thanks to Wikipedia.

I'm considering long-term experimentation with my sleeping patterns. Have any of you tried anything similar, and if so, what were the results?

not voluntarily. basically after about 24 hours i start to go a bit silly. i have occaisional crashes where i become very depressed or irritable but i mostly act silly and hyper-aware, dancing about and doing funny voices and joking around with my eyes all wide and red. sometimes i black out for a few minutes, stil bumbling along but with my brain not engaged at all. after 96 hours on just caffeine, glucose and taurine i can tell you i am a complete wreck, shaking, gibbering, twitching and gurning. not too much fun.

*Falls asleep counting polyphasic sheep* http://www.casual-gamers.de/cg/images/smilies/schaf2.gif

Yay, I always wanted a sleeping colleague. :p
And apparently I'm on vacation mode right now...

I am not alone!
(Everyone at my house hates me for being a nocturnal creature. Perhaps I'm a vampire? *bares fangs*)

More from the same blogger:

My default polyphasic sleeping pattern involves napping for 20 minutes roughly every 4 hours for a total of 6 naps every 24 hours. I started this sleep schedule on October 20, 2005, so I’ve been going for over 4 months now. It feels like it’s been much longer though.

Taking a nap feels like I’m shutting down for a reboot. Even if I’m really out of it when I lie down (i.e. if I’ve stayed up too long), after just 20 minutes I almost always awaken feeling terrific. Sometimes for the first few minutes, I feel a bit disoriented. Not sleepy… just confused. My dreams are so rich and vivid now that when I wake up, I’m often uncertain about where I am and need to reorient myself to my environment. Now that I have up to six dreams every day that I wake up remembering, the dream world has become a more significant part of my daily existence than it used to be.
Well that sounds cool, at least.

I pretty much do the Polyphasic sleep thing. IT was never a concentrated effort, just the result of years of hating going to bed every night.

I've tried twice and failed quickly on both occasions. It apparently takes a week at least to get into the swing of it. Also, you need to have things to do to keep you occupied but which you can easily interrupt for your naps. I wouldn't advise it, but what the hell. Give it a try and you will probably fail.

24 hours is my best (not by choice mind you).
I couldn't do it, and then living in the tropics doesn't make it any easier being so warm in the first place.