Biphasic: Day 13.2

I'm not sure what happened this evening, but some force of sabotage took over. I simply forgot to take my nap. It was about 6pm that I realized this, so I rushed to bed only to wake up at 8:30pm, with the alarm as quiet as it had been for the past two and a half hours. But all in all, though I went to sleep late and though the alarm didn't go off, I suppose things could have been worse. I could have gone to sleep at 4:30pm and then woke up at 8:30pm. I've been doing a rather good job of keeping my schedule intact, so I suppose a little slip up here and there isn't exactly detrimental to my progress.

Though I'm not completely used to this biphasic schedule, I can't really imagine sleeping monophasically anymore. It makes me tired thinking about it. But the ultimate challenge will be the start of the new semester. Luckily, I'll have almost a month and a half of experience to aid me.

Edit: I want to clarify that I didn't prolong my nap because I was tired. I didn't feel like I needed that sleep, and in fact had difficulty getting to sleep because I felt so energetic. I just can't get up naturally at this point in the process for my naps. At least not just yet.

Biphasic: Day 13.1

It's 7:30am and I feel hyper. Exhausted a bit in my muscles, a bit of pressure in my head, still a little tired, but my mind feels hyper and alert. Getting up is still difficult, but I can't recall how difficult it was to wake up during my early-rise semesters. I recall being tired often, but I can't compare me getting ready and rushing to classes with me waking up and getting on the computer with a bowl of cereal and green tea. I am currently on the 4.5 hour system, but if I need to switch up to the 6 hour system to curb tiredness during the semester, it won't be difficult at all. I'm actually very excited to see how well I combine biphasic sleep and the school schedule.

All of a sudden a wave of exhaustion and tiredness hit me. I suppose I spoke too fast about being all that energetic.

Biphasic: Day 12 (Good stuff...)

I decided to go ahead and move back into the 3 hours core sleep. I miss the extra time in the morning. Woke up this morning a listened to the radio for about a minute, then stretched all over to get myself "activated". Then I walked upstairs, made a bowl of cereal, took my dog outside, ate my cereal, returned the empty garbage bin and went back inside. Then I put away towels.Who does that in the first 15 minutes of waking up? The reason I say this is simply because I don't think I could have processed things enough to do all that when I was waking up at 5:45am in high school. I suppose you could say that I have adapted to this way of life, the biphasic dark side... It's something I can do without it being really too difficult, it fits well with my schedule, and it just feels good.

Sure, I am tired in the morning, but I was always exhausted in high school and the first few years of college when I constantly had 8am classes. But now I've decided to take that a step further. I have early morning classes for the Fall semester, at 8am and 9:30am (Mon-Thur), but I also work three times a week at a dorm from 6am-noon (Fri-Sun). That means that I have given myself a schedule in which I CANNOT sleep in. Ever. And it doesn't scare me like it probably should. In fact, I see it as a challenge that I already have almost accomplished. By the time the semester begins, I'll be so biphasic that I'll be converting others. Going to bed late, waking up early, being able to take a nap AND feel all round well rested? I never would have asked for all these things before because I didn't actually think it would be possible. Now I'm doing it and it doesn't seem like a big deal... it seems as obviously needed as eating or bathing. Since I am sticking to the schedule, perhaps I'll treat myself to some refreshing organic green tea for the morning...

I stumbled upon www.stevepavlina.com when I first tried polyphasic sleep in the Winter of 08. Now, my research again brought me to his website, especially a few forum threads all about those who were trying biphasic sleep. What I didn't realize is that I have it down already. From here on out is just getting used to the system. I never oversleep, I feel like I can function and participate in the world, and I actually like sleeping twice a day. So many people are having difficulties with biphasic sleep, I suppose I was blessed to have a system in place that allowed for a biphasic pattern to be subtly injected and enforced.

Check out www.stevepavlina.com at your closest convenience. It has some great information on many facets of life, not just the non-normative sleep patterns of the borderline insane.

Biphasic: Day 11

My alarm was set to 8:30 from ye4sterday, so I actually slept quite a bit more than I should have... I'll sleep the extra 90 minutes tonight, then return to the 3 hour core sleep I had before. I spent most of the afternoon taking my puppy to the vet and taking care of some errands, so I lost track of time. After I came home, I started to feel very sleepy and thought it was strange, considering the extra extra sleep I stole earlier this morning. I lost track of time and didn't realize that it was about 4:00pm and my body wanted it's nap! I'm glad to see that my body is starting to internalize this new system and rely on the nap patterns. This gives me confidence in the whole process working in the long run. I'm off to get some sleep, then start my second half of the day. It's nice to think of the day in terms of two halves. In a way, it feels like I have twice as much time as I used to.

Biphasic: Day 10

The weekend may have impacted my sleeping more than I thought. It feels like my body can't get enough sleep, so I may be running on a battery that is not fully charged, only charging it a little during my sleep, but never to peak performance. So I am going to take this opportunity to adjust my sleep schedule and allow myself an extra 90 minutes of sleep during the core section. I will now be getting 6 hours of sleep (four full cycles), and sleeping from 1:30am - 6:00am and 4:30pm - 6:00pm. If this ends up being too much sleep once my body has recharged a bit more, then I'll later reduce it down to 4.5 hours a day. But I've been too exhuasted the last few days to really keep track of my body. Though I've already been up for almost an hour, I'll go ahead and give myself the extra 90 minutes of sleep, from 7:00am to 8:30am. I honestly need it very badly.


Edit: Someone brought it to my attention that 6 hours is essentially a normal monophasic core sleep and it somewhat defeats the purpose of doing a polyphasic schedule. I agree and disagree.

I wasn't very clear earlier (mostly because I was so exhausted), but I intend to switch back to 4.5 hours. The 6 hours of sleep is a bit counter to polyphasic advantages. It would make sense to take a day off, sleep as much as I'd like, then try again from the start, but I just can't bring myself to do that. So I'll instead give myself a little extra, then once I get back to that feelgood point I had late last week, I'll drop the extra 90 minute cycle.

I do, however, think there are advantages to biphasic 6 hours of sleep over monophasic 6 hours of sleep. For one, you aren't running an entire day on one charge, but instead get a moment in the day to rest. Think of the siesta. And another personal reason is the available time awake during the late night. I am really most awake in the first few hours of the new day (as in midnight), and if my core was a full 6 hours, I would need to be in bed by 11pm in order to get up at 5am. I honestly could not force myself to sleep at 11pm. I would just lie there, awake and active in my mind, likely for the entire night. With a biphasic system in place, I could go to bed at the later 12:30am, which would be early, but much more preferred. I suppose I see biphasic as advantageous over monophasic, regardless if time is saved or not.

Biphasic: Day 9.2

I was absolutely exhausted this morning. Tried reading around 2:00pm, but fighting off sleep was entirely too difficult to do. I feel so much better after my nap, but I am still exhausted and could easily fall back to sleep. I crave sleep, but I'm going to continue with the experiment. There are too many factors that fit too perfectly.

Biphasic: Day 8 - 9.1

The weekend has been hectic. Missing my nap on Saturday didn't seem too devastating on my body, but lack of sound sleep Saturday night left my Sunday morning one of the most difficult I've had thus far. While I went to bed on time (the "nap + core" time) and my sleeping space was comfortable, I don't do well sleeping in new places. Not to mention I was forcibly woken by cell phone messages a few times throughout the early morning. I took a long shower to help me wake up and feel refreshed, but it wasn't as effective as I hoped.

I felt rather energized for the actual wedding ceremony, but as soon as we entered the truck, I kept dozing off. By this point I was exhuasted in body and mind and just needed my evening nap, which thankfully came moments after I arrived home. It was a very deep sleep, but my body wanted more of it.

And it wants more this Monday morning, as well. Changing my schedule to fit the weekend wasn't the best of ideas, but the world is not biphasic or polyphasic, and so adjustments must be made. That may have pushed back my progress, but it was necessary. I don't believe there are any more time conflicts in the coming weeks. Ah, I'll update later when I'm consistently awake.

Biphasic: Day 7.2

(The following is being posted late, as I did not have an internet connection over the weekend. I will update tomorrow about today's events.)

It is now late into the night and technically day 8. I arrived at our cabin at about 4:00pm. I did try to sleep in the car, unaware if I could sleep later or not as per the day's activities. While the 4:30 to 6:00 time slot was open and I did try to take a quick nap, I don't think I actually fell asleep. This may be a good thing, as interrupted sleep might have made me more exausted. I can definitely say that the sleep experiment thus far has not had a severe negative impact on my physical exertion energy levels. I was invited to spin fire poi in front of a large crowd and while I was a bit fatigued afterwards, this is on par with how I normally would have felt after the same activity. Missing my nap did not seem to have a noticible affect on any level, but I am going to add the 90 minute cycle to my core sleep tonight, making my sleep period now 1:30am to 6:00am.

Biphasic: Day 7.1

I leave for a weekend outing soon, complete with bonfires, a wedding and maybe even fire poi. This will give me a good opportunity to push my activeness. I had a difficult time waking up this morning. I got up with the alarm, yes, but my mind still slumbered. Though I've been feeling much more energetic lately, today I feel rather lethargic. It is only 8:30am, however. I still have yet to start the day.

Biphasic: Day 6 (I think this is for me!)

Things are about the same as they've been the last few days. I'm starting to get a little tired when my scheduled times come, so that's a plus. Oddly, I sometimes still have trouble sleeping. I think too much about sleeping and then I don't get to sleep... My body much not be under considerable sleep deprivation if it can have sleep and not immediately take it.

It feels like I'm going through my days very fast. Each biphasic period feels like a whole day. I think this is where the real beauty of biphasic sleep lies. You don't force your body through a massive 16-18 hour day in one stretch. You trade that lump sum into two smaller days, feeling more rested. Not only this, but from a psychological standpoint, I can see myself getting into a habit of dividing my two "days" into a work day (6:00am - 4:30pm) and recreation/self day (6:00pm - 3:00am). This will actually be the case when classes start up, as all my classes and hours of work are between 6:00am and 4:30pm. It also is a bit relieving to think that I have a whole "day" for all recreation, which will better motivate me to perform well during my work "day", instead of trying to find a balance between productive work and enjoyment. Some things will go into both categories, but that will also help to fill in any time holes I may have. I am thinking very far into this only because I honestly think this will be how I spend the next semester at the very least. I just prefer this system, and it seems to fit my lifestyle and body.

Biphasic: Day 5

It's strange, but when I wake up from my evening nap, I often think it is 6 am. Not exactly a problem, but it confuses me when I look outside. Normally I don't think a nap would have this mind altering effect on me, but I sleep just as sound during my nap as I do during my core sleep, most likely due to getting a full cycle of rest. Every sleep period has been accompanied by a vivid dream. Even better, a few times I've woken up 5-15 minutes before my alarm. This might mean my cycle is shorter than the average 90 minutes, and while that would be nice, I'm not going to jump to any conclusions just yet. For now, I focus on making biphasic sleep mine. Then, I'll introduce more factors. It feels like that time is coming soon.

Though there is a light tiredness over me, I really feel great. I feel alert and fully capable of mental tasks. The most difficult time seems to be right after my core sleep, in the early morning. As long as I plow through that, the rest is actually starting to get rather easy.

Biphasic: Day 4.3

I find it odd that sleeping for 3 hours leaves me more tired than sleeping for only 90 minutes. I've always been a night person, often staying up till 5am in the summer months, so perhaps this biphasic schedule works especially well for my body. I'm only getting 90 minutes of sleep for when I would be most awake and getting a fuller 3 hours sleep for when I would be more lethargic. As odd as it sounds, when 3am rolls around, it's a little difficult to force myself to sleep. The difference between my alertness and exhaustion in this single day pretty much covers the gamut of sleepiness.

I'll be going out this weekend to a cabin and spending time with friends at a wedding. It will have been a week this Saturday since I began the experiment, and I think a prime time to try being more active in a social setting. There will be some physical exertion, so I'll also be able to see how my body deals with the use of energy beyond basal uses. I hope this is not the case, but I may have to skip a nap over the weekend and add it to the core sleep. We'll see what the weekend brings, though.

Biphasic: Day 4.2

While I may not have been tired earlier, I am now by far the most tired I've been in the last four days. I can't really process thoughts altogether too well... and understanding things takes me a minute of active concentration. Two hours until my next nap, and I could literally fall asleep sitting upright in this chair right now. Hopefully my nap will give me the energy to make it to tonight's core sleep. It's a good thing the Hot Topic thing isn't tonight. I don't think I'm in any shape to be driving anywhere, honestly. I just keep staring at the screen and the keyboard, so I think I'll stop typing now. The body does some strange things. I suppose we do strange things to our bodies, though.... like reconditioning sleep patterns to a biphasic system.

Biphasic: Day 4.1

If you don't think about the whole situation, if you just wake up and do something to forget that things are somehow different with your body, then it isn't difficult to adapt to a biphasic schedule. Of course, it is tiring, but keeping preoccupied seems to be the medicine for enduring sleep deprivation. No need for caffeine or other stimulants (I imagine those would really ruin the sleep part of the experience).

I'm less tired but more exhausted than yesterday. Not really much more to say at this point in the day. Though I am finding that it takes me longer to think things through. Hm.

Biphasic: Day 3.2

So this is a pleasant surprise. I woke from my nap naturally, just before my alarm went off. No throbbing chest from shooting up in alarm (really, the idea of an alarm clock is a pretty good idea, but who thought of that loathsome sound?). And I felt so great that I went upstairs and started cooking deer tenderloins... and I don't cook. I feel awake, alert and "here". There is a slight fatigue in my body (a little in the head, mostly in my shoulders), but honestly, it is not nearly as bad as what I anticipated.

Some thoughts:
While most say the biphasic sleep is easier to condition to than other polyphasic systems (like Uberman or Dymaxion), I'm not too sure. With the other systems you don't get to sleep the entire 5 stage cycle, so you never get into deep sleep. When I did it for a few days before, it wasn't that easy to get up because I never actually felt like I was sleeping. However, now that I'm getting a full cycle, it makes me want to stay in bed and get more of that deep sleep. Uberman was definitely "harder", but at least I wasn't constantly reminded of how wonderful deep sleep is... Just some thoughts I wanted to post about.

Biphasic: Day 3.1

I am once again incredibly tired, but I'll pull through. Woke up without the massive pulse spike that accompanied me yesterday, so that is a plus. And my reflexes are somehow sharp as ever... when I go to pour soy milk, I always shake it first. Well, I shook a bit hard, lost my grip and somewhat threw it to the ground. Instead of a loud noise and possible soy milk kitchen saturation, I found the soy milk swirling, but nestled safety in both my hands. Not sure how my hands could move so fast when my eyelids can barely stay open. That part is very difficult in the mornings, regardless of how awake the rest of my body seems to be. Very difficult. I'm considering some light exercise when I wake up to quickly rejuvenate me, but I worry that it might make me more tired.

On another note, dreams. I remember reading that polyphasic sleep allows for some unbelievably realistic dreams. I can declare the same is true for merely biphasic sleep. I remember feeling in my dream last night. I felt water, on the back of my left hand. Yes, there were unrealistic elements and the obvious signs that I was dreaming, but the vividness was almost uncanny. I find this very exciting (though if you were to look at me now, I look anything but excited...). Whether these dreams are a temporary byproduct of the sleep deprivation or something I can come to expect remains to be seen.

And one more note... I think I hear a bird snoring outside.

Advice for those who are interested in trying Biphasic sleep

I began this under the assumption that I have the average 90 minute cycle. However, it may not be the case. If you want to learn what your 5 stage sleep cycle is (usually between 70 to 110 minutes), try this: go to bed like normal, but remember at about what time you fell asleep. Once you naturally wake up (obviously, no alarm clock), calculate the time you were asleep and try to find a multiple of 70-110 that fits. Do this a few times to get a good idea of your cycle length. Then, you can customize your biphasic pattern in multiples of your cycle length. It seems that most people (myself included) follow the system of 2 cycles for nightly core sleep and 1 cycle for evening nap. Once I get adjusted to this schedule, I should be able to use the same method for calculating my cycle, but I don't think I should trust myself without a clock just yet...

Biphasic: Day 2.2

Well, it gets better. It took a few hours, but I was alert and functioning at levels just below normal. I played a few games online to test my reaction times, and I seemed to be fine. The strange thing I've noticed all day is that if for even a moment I think about sleep, lie down, or do anything that is too relaxing, I immediately phase into sleep mode. Even the few seconds that I may fall into this mode bring me a more intense head pressure when awaking. Merely closing my eyes makes my head weak. But strangely, I was able to sit down and read in silence with relative ease. It is a bit odd how that works out. Though I've had some troubles every so often with sleepy thoughts, it is less the staying awake and more the getting up that is truly difficult.

I'm still hungry all the time. I've even having cravings for food. I never go to a fast food or sit down restaurant by myself, yet today I just had to go to Burger King and get a burger. A veggie burger, but still strange considering how I normally function. Hydration seems to be an important factor in lethargy, so I am constantly drinking water. I have yet to succumb and drink green tea, so that is a plus. My strength is significantly diminished, but I suppose that is to be expected. I played guitar again. Along with my body, my voice is also tired. I expect these symptoms to get better within the coming week, and I don't think that things will get much worse.

Biphasic: Day 2.1

I'll edit and add more later, but for now I just want to say that I am unbelievably tired. My eyes keep closing and want to stay there, my head leans all over the place in search of any place to rest. And it's taken me at least 5 minutes to write these few sentences. My cereal is already soggy... and it isn't behaving like the energy boost I had hoped for. If worse comes to worse, I may end up drinking green tea or something to keep me more awake, but I want to try my best to not use anything to help me. Not just for the principal of the matter, but also because it may interfere with the overall experiment if I rely too heavily on something like caffeine. I know this may sound strange, but it's almost as if I'm not here. I don't really feel... awake. I suppose that's what the whole zombie thing is, but I didn't expect to feel this the second day. I've gone 60 hours without sleep before and didn't feel like this. But my cereal is finished and I need to find some activity to keep me up.

Biphasic: Day 1

Last night's sleep was very interrupted and felt altogether insufficient, but I awoke this morning alert and energized as if I had slept like normal (which can sometimes be over 8 hours in the summer). I found myself getting hungrier than I usually am, a side affect I expected, but not so soon. I don't think there is a correlation just yet between the two, though. I played guitar for a few hours, surprised by my stamina for playing at length. This Wednesday I am supposed to do a small set with Nick Fairley a local Hot Topic, and while I'm preparing for it physically with practice, I don't know how the whole "sleep zombie" thing is going to interfere. I would say that less sleep doesn't seem to hinder me, but...

After napping from 5:00pm to 6:30pm, I am exhausted. I woke up with my heart beating wildly and the desire to just fall back into bed... but that would have most likely postponed this post by many hours. After being awake for a little under half an hour, I am getting to be more alert, but I have that exhausted feeling in my forehead... the one that pulls your head down when your eyes happen to close by themselves. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone, but it's somewhat like a weight.

It's strange that with so little sleep (and interrupted sleep, too) I felt fine, but after a solid ninety minutes of evening napping, I just want to go back to bed. I expect my body to do some very strange things in the next week, though. I'm still open to suggestions for everything, so please leave comments. Primarily, I'm looking for puzzles to test my mental clarity, creativity and such. The practicality side is already manifesting, though: I missed a call for dinner plans and felt so good earlier that I missed my initial 4:30pm to 6:00pm nap schedule and had to shoot for 5:00pm to 6:30pm.

I've set aside many games to play for this week, in hopes that having something to keep me active will keep me awake. Some games, guitar, and reading.... though I think I'll hold off on reading. I am trying to stay awake, after all.

An Introduction

Every night, humans wind down from a day filled with stimuli and activity to rest for a period of about six to eight hours. In this sleep, we recharge and rejuvenate ourselves for what the next demands. But this sleep is not the only method of resting known to man. Many other animals follow a polyphasic sleep schedule (sleeping many times throughout the day) as opposed to monophasic (prolonged sleeping, once a day), and some humans follow this schedule as well. Few research studies have been done on the effects of polyphasic sleep, but individuals that experiment and adapt to a polyphasic sleep pattern often report very positive side effects. Monophonic sleep, however, is practiced by the vast majority, and thus most all social conventions are based around a 6-8 hour sleep period and 16-18 waking period.

Is this prolonged, once daily sleep the most beneficial to human beings, or is it merely what we have become accustomed to?

That is the question I would like to have answered. Many animals are polyphasic sleepers, and I wonder if monophasic sleep is actually a natural trait of the human species or instead a social adaptation we are tied to. Oddly enough, we are all polyphasic for a time, when we are first brought into the world. Babies are naturally polyphasic beings, sleeping multiple periods throughout the day. Eventually, most come to rest on a biphasic sleep pattern (two sleep periods, composed of a core period and nap period). Many cultures have sleep patterns that m culture might find strange. And seafarers have known the stress of needing to constantly be awake, many adapting a polyphasic lifestyle out of neccessity.

I initially planned to do a polyphasic schedule following the Dymaxion or Uberman method. However, subsequent research has lead me to believe that while a polyphasic schedule is indeed possible, it may not have the benefits that are widely spoken of in the polyphasic forums and blogs. Furthermore, research is very scarce, leaving possible health concerns unanswered. I have decided to instead do a biphasic pattern of sleep, sleeping in multiples of 90 minute increments. The reason that the schedule is formed around 90 minute increments is in accordance with research that indicates humans usually take about 90 minutes to pass through the five stages of sleep (Stage I, II, III, IV, and REM), and other research that has found the interruption of this sleep cycle can be as exhausting on the body as not sleeping whatsoever.

The first week is known to be the most difficult for one attempting a biphasic sleep schedule, as this conditioning stage is essentially sleep deprivation, though less than that of established polyphasic cycles. I will attempt to follow the schedule of sleeping from 3:00am - 6:00am for core sleep and from 4:30pm - 6:00pm for nap sleep. I will keep track of the actual sleeping times. Though set times are in place, there may be instances in which I oversleep, get to sleep later, or am unable to sleep for social interaction, and such instances will be noted. If a nap is missed completely, I will add that time to my core sleep for that night. However, sleeping over will not result in a "sleep penalty" and deduct time from my next scheduled sleep period. This information will be made available to the public upon the conclusion of the initial experiment.

Given that the experiment is a success and proves beneficial to my health and personal interests, the biphasic sleep schedule experiment will continue until it proves too cumbersome due to social constraints. My 2009 Fall semester has been chosen on the assumption that the experiment is successful, allowing the polyphasic sleep pattern to go one through the semester.

Below is a list of topics I will keep updated daily. If anyone has suggestions of other areas to keep updated, please post your ideas in the comment section (of either blogger or facebook notes). Also, if you have ideas to help certain areas (for example, a puzzle generator online that would create puzzles of similar difficulty), any suggestions are much appriciated. The topics below are ideas and may or not remain with the daily blog.

Mental Clarity
Physical Exhaustion
Sleepiness
Alertness
Creativity
Exercise
Practicality

It is currently 5:10 am, so I am unable to start the experiment tonight. I will start it tomorrow night at 3:00am.