Wednesday, September 23, 2009
A little update
Just something interesting that's been happening lately. For some reason, I've been getting tired sometimes as early at 10pm. I can't ever remember conistently going to bed before 11pm, but the past few nights have had me in bed early and up well before 6am. This is exceptionally good news for my anxiety of sleeping through work. It may be that I'm getting up earlier and thus simply getting tired earlier. I'll try my best to keep it this way, as it's currently ideal. I do miss naps, though...
Friday, September 11, 2009
Update
Well, it has been quite some time. I, unfortunately, have stopped being biphasic altogether. Occasionally I will take a quick nap right when I get home, but this lasts for possibly 20 minutes. While I know I have constantly said "sleep in cycles", subsequent research has lead me to believe that the body can rest for the first 2 stages and receive the benefits without feeling groggy upon waking. It doesn't touch the REM stage, so I can see how that would be effective. I've missed the naps and the extra time biphasic sleep gave me, but I haven't stopped researching and experimenting with my body.
For one, I've found some vital information. I don't know if this is the result of biphasic sleep (some have reported that biphasic sleep has shortened their cycle), but my cycle seems to be about 82 minutes, almost 10 minutes less than the standard 90 minute cycle. While this may not seem that substantial, over the course of 6 hours of sleep (4 cycles), this is a difference of about 35 minutes. That time could put one just over 4 cycles or just under 5 cycles, possibly breaking into the REM stage... exactly what we don't want to do. I used to give myself a little extra time to fall asleep, too. It's no wonder I wasn't feeling as well rested toward the end of my experimentation.
I've settled on a 4 cycle monophasic sleep schedule, with the occasional powernap (I say 4 cycles instead of just 6 hours since my cycle is a bit shorter than average). Sometimes I give myself only 3 cycles and I can do well on it, provided I don't have an excessive physically active day. I still have some problems staying asleep on night before I have work, but I'm trying to force myself to stay in bed and realize that all 3 of my alarms are functioning well and they will wake me up on time. However, I've been consistenty waking right before my alarm clock for the last few weekdays, showing me that my adjusted sleep length accurately fits my cycle length. I'll continue to monitor it.
I also noticed that I've had dreams lately. I didn't realize this before, but the last hectic weeks my my experiment, I didn't dream that often. Most likely because of interrupted REM cycles. It's good to dream again.
I'll update again eventually. Thanks for reading!
Note: I'm once again importing these to my facebook account, as they won't be a daily ritual now.
For one, I've found some vital information. I don't know if this is the result of biphasic sleep (some have reported that biphasic sleep has shortened their cycle), but my cycle seems to be about 82 minutes, almost 10 minutes less than the standard 90 minute cycle. While this may not seem that substantial, over the course of 6 hours of sleep (4 cycles), this is a difference of about 35 minutes. That time could put one just over 4 cycles or just under 5 cycles, possibly breaking into the REM stage... exactly what we don't want to do. I used to give myself a little extra time to fall asleep, too. It's no wonder I wasn't feeling as well rested toward the end of my experimentation.
I've settled on a 4 cycle monophasic sleep schedule, with the occasional powernap (I say 4 cycles instead of just 6 hours since my cycle is a bit shorter than average). Sometimes I give myself only 3 cycles and I can do well on it, provided I don't have an excessive physically active day. I still have some problems staying asleep on night before I have work, but I'm trying to force myself to stay in bed and realize that all 3 of my alarms are functioning well and they will wake me up on time. However, I've been consistenty waking right before my alarm clock for the last few weekdays, showing me that my adjusted sleep length accurately fits my cycle length. I'll continue to monitor it.
I also noticed that I've had dreams lately. I didn't realize this before, but the last hectic weeks my my experiment, I didn't dream that often. Most likely because of interrupted REM cycles. It's good to dream again.
I'll update again eventually. Thanks for reading!
Note: I'm once again importing these to my facebook account, as they won't be a daily ritual now.
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