Polyphasic Sleep Log: Day 7b

For anyone following along on my little adventure here, I apologize for the delay in posting. I use my "middle of the night" time to update my blog. There hasn't been any spare time lately. I used to sleep 8-9 hours per day and now I'm sleeping about 5-6 hours a day: how is there still not enough time? I guess that's why I tried switching over to the Uberman schedule (20 minute naps every 4 hours, for a total of 6 naps and 2 hours of sleep per day). I have a full time job! I can't just spend a few zombie days to adjust. From what I've read the Uberman is a very difficult adjustment, but if you can push through it you will be able to feel great while getting only those precious 2 hours of sleep per day.

After cutting out my core sleep phase last night and replacing it with a couple of 20 minute naps, I was able to function... with some difficulty. I got my 20min nap at 1am and then another nap around 4:30 followed by an 8am nap. I was doing pretty good in the morning, but after lunch I was really feeling exhausted. My body felt rested, but my brain/mind was feeling very sleep deprived. I had a hard time getting up after my noon, 4pm , and 9pm naps. I didn't feel refreshed and ready to go like I did on the Everyman schedule (core sleep of 3-5 hours and 3 or 4 20min naps throughout the day). I was able to survive until my 1am sleep phase and then crashed for 4 1/2 hours. That just happens to be the schedule that I had been on the last 6 days! I initially felt disappointed that I slept so much, but after realizing it was in line with my Everyman schedule I wasn't so disappointed after all. I had planned on preparing for the class I was teaching in the middle of the night, but ended up with much less preparation time. Good thing the class covered a topic that I am very familiar with! I was still tired in those early "before sunrise" hours. Once I got going I was feeling fully rested again.

I am still interested in the Uberman schedule, but it just wiped me out too much to try it when I don't have at least a few days to be a zombie while I adjust to it. The idea of having those extra hours is very appealing, but not if I feel horrible during those extra hours. So, for now I will continue my Everyman schedule. My next goal is to reduce my core sleep from 4 1/2 hours down to 3 hours and see how I feel. When I get my naps and my 4 1/2 hour core, I really do feel fine. I can see myself sticking with this for a long time, as long as it doesn't interfere with my life. It seems like the people who have done this end up going back to normal sleeping patterns after a while. I could see myself going back and forth, depending on life's situation. If I go on vacation I may go back to monophasic sleeping for a while, and then when I get back to a situation that accommodates polyphasic, I'll switch back to it. I don't really know if I can just flip the switch and go back and forth like that. It may require a more annoying adjustment than I am expecting. We shall see.