This is the the first morning after switching to a 3 hour core sleep period. It was tough not to sleep in (especially since it was dark outside), but I managed to get up and make it to the office.
My new schedule looks like this:
- Core sleep: 3:00 a.m - 6:00 a.m.
- Nap 1 Target: 11:30 a.m. (+/- 1 hr)
- Nap 2 Target: 5:30 p.m. (+/- 1 hr)
- Nap 3 Target: 11:00 p.m. (+/- 1 hr)
This morning, I was a bit tired thick-headed until 7:30, but I’m hoping it will go away soon, or at least after my first nap.
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Ahh, I am happy to report a great nap today. Fell asleep quickly and woke up right before my alarm went off, again. I brought some earplugs from home and they made a huge difference. All the little daytime noises, like a car driving by, or a loud conversation would no longer bother my ears right as I am about to fall asleep. I feel about 75-85% of what I would consider my peak performance. Compared to the 95 % I would give myself after a normal 8 hr night, it ain’t too shabby. I’m guessing I’ll feel even better tomorrow.
2 Responses to “Everyman Sleep Schedule - Day 7”
I just calculated my weekly sleep total. 7-7.25 core a night on the weekdays plus 18 on the weekend, plus 3 hours of naps total during the week = average 8 hours a night. 8-5.7 = 2.3X7 = 16.1hours gained a week. That is basically an extra day a week. This seems like a huge gain.
My main concerns about switching over to this sleep schedule are:
1. What are the long term health effects if any?
2. If I can’t commit to sticking to the schedule on the weekends is it worth doing?
3. I would be willing to give myself up to a month to adjust to the new schedule, but after a month if I am feeling noticeably tired during the day is the drop in awake-ness worth the extra hours?
-Mitch
By Mitch on May 6, 2008
16.1 hours a week is a huge gain. And that is the system on training wheels. The target is 4 hrs sleep a night resulting in 28 hrs gained a week!
To address your concerns:
1. I have not been able to find any scientific long-term studies on the health effects of a large group of people.
What does exist are quite a number of personal accounts of polyphasic sleepers. Many have been successful - PureDoxyl (see puredoxyl.com) is writing a book on polyphasic sleep schedules and has been on the Everyman Sleep Schedule for nearly 2 years. I have yet to find an account mentioning any long term ill effects, while I have been able to find many speaking of increased alertness and creativity.
2. Taking a break on weekends is perfectly fine, and can possibly even be a positive habit. It may mess up your nap schedule in the short term (and make you a bit tired), but nothing that will throw you off your schedule. That said, I would recommend sticking to your schedule as strictly as possible for at least a month (don’t say it, I know I’m not a good example) to let your body get used to it before you start mixing things up.
3. Ideally, after a month of strict napping your body should be getting all the rest it needs consistently throughout the day. You should feel overall less tired than you did on your monophasic schedule as you are getting multiple “recharges” rather than just one.
For me, the extra hours more than justifie the slight tiredness I’m experiencing. Additionally, I expect to continue adjusting to the schedule and further decrease my tiredness levels.
Ultimately, the decision will be yours to make at the 1 month point based on the tradeoffs. I think one month is a great trial period because it gives you enough time to make significant progress on being fully adjusted. If you stick to your schedule closely, the only reason I could see you quitting is if the naps interfere with your work or social life. Even with some tiredness, I personally was convinced by the end of my first week.
By Andrew on May 7, 2008