5-30-07 (updated 7-25-07 below)
I’m definitely off my rocker. I’ve started a new sleep schedule, commonly called on the internet the ‘uberman sleep schedule’, to see how well this will work for me. I’ve wanted to try it for a long time, and due to recent illness and lack of discipline, my sleep schedule of late has been about as messed up as it’s ever been. What better time to try something ‘weird’?

My new schedule is: 20 minutes, 6 times per 24 hour period. I sleep from 0300 to 0320, then from 0700 to 0720, then from 1100 to 1120, and repeat that schedule in the PM.

The second night was incredibly disorienting. I found myself at about midnight (when I usually start getting ready for bed) thinking, “I’ll do that in the morning after I get up.” Then I’d remember there IS no morning, crave sleep, and move on. I now understand why sleep deprivation can be such an effective interrogation tool. I seem to use the ‘morning reset’ button for a lot of mental things I hadn’t realized - the ‘I’ll think about it tomorrow’ syndrome, I guess. All in all, very weird experience.

Everything I’ve read about polyphasic sleeping says to have big, mindless projects ready to go when you start - something to keep you from giving up because you don’t see the point. That urge for sleep can get REALLY strong! So I lined up my projects, and some more routine things I can do at night with no interaction from other people, like violin practice, tai chi, etc.

I’m having fun with it so far, and learning a LOT about how I think that I’d taken for granted before. Very interesting side effects that I had’nt really counted on.

We’ll see where this leads - I don’t think I’m actually falling asleep during most naps yet, as my body hasn’t yet really retrained to fall asleep quickly. That’s one of the prime reasons for this project - sleep has long ruled me, instead of the other way around.

I want to train myself to sleep when and where is necessary, whether or not I stay with this particular schedule long-term. I also want the extra time, though in the early stages of the project I don’t really appreciate the extra time yet! Most people tell themselves they don’t have time for this or that - one goal is to notice how much of that I’ve been doing, and how much is accurate.

I’ve started taking a multivitamin, and I’m also focused on eating more healthily than I have been. Friends are watching out for me, so if I start hallucinating or something, they’ll let me know I’ve gone too far.

I’m not sure how much fun this will be, short or long term, but I’ve already learned a lot from it, and I’m sure I’ll learn much more as the days go by - one nap at a time.

The new schedule started at 11 pm, Sunday, 5-27-07. Right now it’s 0130, Wednesday, 5-30-07. I’ll post more as I know more.

Jeremy

7-25-07

Well, it’s been about two months since I changed over to polyphasic sleeping, and I do indeed know much more than when I started.

First of all, the Uberman sleep schedule does NOT work for me. I switched to a different schedule after one week. I found I needed a ‘reset’ sleep time, so I could have a morning and an evening. I -like- being able to think about it tomorrow!

So, the adjusted schedule has been as follows. 2 hours from 5-7 AM, then 40 minutes at 12 pm, then 40 minutes at 7 pm (this moves to 6 pm whenever schedule allows), and 40 minutes at 12 AM. 4 hours of sleep every 24-hr period.

This seems to work very well for me. It’s much more flexible than the 6×20min schedule, so if I have to miss a nap, it doesn’t create such big problems. I’m fine as long as I don’t miss 2 naps in a day, though I need some ‘catch up’ sleep if I miss 2. Roughly twice as much sleep is needed to ‘catch up’ if I miss. It also gives me that psychologically-important ‘reset period’ of 2 hours - a much bigger deal than I initially gave it credit for.

I’m getting more done now than I was as a monophasic sleeper, and I no longer have to be concerned about ‘what happens tommorrow morning’ - I always wake up at the same time anyway. 9 hours of sleep down to 4 hours of sleep gives -so- much extra time. Guilt-free sleeping!

I can find things to do relatively easily, though it’s also easy to get bored still. Planning my projects is definitely still a necessity, else there’s really no point in staying awake. I usually easily have enough to do to fill up 18-19 hours of the day (including personal time), so I’m kind of riding the edge of boredom if I don’t plan ahead. Depends on the day.

One thing I’ve been pleasantly surprised by is the fact that I don’t have to fall asleep during every nap to get the benefit - that hazy, restful state seems to do the trick just fine, and if I need sleep badly enough, then I’ll fall asleep next time.

A less pleasant surprise was how much I used to use bedtime for creative thinking - no longer possible, as there’s no time for it now. I have to consciously schedule for creativity, though creative times are much more productive now that I usually have something to write with! Sleeping times are all business, now.

Having out of town friends stay over, or staying with friends while traveling, completely destroys the schedule if I’m not careful. When that happens, I need more hours at a time. I’ve had this happen twice now, and while it wasn’t unpleasant, it was difficult to regain control quickly.

I recommend this experiment for anyone who: a) doesn’t have enough hours in the day, and b) has flexible working hours (or has at least an hour for lunch), and c) is single, and d) doesn’t mind being alone for long periods during the day, and e) can deal with sleep deprivation safely and healthily.

Anyone else should be very… cautious before starting something like this, as it’s a profound and far-reaching change.

All in all, I’m quite happy with the new schedule. I’m getting enough sleep, crashing occasionally on the weekend if not, enjoying myself, getting more done, able to talk to my friends in Japan and England without waking them up, etc.

Jeremy