Sleep Diet/Polyphasic Sleep/The Uberman's Sleep Schedule

[andras artois]

Instead of sleeping for 8 hours a night and staying awake during the day every 4 hours you have a 20 minute nap.

REM sleep happens near the end of your sleep cycle. It basically takes everything you've learnt or remembered that day, organises it and copies it to your long term memory. It's the most important part of your sleep.

The goal of Polyphasic Sleep is during your 20 minute nap you drop straight into REM sleep.

If you keep up with the 4 hours awake/20 minute nap then you're only sleeping 2 hours a day. Thats an extra 5-7 hours of being awake for most people.

It takes a week to 10 days to fully adjust.

I'm going to be trying this out from today. Anyone else want to join in?

[Grenage]

You'll either go crazy and lose any social life, or fail; I'd recommend not bothering.

[el_koraco]

I'm going to be trying this out from today.

the technique is meant to be used in combat or otherwise extreme situations, like space missions. not only does it save you a certain amount of "wake time", but also makes the boundaries between the conscious and unconscious extremely thin. as a side effect, you get your brain working at 300 percent capacity, and are much more emotionally sensitive.

all sounds pretty nifty, but attempting do do things like this on your own, without controlled supervision is more than just dangerous, because it is just a fancy term for conscious sleep deprivation. i've gone through several periods of sleeping two to three hours a day, and would not attempt to do it again. in my case, i was able to stop myself after a certain period and thus avoid unforeseen side effects, unlike my best friend who ended up in the hospital for two weeks, with a 41 degrees celsius fever.

so yeah, you'll go crazy, and probably severely damage your health.

[andras artois]

As I understood it, you don't get sleep deprivation as long as you get REM sleep. This trains your body to drop straight into REM sleep in these 20 minute naps.

It'll be difficult at first but as long as I stick strictly to the napping schedule it should work just find.

I should notice improvements around day 11 or 12.

[undecim]

I've done this before (did Überman in High school, and attempted, but mostly failed Tesla during college). I'm about to go on my own schedule that involves five 20-minute naps throughout the day, when this school year is over.

Health is, of course, a serious concern though. I would not recommend trying it if you are under 18 (20 or 21 would probably be a better age), as sleep is very important to a developing brain.

Just make sure that you are fully able to adhere to your schedule. If you might risk missing a nap for any reason, then try a more flexible schedule like Everyman. (Though still stick to the schedule as much as possible!)

Try not to overexert yourself. You should still be active (especially at night, during the first few weeks; I usually cleaned up around the house at that time), but you don't want to put too much physical stress on your body. If you ever get sick or injured, stop the schedule immediately. Sleep helps the body heal.

TL;DR: Go for it, but be careful. If you aren't disciplined, you will do yourself more harm than good.

P.S: If you have a buddy doing the same schedule (or better yet, the same schedule as you, but shifted a couple hours so that neither of you are sleeping at the same time), then you will do much better and be much safer.

EDIT: Also forgot two things: Food and Relaxation.

Make sure you're eating during nighttime and not just during the normal 3 meals per day. It's best to break those up into 6 smaller meals and eat right when you wake up. Also keep an eye on your weight. You're burning more calories as you're awake more often, but you may unconsciously overcompensate by eating more than you're burning. This can also work in the other direction (everyone is different), so keep a record of your weight and use it as an indication of how you need to change your diet. Avoid fast food as well. You've got an extra 6 hours in your day, so you should have time to cook good, healthy food.

As for relaxation, you should learn to relax your muscles when you are resting (e.g. sitting in a chair, not sleeping). The easiest way to do this is to try to make them as "heavy" as possible. This lets your muscles recuperate from any physical stress and to grow from it. If you train yourself to make this a reflex, you will start to do it subconsciously with any muscles you're not using.

[andras artois]

I figured I'll eat in each of the 4 hours of being awake. I've got a fast metabolism, get regular exercise and struggle to gain any weight in the form of fat so I'm okay on that front.

No one else wants to try it with me yet. I'm normally constantly around people so if something does go bad then hopefully they'll notice.

[undecim]

I figured I'll eat in each of the 4 hours of being awake. I've got a fast metabolism, get regular exercise and struggle to gain any weight in the form of fat so I'm okay on that front.

No one else wants to try it with me yet. I'm normally constantly around people so if something does go bad then hopefully they'll notice.

Just make sure those people understand not to bother you during those naps XD.

IMHO, it's best to eat as soon as you wake up from a nap. It's a way of telling your body to wake up.

As far as something going wrong, I wouldn't worry much about it. (If you worry too much, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy). Just eat healthy and pay attention to your body.

[dh04000]

Did you see this on Seinfeld?

It doesn't work. If you don't get any rem sleep you'll die of heart failure in 4-8 weeks.

I suggest against this path.......but if your crazy enough to try it, feel free to videotape and youtube your adventure into madness.

[undecim]

Did you see this on Seinfeld?

It doesn't work. If you don't get any rem sleep you'll die of heart failure in 4-8 weeks.

I suggest against this path.......but if your crazy enough to try it, feel free to videotape and youtube your adventure into madness.

Please read OP before replying.

Also... Since when is Seinfeld a good source for health information? Matter of fact, it's IMPOSSIBLE to die from sleep deprivation because the body will force sleep before that happens. But polyphasic sleep prevents sleep deprivation if done correctly.

[andras artois]

Did you see this on Seinfeld?

It doesn't work. If you don't get any rem sleep you'll die of heart failure in 4-8 weeks.

I suggest against this path.......but if your crazy enough to try it, feel free to videotape and youtube your adventure into madness.

Seinfeld is terrible.

It does work, plenty of people have tried it and it's worked.

I don't have a webcam.

My body would force me a sleep long before exhaustion or any other harmful side effects were to happen.

[CraigPaleo]

Thomas Edison was known for catnapping instead of normal sleep. So...

Edit: I had the wrong guy the first time. I might need this.

[Timmer1240]

Ill take my 8 hours of sleep at night and coffee in the morning thankyou!

[wilee-nilee]

As a person with sleep apnea I would advise you to see a sleep doctor before doing this. If you have never had a sleep test you may be going into uncharted waters that can be detrimental to your overall health, at best, and possibly worse if you have any intrinsic sleep problems already.

[andras artois]

I normally sleep fine and I don't see anything bad happening that can't be fixed with 10 hours sleep.

[KiwiNZ]

I was in the Military a service renown for screwing up sleep patterns, trust me once you have messed up your sleep patterns it takes a long time to return them to normal and it really messes you up.

In the Military you have no choice, when you don't need to mess sleep up don't.

[andras artois]

Eatings harder than I thought it would be.

[medic2000]

I was in the Military a service renown for screwing up sleep patterns, trust me once you have messed up your sleep patterns it takes a long time to return them to normal and it really messes you up.

In the Military you have no choice, when you don't need to mess sleep up don't.

Oh don't remind me the military. My sleep was really really messed up. Sometimes i have to wake at night and sometimes at morning. When i was wake at nights i couldn't sleep at daytime and the night comes again and a new wake period starts. I didn't sleep for days. My psychology, my body, everything was in disorder, i became ill and i couldnt sleep nearly 1 week even i want it.

[Grenage]

My body would force me a sleep long before exhaustion or any other harmful side effects were to happen.

Maybe; After a bout of particularly brutal insomnia lasting 6 days, I was hallucinating vividly. Thankfully it's since been nowhere near as bad.

[mobilediesel]

It's always hilarious reading when someone posts to a blog about their attempts at polyphasic sleep. Most of them "successfully" adapt to the schedule several times. They only stop when they get sick. None of them seem to connect the sleep deprivation with the illness.

From WebMD:
In simple terms, sleep deprivation suppresses immune system function. (http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/immune-system-lack-of-sleep)

[undecim]

In simple terms, sleep deprivation suppresses immune system function. (http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/immune-system-lack-of-sleep)

Polyphasic sleep != sleep deprivation.

I can tell you as someone who lived on the Überman schedule (anecdotal evidence–I know I'm a hypocrite) with perfect health for 3 months (quitting only because it became an issue socially after school was out), that you clearly misunderstand it.

While the initiation of a polyphasic sleep schedule does involve some sleep deprivation, living on the schedule does not. If you are repeatedly failing the schedule and restarting the initiation, THEN you are repeatedly depriving yourself. Those people need to stop while they're still alive, and either try a different schedule (e.g. everyman, as opposed to Überman; Some of the more relaxed Everyman schedules are arguably more "natural" than the typical 7-8 hours of sleep per night) or quit with polyphasery altogether.

I've already said this, but polyphasic sleep takes discipline. You have to eat healthy, stick to your schedule, stay active, keep tabs on your weight (no matter how much you think you can't gain/lose weight, that changes on a polyphasic schedule)

Polyphasic sleep isn't for everyone. If you can't do it, stop trying it.

[mobilediesel]

Polyphasic sleep != sleep deprivation.

I can tell you as someone who lived on the Überman schedule (anecdotal evidence–I know I'm a hypocrite) with perfect health for 3 months (quitting only because it became an issue socially after school was out), that you clearly misunderstand it.

While the initiation of a polyphasic sleep schedule does involve some sleep deprivation, living on the schedule does not. If you are repeatedly failing the schedule and restarting the initiation, THEN you are repeatedly depriving yourself. Those people need to stop while they're still alive, and either try a different schedule (e.g. everyman, as opposed to Überman; Some of the more relaxed Everyman schedules are arguably more "natural" than the typical 7-8 hours of sleep per night) or quit with polyphasery altogether.

I've already said this, but polyphasic sleep takes discipline. You have to eat healthy, stick to your schedule, stay active, keep tabs on your weight (no matter how much you think you can't gain/lose weight, that changes on a polyphasic schedule)

Polyphasic sleep isn't for everyone. If you can't do it, stop trying it.

I've read more than a couple polyphasic/Überman newsgroups and blogs. Most of them end with "I only stopped because of ________."
The ones that don't end with that just stop after the first couple updates.

[Grenage]

I've read more than a couple polyphasic/Überman newsgroups and blogs. Most of them end with "I only stopped because of ________."
The ones that don't end with that just stop after the first couple updates.

They probably got a girl/boyfriend, or developed a social life; it's not like such sleeping patterns are compatible with the rest of the world.

[dh04000]

Don't mess with what is natural for your body! If your body naturally sleeps 8 hours in a row, then let it sleep! People cause health problems when they ignore what their body is telling them. We make us sick.

And sleep deprivation "CAN" hurt your body before it forces you to sleep. Just ask any of the people here with sleep apnea whom not sleeping right and getting few rems does to their health. The big killer for anyone with poor sleep is congestive heart failure.

[undecim]

Don't mess with what is natural for your body! If your body naturally sleeps 8 hours in a row, then let it sleep! People cause health problems when they ignore what their body is telling them. We make us sick.

And sleep deprivation "CAN" hurt your body before it forces you to sleep. Just ask any of the people here with sleep apnea whom not sleeping right and getting few rems does to their health. The big killer for anyone with poor sleep is congestive heart failure.

Just because it's natural doesn't mean it's safe or a good idea. Modern medicine is based on doing what is unnatural but good for your body when the bodies natural defense are not enough, or even worse, the cause of the problem. That we can listen to our minds and not just our bodies sometimes is what makes us different from the lesser animals of the world.

And I'm repeating my same argument against your second paragraph. Polyphasic sleep is not sleep deprivation.

95% of the people who repeatedly fail do so because they think it will be easy. It's not... Heck, I'm not even going to elaborate on this fact. Just read my previous posts, and next time, do so before posting on a topic you know nothing about.

[mobilediesel]

Polyphasic sleep is not sleep deprivation.

Polyphasic sleep is not sleep deprivation.
Polyphasic sleep causes sleep deprivation.

[undecim]

Polyphasic sleep is not sleep deprivation.
Polyphasic sleep causes sleep deprivation.

Only during the initiation phase. It's not constant sleep deprivation.

[dh04000]

Whatever..... lets not post here anyone.

Don't feed the troll..... Let him hurt himself/herself and his/her family.

Believe your pseudoscience if you want. Drink the cool-aid. Doesn't hurt anyone I care about. Just your loved ones.

[undecim]

Whatever..... lets not post here anyone.

Don't feed the troll..... Let him hurt himself/herself and his/her family.

Believe your pseudoscience if you want. Drink the cool-aid. Doesn't hurt anyone I care about. Just your loved ones.

I see no trolling in OPs posts.

If OP wants to try polyphasic sleep, I'm in full support of it, provided he takes the precautions I've mentioned. The damage he will do to himself will be minimal if done right and can be well worth the benefits.

Do not pretend to know what you're talking about, just so that you can inflate your own ego. Disagreeing with someone does not make you superior to them.

[dh04000]

I see no trolling in OPs posts.

If OP wants to try polyphasic sleep, I'm in full support of it, provided he takes the precautions I've mentioned. The damage he will do to himself will be minimal if done right and can be well worth the benefits.

Do not pretend to know what you're talking about, just so that you can inflate your own ego. Disagreeing with someone does not make you superior to them.

HA! So, I'm a troll now?

Alright, this thread is complete.

[undecim]

HA! So, I'm a troll now?

No one said that.

[mobilediesel]

If OP wants to try polyphasic sleep, I'm in full support of it, provided he takes the precautions I've mentioned. The damage he will do to himself will be minimal if done right and can be well worth the benefits.

Do not pretend to know what you're talking about, just so that you can inflate your own ego. Disagreeing with someone does not make you superior to them.

There is no correct way to deprive yourself of sleep. Depriving yourself of some sleep is still depriving yourself of sleep. Sleeping less than a third of every day cannot be done long-term because it will cause physical and psychological damage. Evidence exists for that while none exists for polyphasic sleep being good for you.

[undecim]

There is no correct way to deprive yourself of sleep. Depriving yourself of some sleep is still depriving yourself of sleep. Sleeping less than a third of every day cannot be done long-term because it will cause physical and psychological damage. Evidence exists for that while none exists for polyphasic sleep being good for you.

Please see the first line of http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=10649296#post10649296

You still get just as much sleep on a polyphasic schedule.

Have a look at fig. 4 at http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih3/sleep/guide/info-sleep.htm

If you will notice, there are 5 periods of REM sleep lasting 15-30 minutes. This is the true "sleep" in the sense that it's what's required by the brain. The rest is just physical rest, which is not always necessary in today's world. (i.e., if you haven't been hunting animals for food all day, like humans were when these sleep patterns were evolving.)

You may get 6 REM's some nights, but it's rare for it to be more.

With an Überman schedule, you're getting a constant 2 hours of REM, which is generally more than you get in an 8 hour sleep.

non-REM sleep in a classic schedule reduces the number of calories you burn, which means less need for food. If you're living in a cave, that's a pretty good trade off. However, nowadays there's no point to it. Heck, most people nowadays are trying to burn MORE calories.

This is why I and many others have had success using this schedule through school. (I'm sure it beats taking Adderall to pull frequent all-nighters)