Polyphasic sleep
A while ago, I decided to try out the Dymaxion polyphasic sleep cycle. I want to talk about it. But, before I get into the specifics, here’s some background info.
Polyphasic sleep is known to sleep researchers as a variant of a sleep pattern that is set in opposition to monophasic sleep. In monophasic sleep, an individual or an animal sleeps in a single block during a single wake-sleep cycle of 24 hours. Polyphasic sleep is also set apart from a biphasic sleep in which there are two blocks of sleep in 24 hours, i.e. the night sleep and the typical Latin siesta - the “6th hour nap”.
People have done a ton of research on this, and I’m sure you can do yours as well (if you care). Here are a few links that I found interesting:
- Alternative Sleep Cycles - High Existence
- Types of Sleep Patterns - Medical News Today
- Polyphasic Sleep: Facts and Myths - SuperMemo
The Booger Sleeps
Basically, I read all these articles and was all about efficiency, so I decided to try the Dymaxion cycle (mainly because of the Dymaxion Duo). My argument: by adopting a polyphasic cycle, I can maximize work time and cut down on non-REM sleep (yeah, some gaps in the logic there…). Sounded like a great idea at the time, so I adopted a schedule like this:
| Rockin' | Snugglin' |
|---|---|
| 8:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM |
| 2:00 PM - 7:30 PM | 7:30 PM - 8:00 PM |
| 8:00 PM - 1:30 AM | 1:30 AM - 2:00 AM |
| 2:00 AM - 7:30 AM | 7:30 AM - 8:00 AM |
After about two days, I was almost adjusted to the cycle, but what got to me was that friends / family weren’t on my side. They kept trying to wake me up while I was trying to sleep. I HAVE 30 MINUTES TO SLEEP. IT CAN WAIT.
Anyways, in those two days, I was literally the most productive I have ever been. I was awake for 22 hours a day and I probably was able to utilize something like 20 hours of each day. It was an amazing feeling.
Things were going well. Then, like an idiot, I decided to go to Disneyland on the fourth day. As you can imagine, I didn’t get my 30 minutes of sleep. I ended up crashing in the car on the way back. It wasn’t pleasant.
Polyphasic sleep chart - Sleep Phones
I regret having stopped so early and having done such a clumsy thing. Gleaned some good nuggets that I can use, for sure.
- Invest in an eye mask to block out the light (a beanie pulled down over the eyes works too)
- Lock the door if you know people are going to try to wake you up
- Get some earplugs
- Focus on your breathing when trying to sleep (and if not, go to Headspace, they have a great meditation track for sleep)
- Put your phone on Do Not Disturb (or leave it in another room)
Definitely want to try this again. Maybe next time, I’ll alternate between Dymaxion and monophasic sleep every other week. Who knows… But for now, sharing my story.
Curious if anyone has done the same and what they experienced.
