Polyphasic Sleep

February 22, 2018

Disclaimer: This article is just for informative purposes. Please do your own research, and consider speaking to your doctor about the risks of changing your sleep schedule before making any drastic changes to your current sleeping habits. Everyone is different. While polyphasic sleep may work for some people, that doesn’t mean it will for everyone.

What it is –

Polyphasic sleep: Refers to sleeping multiple times — usually more than two (in 24 hours) though there are many different schedules. Common examples are the sleep patterns of human infants and of many animals.

It’s an alternative sleep pattern to:

• Monophasic sleep: One period of sleep over 24 hours. (One core sleep usually at night.)
• Biphasic sleep (or diphasic, bimodal or bifurcated sleep): is the practice of sleeping during two periods over 24 hours. (Usually core sleep and one nap during day hours, or two core sleeps at night with a short period of wakefulness between them.)

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biphasic_and_polyphasic_sleep#References)

Sleep Terminology –

Brain waves: Patterns of electrical activity in the brain. These patterns can be recorded from scalp recordings using electroencephalography (EEG) and are described based on frequency, amplitude, and shape characteristics.

Circadian: A term derived from the Latin words circa and dies, meaning “about a day.” An internal circadian pacemaker in the hypothalamus of the brain organizes our physiology and behavior over a 24-hour period, including the sleep/wake cycle.

Circadian rhythm: A day/night pattern in many physiological and behavioral variables occurring over a 24 hour period, generated internally by a circadian pacemaker, and persisting under constant environmental conditions.

Electroencephalogram (EEG) or electroencephalograph: A recording of brain waves obtained by attaching flat metal discs (electrodes) to the scalp. EEGs reflect the summation of the activity of millions of neurons that are close to the electrode. They show characteristic changes in brain wave amplitude and frequency during sleep and wakefulness.

Entrainment: The synchronization between two rhythms. Entrainment occurs when the internal circadian system becomes in synchrony with an external system, such as the daily light/dark cycle. This entrainment is caused by the effects of light on the internal circadian pacemaker.

K complex: A sharp, negative EEG wave followed by a high-voltage slow wave, lasting at least 0.5 second. K complex waves are one of the characteristics of N2 (Stage 2) sleep.

Sleep spindle: Spindle-shaped burst waves on the EEG occurring at 12–14 Hz for over half a second. Sleep spindles are one of the identifying features of N2 sleep

Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) [also referred to as circadian clock, circadian pacemaker, or internal biological clock]: The internal circadian pacemaker is a small group of nerve cells located in the hypothalamus that controls the circadian cycles and influences many physiological and behavioral rhythms occurring over a 24-hour period, including the sleep/wake cycle.

(http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/glossary/q-s)

Ultradian rhythm: mechanism used by the body, also known as the “Basic Rest and Activity Cycle” or BRAC. It repeats itself every 90–120 minutes. During the first half of BRAC, your brain is in a fast brainwave state, thus you feel focused and alert. During the last half, your brain waves slow down. For the last 20 minutes of BRAC, you will feel “daydreamy,” and perhaps a bit tired. Your brain uses sodium and potassium ions for electrical signals during fast brainwave states, and your brain restores the sodium/potassium balance by going into slow brainwave states.

(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/science/brac/)

Sleep Cycle and Stages –

When you are sleeping your body’s BRAC will manifest itself as stages of sleep. Instead of increasing in brain wave frequency over the first half of the cycle it will decrease in brain wave frequency (going from light to deep sleep) then rise and finish with a period of REM sleep.

(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/science/brac/)

Sleep Cycle — An oscillation between the slow-wave and REM (paradoxical) phases of sleep, sometimes called the ultradian sleep cycle, sleep–dream cycle, or REM-NREM cycle, to distinguish it from the circadian alternation between sleep and wakefulness. In humans this cycle takes 1–2 hours. The standard figure given for the average length of the sleep cycle in an adult man is 90 minutes.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_cycle)

Non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep: A resting state in which a person has little consciousness of the environment, low cortical activity, and almost no internal thoughts. NREM sleep consists of three different stages: N1 (light sleep), N2, and N3 (deep sleep).

N1 (Stage 1) sleep — The lightest stage of non-REM (NREM) sleep. Slow eye movements are often present.

N2 (Stage 2) sleep: The second stage of non-REM (NREM) sleep. EEGs during N2 sleep show sleep spindles and K complexes on a background of relatively low-voltage, mixed-frequency EEG activity.

N3 sleep (Stage 3 or slow-wave sleep [SWS]): The deepest stage of non-REM (NREM) sleep, characterized by a larger amount of synchronized slow-wave EEG (brainwave activity) than in other stages. These slow waves are called delta activity. During slow-wave sleep the brain becomes less responsive to external stimuli; it is considered the deepest sleep as it is the hardest stage from which to awaken. The 1968 categorization of the combined Sleep Stages 3 or 4 was reclassified in 2007 as Stage N3.

Rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep: A resting state with little consciousness of the environment, high cortical activity, vivid dreams, and periods of rapid eye movements. Nearly all skeletal muscles are paralyzed during this state, which prevents an individual from acting out dreams. Also called paradoxical or dreaming sleep.

(http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/glossary/q-s)

Simplified:

There are two basic types of sleep: rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep (which has three different stages). Each is linked to specific brain waves and neuronal activity. You cycle through all stages of non-REM and REM sleep several times during a typical night, with increasingly longer, deeper REM periods occurring toward morning.

Stage 1 non-REM sleep is the changeover from wakefulness to sleep. During this short period (lasting several minutes) of relatively light sleep, your heartbeat, breathing, and eye movements slow, and your muscles relax with occasional twitches. Your brain waves begin to slow from their daytime wakefulness patterns.

Stage 2 non-REM sleep is a period of light sleep before you enter deeper sleep. Your heartbeat and breathing slow, and muscles relax even further. Your body temperature drops and eye movements stop. Brain wave activity slows but is marked by brief bursts of electrical activity. You spend more of your repeated sleep cycles in stage 2 sleep than in other sleep stages.

Stage 3 non-REM sleep is the period of deep sleep that you need to feel refreshed in the morning. It occurs in longer periods during the first half of the night. Your heartbeat and breathing slow to their lowest levels during sleep. Your muscles are relaxed and it may be difficult to awaken you. Brain waves become even slower.

REM sleep first occurs about 90 minutes after falling asleep. Your eyes move rapidly from side to side behind closed eyelids. Mixed frequency brain wave activity becomes closer to that seen in wakefulness. Your breathing becomes faster and irregular, and your heart rate and blood pressure increase to near waking levels. Most of your dreaming occurs during REM sleep, although some can also occur in non-REM sleep. Your arm and leg muscles become temporarily paralyzed, which prevents you from acting out your dreams. As you age, you sleep less of your time in REM sleep. Memory consolidation most likely requires both non-REM and REM sleep.

(https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Understanding-Sleep#dreaming)

How it works –

All schedules go through three adaptations: Ultradian rhythm entrainment, and sleep repartitioning and circadian rhythm entrainment.

Ultradian rhythm controls when you wake up, and when you feel sleepy.

Sleep repartitioning is when the body diverts from the automatic 1.5 hour sleep cycle consisting of stage 1, stage 2, stage 3 (SWS), and then REM. With time the body will adapt by passing through the other phases very quickly and suspending the brain in the REM stage.

Lastly the circadian rhythm will change to accommodate to a new time of day.

(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/beginners/)

Different Types/Schedules of Sleep –

(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/overviews/nine-to-fivers/)

Monophasic Sleep:

• Most common sleep schedule in the world
• Sleeping once in a 24 hour period
• Usually consists of 7–9 hours of sleep per night
• Byproduct of electricity/artificial lighting and long work hours of the Industrial Revolution
• Remained a cultural norm even as work hours have shortened since the Industrial Revolution

Segmented Sleep (Biphasic)

• Considered most natural sleeping pattern
• Consists of two sleeps, both at night time
• Normal sleeping pattern prior to Industrial Revolution
• People naturally return to this sleeping pattern when artificial light is removed.
• Typically go to sleep at dusk, awake during the night for a short period of 1.5–3 hours of wakefulness, return to sleep, then awake at dawn
• Usually consists of 6–8 hours of total sleep at night

Siesta Sleep (Biphasic)

• Common in Spain, Germany, and various other European countries
• Consists of 5–6 hours of sleep at night and a 20–90 minute nap in the early afternoon (within 7 hours of starting the day)
• Matches with our natural Circadian rhythm
• Commonly considered by scientists to be healthier than monophasic sleep
• Short nap increases productivity and alertness during evening hours
• Typically consists of 5–7 total hours of sleep a day

Triphasic Sleep

• Coined and made popular by Leif Weaver
• Little adaptation involved from a monophasic sleep schedule to this one
• 3–5 extra hours of wakefulness gained each day
• Aligns with Circadian rhythm
• Consists of a nap an hour or two after dusk, a nap 30 minutes to an hour before dawn, and a nap between the hours of 1–4 pm in the afternoon
• Typically consists of 4–5 hours of sleep a day

Everyman Sleep

• Named and coined by Puredoxyk
• Most successful reduced-sleep schedule to date
• People have achieved it without compromising their current health
• Relies on both Circadian and Ultradian rhythms
• Significantly more difficult adaptation than previous schedules
• Consistency of times between sleeps is important
• Significantly easier than nap-only schedules
• Core sleep should be as close to post-dusk as possible
• Nap at the end of a BRAC multiple
• Everyman 2 (E2) includes a core sleep between 4.5–6 hours and two 20 minute naps
• Everyman 3 (E3) includes a core sleep between 3–4 hours and three 20 minute naps (original version)
• Everyman 4 (E4) includes a core sleep between 1.5–2.5 hours and four 20 minute naps

Dual Core Sleep

• Derivative of the other schedules
• Core sleep around dusk, a core sleep around dawn, and a number of naps in the afternoon
• Can have the benefits of both segmented sleep and siestas
• DC 1 is two cores totaling about 5 hours of sleep and one nap in the middle of the day (most natural)
• DC 2 is two cores totaling about 4 hours of sleep and two naps throughout the day
• DC 3 is two cores totaling about 3 hours of sleep and three naps throughout the day

Uberman Sleep

• Most commonly attempted, and most failed of polyphasic schedules
• Most well-known nap only schedule
• Coined by Puredoxyk (first Uberman sleeper)
• No core sleep
• Traditionally: 6 equidistant 20 minutes naps throughout the day, or one nap every 4 hours, 2 hour BRAC and a 4 hour rhythm
• Alternate: 8 x20 minute naps throughout the day, or one nap every 3 hours, 1.5 hour BRAC and a 3 hour rhythm
• Extremely difficult to adapt to and maintain
• Require an alarm or some other external form of help to adapt to
• Exaptation: optional adaptation process of remaining awake for 24–36 hours until you enter into a ‘second wind’, a rise in energy. Then begin taking naps for every BRAC. Continue to do this for 2–4 days until you are getting regular REM naps, or until you are no-longer REM sleep deprived and unable to nap so frequently.
• Adaptation: If you do not wish to go through exaptation, then simply jump straight into the adaptation phase by napping every 3–4 hours on the dot.
• Common side effect is “Zombie Mode” where normal cognitive function is severely impaired (due to sleep deprivation).
• Starting with an exaptation may help to alleviate those symptoms
• Takes 3–4 weeks to adapt to
• Consists of 2 hours to 2 hours and 40 minutes of total sleep a day
• Once fully adapted to equidistant schedule, slight changes and non-equidistant naps may be possible
• While other schedules support exercise fine, few have been able to do proper exercise while on Uberman and still recover. Recovery from cardiovascular exercise is good, but weightlifting and sports can suffer from the low amount of total slow wave sleep.
• A lot of people give up on polyphasic sleep schedules after failing to adapt to or maintain the Uberman; however, there is no reason you cannot move to a different schedule. Many people who fail on the Uberman switch to the Everyman and are incredibly successful with it.

Dymaxion Sleep

• Coined by Buckminster Fuller
• Another popularly attempted schedule
• More difficult than the Uberman
• It’s predicted that only the genetically mutated DEC2 gene ‘very short sleepers’ (less than 1% of the world’s population) can be successful following such a schedule. (And assumed that Fuller had that gene mutation)
• Nap-only schedule consisting of 4 naps for 30 minutes each day
• Same total sleep hours as Uberman (2–3 hours)
• Prized for convenience to the person’s social and work life
• One individual, Ben, claimed to be able to successfully adapt to and maintain this difficult schedule, and he said:

“I came up with a similar idea about 10 months ago and have used it a few times with great success (never without it “sticking”). The first night, I spent 30 minutes sleeping, 30 minutes awake, alternating during the usual 8-hour block from my monophasic sleep schedule. The next day, I slept 30 minutes out of every 2 hours until that evening when I pushed it back to 30 out of 3 hours. Then throughout the second day, I had only slight sleepiness as I pushed naps back further until, by day 4, I was fully adapted to the Dymaxion schedule (30 minutes every 6 hours). I’ve been able to stick with Dymaxion for stretches as long as 5 months, stopped only be outside factors.
The first time attempting this was with an initial adaptation after being primarily monophasic for over 3 years — I was fully adapted in 4 days as I just described. I used it again for two other adaptations after needing to be temporarily monophasic for 2 two week periods. Those adaptations were both completed after 2 days. No zombie periods, but it was tricky to be 100% on the schedule during the first 2 days — clear your schedule before beginning this!”

SPAMAYL

• Coined by Rasmus, who so far seems to be the only person to be successful long term
• Stands for Sleep Polyphasically As Much As You Like
• Younger, more flexible cousin of Uberman
• Takes in extra sleep for extra flexibility
• Can move things around for social events
• No less than 7 naps a day, often needing as many as 10
• Rasmus usually gets between 2.5 and 4 hours of sleep per night.

(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/overviews/)

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Why Would Someone Switch to Polyphasic?

• To have more time in your day.
• To elevate your mood.
• To combat Insomnia.

Why Should Someone NOT Consider Polyphasic?

Poor Health: If you are currently sick, or have a poor immune system the initial sleep deprivation may make things worse.

Poor Diet: It is suggested you fix your diet by cutting out refined foods and sugars so that your insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels are even, this helps control your weight and your immune system. You will have better sleep quality if you have better food quality.

Caffeine/Alcohol or substance addiction: Stimulants and depressants will generally delay REM or reduce total SWS.

(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/beginners/)

Risks/Dangers –

With reduced light sleep, there is reduced Sleep Spindles and K-complexes:

• Researchers think that Sleep Spindles are the brain learning about what nerves control what specific muscles when asleep.
• The K-complex’s suggested function is aiding the activation homeostasis of synapses and memory consolidation.
• This having been said, there are many recorded instances of humans with a genetic mutation causing them to only sleep 2–4 hours a day (and thus having little or no Spindles or Complexes) and still living a perfectly normal healthy life.

(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/beginners/)

Circadian rhythms are thought to control as many as 15 percent of our genes. When those genes don’t function as they should because of the by-products of artificial light, the effects are a rogue’s gallery of health disorders. Studies have linked depression, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and even cancer to overexposure to light at night. Researchers know this, in part, from studying nurses who have spent years working the graveyard shift. One study of 120,000 nurses found that those who worked night shifts were the most likely to develop breast cancer.

(http://www.businessinsider.com/were-we-meant-to-sleep-in-two-chunks-2012-8)

People who are chronically sleep deprived are more likely to be overweight, have strokes and cardiovascular disease, infections, and certain types of cancer than those who get enough sleep. Many mysteries remain about the association between sleep and these health problems.

(https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Understanding-Sleep#dreaming)

Teens and Children –

Teenagers are in need of more sleep than adults (10h Monophasic). A teenager should be aiming to get more REM than the usual adult, at least 2 hours REM a day. This may mean an extra nap, or a longer core.

It is not yet suggested for children (who need even more sleep) experiment with a reduced sleep polyphasic schedule, though it is still healthy for a child to sleep polyphasically.

(https://www.polyphasicsociety.com/polyphasic-sleep/beginners/)

Common Complications When Starting –

Some of the common complications I have heard about from the people around me who have tried this are:

• Feeling tired all the time
• Failing to stick to their schedule (they can’t fall asleep at-will)
• Their work schedule gets in the way
• They feel hungrier for the first couple of days
• They have an emotional imbalance for the first few days
• Boredom

Complications that I experienced:

• I couldn’t focus for the first few days
• I wanted to procrastinate with everything

Complications that Shadow experienced:

• Sticking to the schedule (wanted to sleep at different times)
• Oversleeping (couldn’t wake up to alarms)
• Not being able to fall asleep on time (would lay down and not sleep)

What Our Sleep Schedule Is –

We are Triphasic sleepers.

Tips and Tricks to Get Started –

Ours:

• Set a billion alarms to wake you up.
• Always lay down on schedule, even if you don’t feel tired.
• If you can’t fall asleep on schedule, don’t try to make up for it (remain tired, it’ll help you during the next nap).
• Set alarms to tell you your schedule (i.e. when to fall asleep, when to eat, when to go to work, etc). Your days and times will blur until you get used to it.
• Find activities to do (study, chores, hobbies, exercise, etc) when you are awake while most of the rest of the world sleeps, to ward off boredom.
• Start with an easier schedule (something like siesta biphasic) before moving into your goal pattern.
• Test the waters of your new schedule for at least 2 weeks before deciding you can’t, or don’t want to, do it.
• Be willing to switch your goal schedule. Everyone is different, not everyone can live off of 2 hours of sleep per 24 hours. (Dymaxion, Uberman)

Other People’s:

• Don’t cut down on caffeine immediately, just try not to consume caffeine immediately before sleep.
• Try apps like “Sleep Cycle” for IOS to help you wake up at the best time during your cycle.
• Learn how to meditate, it will help you fall asleep.
• Start slowly and move into your new sleep pattern over time.
• Don’t oversleep.
• Avoid drugs (all of them, caffeine too) and alcohol.
• Have a partner who doesn’t share your cycle so they can wake you up.
• Change your sleep cycle with a friend so you aren’t miserable alone.
• Eat when you wake up, not when you go to bed.
• Don’t sleep in your bed. Sleep on the couch or on the floor, it provides an easier time waking up. (Do this until you are successfully adapted.)
• Don’t sleep in the dark. Use a sleep mask.
• Don’t read before bed.
• If you wanna be sure you wake up, put ice water in a cup, tie a string to the cup and around the wrist that would turn your alarm off, and place it somewhere near you. That way if you shut off your alarm without getting up, you’ll hate yourself for it. (I found this one funny, so I had to include it)

Other Things To Know About Sleep And Polyphasic Sleep –

Dr. Siobhan Banks from the Sleep Health Foundation said the most important thing is to get enough sleep, and to get it during your natural circadian low after the sun sets if possible.

“Sleep isn’t only one kind of way,” she said. “As long as you’re getting an okay sleep, even if it’s broken sleep, if you’re getting a reasonable amount every 24 hours things are okay.”

Flinders University Emeritus Professor Leon Lack said there was limited research into such sleep models, but the critical thing was that you got the required amount of sleep for your age. And he said those who tried to fit parts of their sleep into the daytime might experience difficulty.

“Sleep is at its best quality when placed across the night time when our body clock is in its circadian low,” he said.

Sleep historian Roger Ekirch of Virginia Tech uncovered numerous references to [biphasic,] segmented sleep as he trawled back through centuries of writing.

(http://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2017-09-21/have-humans-always-slept-through-the-night/8942062)

Well, that’s all the information we have to share with you at this moment. We hope you guys enjoyed the article and we’ll see you soon!

~Harlen and Shadow