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Polyphasic sleep takes napping to the extreme

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Re: Polyphasic sleep takes napping to the extreme

#11

Post by bryanrasmussen »

bonniemuffin wrote: post #5

Having recently experienced raising an infant, let me tell you, getting all my sleep in I was getting what this article suggests would be a viable polyphasic sleep schedule (total of 8 hours per 24 hour period, in chunks of 1-2 hours throughout the day and night whenever the baby slept), but I started hallucinating, got deeply depressed, and felt like I was losing touch with reality. All the symptoms vanished as soon…

Although I don't have any belief in polyphasic sleep being true or not unless you were getting that sleep in extremely regular intervals - that is to say with exactly the same amount of time between each interval and with the time you slept during each sleep period also rigorously timed what you had would not be a viable polyphasic sleep schedule.

Since the polyphasic idea is to decrease the actual amount slept getting 8 hours also is going against the whole purpose of doing it.

I've raised two children, one of them with real sleep irregularities, and neither time did I have anything resembling what the adherents of polyphasic sleep would consider a reasonable schedule.

Re: Polyphasic sleep takes napping to the extreme

#12

Post by FirefoxIsSlow »

Does biphasic sleep count as polyphasic? I've been doing it for years following the 6 hr core and 20 minute nap. (Basically this https://efficiencyiseverything.com/sleep/)

It's been extremely doable for over a year. Sure I sleep in when I'm hungover or on a lazy Saturday, but it's closer to a regular 8 hour sleep rather than 10 hours.

I'm not in agreement of this overly simple article.

Re: Polyphasic sleep takes napping to the extreme

#15

Post by elliekelly »

FirefoxIsSlow wrote: post #12

Does biphasic sleep count as polyphasic? I've been doing it for years following the 6 hr core and 20 minute nap. (Basically this https://efficiencyiseverything.com/sleep/ ) It's been extremely doable for over a year. Sure I sleep in when I'm hungover or on a lazy Saturday, but it's closer to a regular 8 hour sleep rather than 10 hours. I'm not in agreement of this overly simple article.

How do you keep your nap to just 20 minutes though? I literally can’t sleep for that short amount of time. I’ll either stay awake for the full 20 minutes or I’ll fall so dead asleep that I don’t wake up again until morning.

Re: Polyphasic sleep takes napping to the extreme

#16

Post by taeric »

corty wrote: post #9
alessivs wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Experimenting with any non-monophasic sleep pattern sounds exhausting and I'm afraid could have serious health impacts I assume you speak for yourself. Biphasic sleep is not an abnormal occurrence and actually quite embedded in some non-anglo cultures (e.g. late afternoon opening times). Even when occurring naturally, it isn't extravagant to be aware of provisions so that nap time doesn't cause a naturally avoidabl…

I would guess that biphasic sleep was killed by the common consumption of stimulant drugs like tea or coffee in western culture.

I would guess electric lights.

Re: Polyphasic sleep takes napping to the extreme

#18

Post by abeppu »

corty wrote: post #9
alessivs wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Experimenting with any non-monophasic sleep pattern sounds exhausting and I'm afraid could have serious health impacts I assume you speak for yourself. Biphasic sleep is not an abnormal occurrence and actually quite embedded in some non-anglo cultures (e.g. late afternoon opening times). Even when occurring naturally, it isn't extravagant to be aware of provisions so that nap time doesn't cause a naturally avoidabl…

I would guess that biphasic sleep was killed by the common consumption of stimulant drugs like tea or coffee in western culture.

That's an interesting guess -- I had read that biphasic sleep was common in the West prior to the industrial revolution, when work for long days away from home was common, and light began to be more available at night.

Maybe the right kind of historian is around to answer: Was biphasic sleep also the norm in preindustral societies that had tea or coffee cultures relatively early?

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