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Is surviving on 20-minute naps bad for you?

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Is surviving on 20-minute naps bad for you?

#41

Post by pavel_lishin »

jerf wrote: post #37
pavel_lishin wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if some people are just somehow (genetically?) more predisposed to functioning well on the Uberman sleep schedule.

I've posted this challenge a couple times here, so it's as good a time as any: Has anyone done the Uber sleep schedule for, say, at least a year, and preferably still doing it? Last time I asked this was: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6258098 (thanks https://hn.algolia.com ) and, well, the score I have for this remains at "zero accounts I trust", even from this relatively interested forum. (Caveats: I recogniz…

As far as I can tell (without doing any sort of comprehensive survey), I think most people who do this regularly are people who cross oceans solo, and they only do it for that period of time.

Re: Is surviving on 20-minute naps bad for you?

#42

Post by dkersten »

jerf wrote: post #37
pavel_lishin wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if some people are just somehow (genetically?) more predisposed to functioning well on the Uberman sleep schedule.

I've posted this challenge a couple times here, so it's as good a time as any: Has anyone done the Uber sleep schedule for, say, at least a year, and preferably still doing it? Last time I asked this was: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6258098 (thanks https://hn.algolia.com ) and, well, the score I have for this remains at "zero accounts I trust", even from this relatively interested forum. (Caveats: I recogniz…

I agree - I feel that trying it for a few weeks or even a month or two isn't long enough to really know if it works or not.

I tried a 28 hour day cycle (awake for 20 hours, asleep for 8; 6 day week) for a few weeks when I was in uni (as Mondays through Thursdays had me awake at relatively normal times and this suited my lecture schedule at the time) but then other obligations knocked me off schedule for a few days and I reverted back to normal. I feel like it could have been successful longer term, but I didn't do it long enough to know for sure. I guess the hardest part is making sure other things don't interfere.

Re: Is surviving on 20-minute naps bad for you?

#43

Post by bcassedy »

zxcvvcxz wrote: post #40

I find a lot of irony in people's anecdotal "I did the uberman sleep schedule, it works." Key word: did. As in, past tense. Clearly it does not work better than the alternatives, or you'd still be doing it. Don't mistake short-term survival for long-term viability.

The article is talking long-term viability in the sense of its impact on health and longevity. From what I've seen in comments here and experienced myself, the reasons for abandoning uberman are largely social in nature.

Your statement that clearly it doesn't work as well as the alternative (as relates to the article) is unfounded.

Re: Is surviving on 20-minute naps bad for you?

#44

Post by adrianpike »

zxcvvcxz wrote: post #40

I find a lot of irony in people's anecdotal "I did the uberman sleep schedule, it works." Key word: did. As in, past tense. Clearly it does not work better than the alternatives, or you'd still be doing it. Don't mistake short-term survival for long-term viability.

It does work - health-wise.

Socially, not so much. It added a ton of extra strain to my relationships.

I'll definitely be switching back to it, but I'll be coinciding it with some self-imposed hermitage.

Re: Is surviving on 20-minute naps bad for you?

#45

Post by jerf »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #41
jerf wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've posted this challenge a couple times here, so it's as good a time as any: Has anyone done the Uber sleep schedule for, say, at least a year, and preferably still doing it? Last time I asked this was: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6258098 (thanks https://hn.algolia.com ) and, well, the score I have for this remains at "zero accounts I trust", even from this relatively interested forum. (Caveats: I recogniz…

As far as I can tell (without doing any sort of comprehensive survey), I think most people who do this regularly are people who cross oceans solo, and they only do it for that period of time.

I'm willing to tack on to my caveat list that it can be possible for a brief period of time. Since we know that no sleep leads to death, and people have clearly done Uber for longer than that threshold and not died, it can clearly be done for a period of time and you stay alive.

It's just that there does not seem to be any hope of doing it indefinitely. Sad. My personal biases and desires, like many here, lead me towards really wishing it could be, but I just don't see the evidence.

Re: Is surviving on 20-minute naps bad for you?

#46

Post by drtz »

There have been tons of studies on sleep and how much you need is pretty well understood: - Most people need ~8 hrs of sleep a day. - Any less than what your body needs and you'll be cognitively impaired from sleep deprivation. - Sleep deprivation will cause health problems and early death. - 20 minute naps will give you a boost but never get you fully rested since you don't go into deep or REM sleep (for which you need a full ~90 minute sleep cycle). - High levels of caffeine intake will disrupt sleep in most people, leading to sleep deprivation.

Re: Is surviving on 20-minute naps bad for you?

#47

Post by monknomo »

fapjacks wrote: post #36

I long had sleep problems most of my life. Like 10 or 12 hours and I would not be rested. During tours with the Army overseas, a couple hours here and there. It was a nightmare waking up like an asshole every single day . It created a core component of the person I am. But after my 33rd birthday, I started forcing myself to nap for 90 minutes after work, and 5 hours during the night. It's not everyman or uberman, but…

That's the siesta schedule, I think. It's pretty successful, but when I try it, I get a lot of pushback from my family about being available right after work...

Re: Is surviving on 20-minute naps bad for you?

#48

Post by Dewie3 »

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #15
bryanlarsen wrote: post #2

I did the "uberman" sleep schedule for a few months about 10 years ago. It works; you can definitely survive and stay surprisingly functional on a 20 minute nap every 4 hours. You do lose some cognitive ability, though. The advice in the OP is pretty bad, though. Any nap of more than 20 minutes will leave you feeling groggy when you wake up, especially if you're sleep deprived, which could be catastrophic for a pilot…

How old were you? It seems like if you're in your teens or twenties you can pretty much do any crazy sleep schedule and be fine with it as you're in the "superpowers" stage of your life. Its a little different in your 40s. As someone with sleep apnea, sleep quality is so important to me. I can't imagine messing with it, especially considering we don't fully understand sleep and if there may be long term consequences…

Steve Pavlina did an experiment with polyphasic sleep when he was 34. It worked great for him. But he quit because that sleep schedule is unsociable. He is a personal development guy, though, so he isn't that keen on chanting the old "everything is hard or impossible after 40" which people on HN seem so keen on. "You did what? Oh, but you're probably young so it doesn't count. I could do anything too when I was your age."

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/10/polyphasic-sleep/

Re: Is surviving on 20-minute naps bad for you?

#49

Post by vegedor »

Someone wrote: post #21
athenot wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interestingly, newborn babies are on a 90 minute schedule. So are the parents... Though to be fair, that only lasts a few months until it's 2x90 min, 3x90 min, etc.

I haven't ever heard a parent say they felt like Superman on that schedule, though.

humble, isn't it

Re: Is surviving on 20-minute naps bad for you?

#50

Post by nimblegorilla »

bryanlarsen wrote: post #10
sqldba wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also did Uberman, a few times, for a few weeks at a time. The first week was always rough but once you get beyond that I felt like I was Superman. It didn't last forever though. For me I was young and trying to fit work in with going out at night and perfecting my social skills. But once I had a partner, I found myself missing us sleeping together at night, and the long night hours being productive a little lonely…

I felt like Superman, too. My SO later told me I was more like stupid-man. It was still early enough in our relationship that she wasn't comfortable saying such things to my face.

I tried it for a few weeks and felt really unproductive. I think it is similar to being drunk. A lot of drunk people think they are awesome when they really aren't.
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