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Grafton · 12-19-2006, 05:13 AM

(Sorry about the layout - this seems to change
multiple spaces that I've used for alignment to ONE space.)

My experience with polyphasic sleep:

I discovered it by accident in March 2004 and
found it amazing! You can get a HUGH productivity boost.
The downside: if you interact with anyone they ***MUST*** be
trained to not bother you while you are:
1) in training/transition to polyphasic sleep
2) then actually doing it

THAT only works if you have the power/clout to force people to not
annoy you except on your terms.

After a month I had to force myself back to monophasic sleep because
I didn't have that clout.
My social life (with friends, etc.) immediately got better. I could make
regular appointments again without fear that I would miss them.

(The best time for polyphasic sleep would be, in my opinion, if
one's career was something like (choose one or more)
artist, private investor, writer, programmer, etc. where
you do NOT have to interact with anyone at a specific time!!!)

MY hours were:
- 6am - 10am solid sleep (4 hours)
- 2pm 30 minutes solid sleep (*NOT* napping)
once you get going, 60 minutes at first
By solid I mean YOU ARE ASLEEP a moment after
your head touches the pillow.
- 7pm or 8pm 30 minutes (60 at first)
- midnight 30 minutes sometimes, and sometimes not necessary

I could have even improved on this (shortened the times) if
I had had better support. (I had friends whining about where I was,
I couldn't make appointments, etc.) Next time I will smooth that out
by preparing everyone I know first!

I hope in the future to shift to polyphasic mode if I start working
on something complex (like a software product, or stock options trading, etc.).

Notes:
- I slept using polyphasic sleep for four weeks
- the first week was rough because of adjustments that had to be made
(I had no idea what was going on and was frightened, but not enough
to see a doctor)
- weeks two through four were FANTASTIC!!!
- during week one I slept: 6am - 10am (4 hours)
2pm - 3pm (1 hour)
7/8pm - 8/9pm (1 hour)
00am (30 min daily first 5 days)

- weeks two-four: 6am - 10am (4 hours) - this never varied
2pm - 2:30pm (30 min.)
7pm - 7:30PM (30 min.)
00am - 00:30am (30 min. rarely)

Had I continued I think that I would have slept a total of 5 hours daily
(the norm) with the occasional 00am - 00:30am booster sleep
once or twice a week.

Note: I have no direct evidence, but I *do* have a strong conviction
that had I taken the time, trouble, and money to get a complete
medical diagnostic "readout" leading to a fully planned diet
by someone trained in such matters ALONG WITH regular physical workouts
I could have reduced the need-for-sleep times by at least 30 minutes.
Possibly a bit more!

Note: I say "FANTASTIC!!!" and "HUGH productivity boost" because
the times were exact. During monophasic sleep these days
(the usual 7 - 8 hours a night) I may go to bed at midnight,
then spend an hour reading, then slowly fall asleep over 30 minutes.
When I wake up I may snooze a bit, stretch, scratch myself, etc.,
then take it easy, etc. before actually getting up. This can waste
45 minutes to 2 hours daily! (I'm retired, so it doesn't matter that much.)

During polyphasic sleep I was awake at 5:59am, 1:59pm, 6:59pm
AND FAST ASLEEP AS IF SOMEONE HAD PRESSED MY OFF SWITCH at 6am, 2pm, 7pm.
I estimate it took me between 5 to 30 SECONDS to (WHAM!!) fall fast asleep.

AT 10:01am, 2:31pm, 7:31pm I would be wide awake AND OUT OF BED!!

Before and after the polyphasic sleep periods (and also these days right now)
I felt/feel like I'm using 5 to 10 per cent of my full mental capability.
(It felt higher when I was going to school full time but that was over 30 years ago.)

During the polyphasic sleep month I felt as if I was using 50 per cent of
my brain power. I likely accomplished more during that one month than the previous
twelve months combined.

IMPORTANT: If you are not prepared for it it can scare the hell out of you.
It's like suddenly going to warp speed in a fighter plane from just a bike with
training wheels before!!!

SUMMARY: Polyphasic (for me) resulted in around 3 extra free hours A DAY!
And some kind of fabulous mental alertness during the waking times!

Grafton
Dec 18, 2006
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12-19-2006, 05:13 AM	#17 (permalink)
Grafton Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1	(Sorry about the layout - this seems to change multiple spaces that I've used for alignment to ONE space.) My experience with polyphasic sleep: I discovered it by accident in March 2004 and found it amazing! You can get a HUGH productivity boost. The downside: if you interact with anyone they *MUST* be trained to not bother you while you are: 1) in training/transition to polyphasic sleep 2) then actually doing it THAT only works if you have the power/clout to force people to not annoy you except on your terms. After a month I had to force myself back to monophasic sleep because I didn't have that clout. My social life (with friends, etc.) immediately got better. I could make regular appointments again without fear that I would miss them. (The best time for polyphasic sleep would be, in my opinion, if one's career was something like (choose one or more) artist, private investor, writer, programmer, etc. where you do NOT have to interact with anyone at a specific time!!!) MY hours were: - 6am - 10am solid sleep (4 hours) - 2pm 30 minutes solid sleep (NOT napping) once you get going, 60 minutes at first By solid I mean YOU ARE ASLEEP a moment after your head touches the pillow. - 7pm or 8pm 30 minutes (60 at first) - midnight 30 minutes sometimes, and sometimes not necessary I could have even improved on this (shortened the times) if I had had better support. (I had friends whining about where I was, I couldn't make appointments, etc.) Next time I will smooth that out by preparing everyone I know first! I hope in the future to shift to polyphasic mode if I start working on something complex (like a software product, or stock options trading, etc.). Notes: - I slept using polyphasic sleep for four weeks - the first week was rough because of adjustments that had to be made (I had no idea what was going on and was frightened, but not enough to see a doctor) - weeks two through four were FANTASTIC!!! - during week one I slept: 6am - 10am (4 hours) 2pm - 3pm (1 hour) 7/8pm - 8/9pm (1 hour) 00am (30 min daily first 5 days) - weeks two-four: 6am - 10am (4 hours) - this never varied 2pm - 2:30pm (30 min.) 7pm - 7:30PM (30 min.) 00am - 00:30am (30 min. rarely) Had I continued I think that I would have slept a total of 5 hours daily (the norm) with the occasional 00am - 00:30am booster sleep once or twice a week. Note: I have no direct evidence, but I do have a strong conviction that had I taken the time, trouble, and money to get a complete medical diagnostic "readout" leading to a fully planned diet by someone trained in such matters ALONG WITH regular physical workouts I could have reduced the need-for-sleep times by at least 30 minutes. Possibly a bit more! Note: I say "FANTASTIC!!!" and "HUGH productivity boost" because the times were exact. During monophasic sleep these days (the usual 7 - 8 hours a night) I may go to bed at midnight, then spend an hour reading, then slowly fall asleep over 30 minutes. When I wake up I may snooze a bit, stretch, scratch myself, etc., then take it easy, etc. before actually getting up. This can waste 45 minutes to 2 hours daily! (I'm retired, so it doesn't matter that much.) During polyphasic sleep I was awake at 5:59am, 1:59pm, 6:59pm AND FAST ASLEEP AS IF SOMEONE HAD PRESSED MY OFF SWITCH at 6am, 2pm, 7pm. I estimate it took me between 5 to 30 SECONDS to (WHAM!!) fall fast asleep. AT 10:01am, 2:31pm, 7:31pm I would be wide awake AND OUT OF BED!! Before and after the polyphasic sleep periods (and also these days right now) I felt/feel like I'm using 5 to 10 per cent of my full mental capability. (It felt higher when I was going to school full time but that was over 30 years ago.) During the polyphasic sleep month I felt as if I was using 50 per cent of my brain power. I likely accomplished more during that one month than the previous twelve months combined. IMPORTANT: If you are not prepared for it it can scare the hell out of you. It's like suddenly going to warp speed in a fighter plane from just a bike with training wheels before!!! SUMMARY: Polyphasic (for me) resulted in around 3 extra free hours A DAY! And some kind of fabulous mental alertness during the waking times! Grafton Dec 18, 2006 [/SIZE][/FONT]