Don’t try this at home!

Sometimes even polyphasic sleep can hurt. Moreover without mind knowing, because mind is feeling ok, enthusiastic and comfortable. And the cardiatic sleep? No, it’s not a special kind of sleep schedule dedicated to cardiacs. It’s about real experience with polyphasic sleep, that caused me really bad physical state. I would recommend this only if you want to die or try what your heart or physical condition can do. Or if you don’t have much time and in next 2 or 3 days you have to do lots of work. And again, you want to die.

To describe my precondition, I am used to sleep 5 hours on average (3-4 hours + 3-2 naps). Bear this on mind while reading next rows.

Schedule descriptions

So what is the schedule like? It’s very similar to Everyman-4, which is 1.5 hour core sleep + 4 naps and it sums up 5 REM phases.

I started on Sunday 11th, as you can see on my schedule from Sleeper. My naps were all done on adjustable chair and were very quite short from day 1 to day 3. After 10-15 minutes I woke up by myself almost in every case. I guess there were less REM phases than it should be, but I supposed REM deprivation would call for REM phase by itself.

Good effects

I felt really great considering the conditions I lived in. Only one vigil phase I was in zombie mode, otherwise I felt able to work (programming) and study (study to my exam, which went relaxed and ok, 67 %). That was a bit weird. Mind was working, but body was not.

Bad effects

On the day 2 afternoon (right before the core sleep) I had pointed pain around my heart. Well, I took a core and it felt all right again. Right after the core I had always euphoric mood, which might helped me to forget those heart troubles I had before. But on day 3 afternoon I felt like really coming to heart attack. It was really terrible feeling and don’t want to experience ever again. I took longer core, 3:30 and decided to get back to Everyman-3 at max.

Good side

24hours day feeling – when I slept between 17 and 19, I felt like I didn’t missed any important part of the day. I mean:
- from 0 till 7 people usually sleep
- from 8 till 16 people usually work
- from 20 till midnight people usually spend time with their friend (at home, in a pub or tea room, in a cinema etc.)

But from 17-19 I feel like people have no common/collective activity, so when I am not woke up during this time, I don’t miss anything important. Those 3 parts mentioned above are much more important.

Possible danger?

To sum up, It was really great to sleep under 3 hours a day and feel ok, vital, having enough REM sleep etc. Usually, while adapting, body is over mind – it means your body is physically able to be awake, but your mind (cognitive skills, attention, work memory) is far behind. This is completely opposite case – mind is able to work more and more, but body needs more rest (in a way of NREM sleep). Watch our for that!

Interesting experience worth sharing.