Polyphasic Sleep

Polyphasic sleep is the act of sleeping for multiple periods within 24 hours. Typically, in monophasic sleep, people sleep once a day, for around eight hours. Polyphasic sleep involves splitting this up into shorter parts, often between 20 and 40 minutes each. This allows the polyphasic sleeper to remain awake for more hours of the day, allowing more time to be active.

Few have tried polyphasic sleep but many myths and rumours are evident. Several notable people have been known to adopt various forms of polyphasic sleep, including politicians, scientists, and sports men and women.

A common problem found with polyphasic sleep is it's lack of adherance with the working day, the common nine to five, to which most of us are forced to follow. Monophasic sleep is certainly seen as a more natural method of sleep, given the cycle of night and day - for thousands of years, humans would have needed shelter at night from predators, and in more recent years, our traditional society slowed to a halt in the evening. These days though, with our twenty-four hour culture, polyphasic sleep is very relevent.

Polyphasic sleep has become somewhat legendary, and many notable people have been reported to have followed it. Commonly, these are unsubstantiated rumours, or due to confusion between real polyphasic sleep, and power napping. While a power nap can be used when required, to rejuvenate ones self somewhat, polyphasic sleep is a way of life, and is often found to be quite inflexible.

For students who need that extra few hours a day, for the self-employed who need more working hours to turn that hobbie in to a career, polyphasic sleep can be an appropriate option. It certainly needs dedication to begin and remain in a polyphasic sleeping cycle, but many would agree that the added time is certainly worth it.

Advantages of Polyphasic Sleep

A self employed worker for example, sleeping eight hours a night and working eight hours a day, would stand to gain another six hours each day - this wouldn't be considered an additional six working hours however, as perhaps four could be used to complete further work, and two used for lesiure. This would provide an additional 50% working time - 20 more working hours in a working week.

Those who perhaps spend more late nights on the tiles than most, can certainly benefit greatly from increased working hours, and further hours of relaxation. Polyphasic sleep does however require a transition period between monophasic and true polyphasic, where little sleep may be had and productivity will be minimal.

For further information on polyphasic sleep, including the Uberman and Everyman methods, see Polyphasic Life.

Polyphasic Sleeping Schedules

Monophasic sleep Biphasic sleep Uberman sleep Everyman sleep Dymaxion sleep

Uberman Sleep

Uberman sleep is a specific type of polyphasic sleep, involving six twenty minute naps spread throughout the day, totalling two hours sleep in each 24 hour period. Uberman sleep is seen as the most balanced polyphasic sleeping schedule, as it is spread out quite evenly throughout the day.

Dymaxion Sleep

Dymaxion sleep consists of four polyphasic naps at regular intervals throughout the day, with each nap lasting thirty minutes. Dymaxion sleep provides the same awake time as Uberman sleep, while maintaining longer six-hour periods between naps.

Everyman Sleep

Everyman sleep consists of three twenty minute naps throughout the day, combined with a core nap of 3 to five hours. Providing a total sleep time of four to six hours. The Everyman sleep schedule is most similar to a natural monophasic sleeping schedule, combined with power naps during the day, followed by many.

Polyphasic Sleep Links

We have a blog ready to go this Summer on Twitter @ Polyphasic Sleep.