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The myths and challenges of polyphasic sleep

Posted on Thursday 9 February 2006

I had intended to attack Dr Wozniak�s article (Polyphasic Sleep: Facts and Myths) where I didn�t agree with a number of points.
I also took offence where he unfairly quotes polynappers� blogs out of context.
However after mulling it over, it has a lot of relevant information as well. As such, I�ll give it a chance and address his conclusions. He deserves my thanks simply for leading me to think about things.

In addition, it�s become clear to me that polyphasic sleep does indeed have some serious flaws thus far.
I�d also like to determine if they can be eliminated, through time or any other mechanism.

The items I would like to investigate, and thus will be goals for me. Each point is a possible myth I’d like to investigate:

adaptation period is hard but it ends at some point
To be honest, I never fully got past the �struggling with sleepiness in the early morning� problem. This could be attributed to my not keeping to a good schedule for a while. Or that keeping perfectly to the schedule isn�t feasible. I�d like to figure this out for myself. It�s certainly a downside. Testing this fairly requires some thought.
you are more alert if you sleep polyphasically
This question interests me as it�s quite unclear. The answer may not be straightforward. My current opinion is that the way you think changes when sleeping polyphasically. After a bit of time, I was far more holistic and philosophical in my thinking. Focus seems to change and I was generally a deeper person. However, it may also be that my ability to focus on a task is diminished, and it would not suprise me if there is a negative impact on me. I�m not yet sure how to test this accurately.
you are more productive if you sleep polyphasically
This goes hand in hand with the previous statement. Is my focus and productivity on a task diminished? How would I test this?
you lose weight on the polyphasic sleep schedule
This may be difficult to test. However it should be noted that I lost 9kg in a month of polyphasic sleep. The complication is that I was exercising more than in the past, and applying the principles of healthy eating. This may be particularly difficult to test.
polyphasic sleep is healthy
I suspect it isn�t optimal, but I wouldn�t call it unhealthy exactly. It could use some testing. Physical and mental tests should suffice. The difficulty is that I have no control mechanisms in place and it may be too late to have some. I could take samples after going back to monophasic sleep, but I fear this wouldn�t be good enough.
many naps are better than one nap
Here we get to the heart of the argument that Dr Wozniak has with polyphasic sleep. His studies have lead him to believe that having more naps adds no benefit. This I believe to be patently wrong, as adding extra naps is what eased my difficult stretches. How would I test this?
polyphasic sleep maximizes the amount of REM an individual gets
Now here we have a fascinating point, that I just have to test somehow. What does my average nap consist of? I could walk into a lab and test this, however I would prefer to test this over a number of samples and free of bias and stress. For this I need to construct a working sleep quality sensor/device. This fits in well with a device I wished to construct for lucid dreaming and requires I get it working.
Healthy humans cannot entrain polyphasic sleep without a degree of sleep deprivation. It is not possible to sleep polyphasically and retain one’s maximum creativity, alertness, and health in the long run
This requires a long run of polyphasic sleep in order to test. As such, I cannot comment.
Whoever claims to be on a perpetual polyphasic schedule must be either suffering from a sleep disorder, or be a liar, a mutant, or a person with a mulishly stubborn iron-will that lets him plod through the daily torture of sleep deprivation
I�m not perpetual in my efforts, but assuming I do achieve this: due to the way I have to exert substantial effort to maintain it, I�m no mutant. I�ve never had problems with sleep in the past, but there is the possibility that polyphasic sleep itself has introduced this. If I have to choose an option, I�d have to pick the stubborn iron-will. I�d like to see if I can turn this around and be naturally polyphasic with no difficulty whatsoever. I did already see the trend to become used to polyphasic sleep, and would like to see if I can complete this in time.
If you still plan your own polyphasic experiment, let me offer my best assistance. Let us together measure the effects of polyphasic sleep. Let your torture and lost health pay back in a contribution to science. Use SleepChart to track your progress. Your data, if submitted, will contribute to the understanding of human sleep patterns
I believe I�ll take him up on this offer and use the SleepChart, as well as impose on him where necessary.
If you want to maximize the time spent in productive wakefulness, read about free running sleep. Let your biology work for you, not against you
If I truly discover that polyphasic sleep cannot survive without some level of torture, then I will consider this as an alternative. In lieu of that, biphasic sleep.
Alarms - can I avoid them and still polynap?
This would be great, and there have been a few naps where I woke up prior to the alarm and feeling well rested.
Steve Pavlina claims that this happens to him most of the time now, I believe. If this is the case, then there is hope.

Ones that I agree with in principle, or have already proven with experience

most animals are polyphasic and so must be humans
The logic in this statement is pathetic enough that I wouldn�t bother testing it. The question of whether humans CAN be polyphasic is a separate matter that I quite firmly believe already. I�ve achieved it already, albeit not long term, and not painless.
polyphasic naps are REM-only
It�s quite clear that polyphasic naps include non REM, through my own experience. How would I know? Because I�ve wake-induced consciousness in my naps, and the steep dive in consciousness into non-REM was there. There just seems to be less of it perhaps. I would like to test the content of my naps however.
long naps are bad for you
It would make no sense to me how a long nap could be bad for you, so I wouldn�t attempt to argue this point. I�m assuming this refers to a nap that you wake naturally from. How could this be bad for you?
Claudio Stampi recommends polyphasic sleep to everyone
I haven�t read the book, but have been told this before. I have no reason to believe Claudio Stampi advertised polyphasic sleep as superior to monophasic sleep or biphasic sleep.
All the hype surrounding polyphasic sleep can be delegated to the same lunatic basket as (listed nutty activities)
Here he refers to the hype and not the activity itself. According to Dr. Wozniak�s own article: �Stampi has shown that polyphasic sleep can improve cognitive performance in conditions of sleep deprivation as compared with monophasic sleep�. In other words, it definitely has it�s uses and is thus not on par with homeopathic other lunatic topics. The hype might be another issue. In terms of the hype, I can only agree. A lot of misinformation is rife around the subject. I may even be responsible for some of it, and testing further may enlighten things.

Ones that are so laughably disproved already:

you sleep less in polyphasic sleep
I went for a stretch of perfect polyphasic sleep, of approximately 3 hours a day. How is this not sleeping less than usual?

I can begin to form some pages on the myths and facts of polyphasic sleep, and pull together as much hard fact as I can. This may be pretty difficult as my experience is largely subjective.
Any comments on the above are greatly appreciated

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5 Comments for 'The myths and challenges of polyphasic sleep'

Hermann Klinke

February 9, 2006 | 5:40 pm

Pretty good take on. I like how you tried to stay objective even though you are a polyphasic sleeper and you would actually like this to work.
Placebo

February 9, 2006 | 5:50 pm

Thanks.
I’ve been speaking a lot to Dr Wozniak - nice guy, as you said.
Naturally, the first thing he said was an attempt to disuade me from polyphasic sleep

We’ve come to a few more understandings since then, but I’m not swayed in experimenting with it.
His knowledge on the subject is certainly interesting and useful though.
blahtsk

February 9, 2006 | 9:40 pm

I’ve read “Why We Nap” by Claudio Stampi, he clearly does not recommend what he calls the “ultra-short” polyphasic schedule to everyone. He says (I’m paraphrasing here) that his studies show ultra-short sleep is sustainable, so if you are a shift worker or a long-distance solo sailor, it could be a useful alternative to normal sleep.

Another interesting suggestion he makes is that studies show (he references the study in the book) that people can learn to sleep only 5 hours a night. He says that is possibly the best way to reduce sleep need.
Michael

February 10, 2006 | 1:02 am

I’ve had contact with Dr. Wozniak aswell–after he placed a quote from my blog very very much out of context. He seems like a friendly person who has a good deal of knowledge about polyphasic sleep–but some grudge against attempts based on enthusiasm.
John

March 1, 2006 | 5:37 pm

I dont know why we would help Dr. Wozniak when he has a grudge against the idea. He just wants to make a name for himself without any work.

Posted on Thursday 9 February 2006

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