Another Glimpse of the Elusive Everyman Formula
I wrote, in a long-previous post, about how it seemed that Everyman followed a formula. Others have contemplated what The Formula is, and the one thing everyone agrees on it is that, while there seems to be a reliable correlation between naps and sleep-time, it’s totally YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary). This leads to a natural argument: Is it a formula or isn’t it? Is there a surefire, or up-front way, to know how many naps you need depending on your core, or how long your core should be if you want to stay awake x hours between naps?
Well, one of our readers has made a really good crack at setting it down in a way that makes sense and accounts for the inevitable flexibility-between-people. Behind the "Read the rest" link below is his text on it. Thanks, Aximilation!
(In other news, the house-buying transaction appears to be saved (again; for now) and I slept my butt off this weekend (7hr. nights plus one nap) and my brain feels much better now, thanks, though argh my back is sore!)
"Normal" people seem to have a range of normal sleep times, ranging between 6 and 9 hours a night. (Person A and C being the extremes, C being generally neutral) Following the idea that every sleep cycle is 90 min, or 1.5 hours, the following could be assumed to be potentially true:
As Polyphasic sleep consists of naps to provide REM sleep, and each sleep cycle consists of one REM cycle, one could look at the total number of REMs required in a night, per individual.
A. 6hr/1.5 = 4
B. 7.5/1.5 = 5 (close to standard 8 hours)
C. 9hr/1.5 = 6
If you were to assume that one nap sometime throughout the day would provide one of the REMs you require, you could subtract that from the Core/hibernation/"normal" sleep.
Thus:
0 Naps:
A. 4 REMs (6 hr)
B. 5 REMs (7.5 hr) (NORMAL PEOPLE)
C. 6 REMs (9 hr)
1 Nap:
A. 1 Nap + 3 REMs (4.5 hr)
B. 1 Nap + 4 REMs (6 hr)
C. 1 Nap + 5 REMs (7.5 hr)
2 Naps:
A. 2 Naps + 2 REMs (3 hr)
B. 2 Naps + 3 REMs (4.5 hr)
C. 2 Naps + 4 REMs (6hr)
3 Naps:
A. 3 Naps + 1 REMs (1.5 hr)
B. 3 Naps + 2 REMs (3 hr) (EVERYMAN)
C. 3 Naps + 3 REMs (4.5 hr)
4 Naps:
A. 4 Naps + 0 REMs (0 hr)
B. 4 Naps + 1 REMs (1.5 hr)
C. 4 Naps + 2 REMs (3 hr)
5 Naps:
A. n/a
B. 5 Naps + 0 REM
C. 5 Naps + 1 REMs (1.5 hr)
And 6 Naps:
A. n/a
B. n/a
C. 6 Naps (UBERMAN)
To sum it all up:
1.5 hr sleep = 1 nap (REM)
One may replace 1.5 hours of their normal sleep time required with one nap, spaced as evenly as possible around the clock, and they may adapt thei rown sleeping schedule, which should prove adequate rest once they have adapted to the schedule.
(Uberman schedule provides more REM than most average sleepers, which could provide more rest, upon adaptation for nearly everybody)
This is, of course theoretical however, the logic sounds firm enough, and the theory also links 3 types of sleep, Monophase, Everyman, and Uberman.
Given different people need different time, or number hours of sleep, this would suggest that different people may follow a modified sleep schedule, of perhaps 4 naps and a 3 hour core if they were long (9hr) sleepers, or only do 2 naps.
3 comments
This sound like a viable guide. I don’t think Uberman provide more REM than normal sleep though. I seem to remember reading in Why We Nap that naps taken in the morning tended to have REM sessions while naps in the evening did not. I don’t have the book so I can’t find a citation.
This model assumes that long sleepers need longer sleep compared to short sleepers. Would a “C” person really be able to adapt to short naps with such a long core? Would not a “C” person’s need for so much sleep be more a result of custom or poor quality of sleep rather than actual need? Would the over-all quality of sleep of a “C” person be significantly different with 1 nap + 7.5 hrs core compared to 5 naps + 1.5 hrs core?
I just don’t think a group of healthy people with a similar lifestyle and routine would show such a variation in the number of REM sessions they need every day, and I don’t think you would find that variation in any scientific literature. Would you find this variation among recruits in boot-camp, for example? I think lifestyle and routine are the dominant factors in any sleep schedule.
You may be correct, I have yet to obtain a copy of Why we Nap, the naps in the morning vs evening is something I have not heard reference to as of yet, although I would assume that would be geared more towards still living on a night/day circadian rhythm, opposed to a full round cycle.
The point I bring forth in “A,B,C” types is aimed at the need for a certain number of REM cycles, however it could actually mean that people have longer cycles (>90 min) therefore needing the extra sleep, or others may need longer to fall asleey, or to actually enter a full sleep cycle. Another model to keep in mind is that while some people’s quality of sleep may vary, on the same note, some people’s quality of REM may vary, causing the need for a greater number of REMs. Obviously, this is something that may be a learned behavior, or adapted to fit the “normal” sleeping cycle of a person.
You are correct, a group of healthy people with similar lifestyle and routine more than likely do not show this variation, however I would think that some people can and have adapted to either longer sleep cycles, or a greater number of REM sessions, due to ability to free sleep as long as desired, (when I was home schooled and could sleep 10 hours a day) or forced to keep a rigid cycle and not have as much time (when I was going through college and working) to sleep. This could affect the number of sleep cycles and/or the quality of the sleep.
All in all, this is simply a theoretical model, formed solely off observation of myself and close friends, I have made no reference to other scientific materials, other than the reference to the 90 minute sleep cycle. However, it attempts to correlate the sleep cycles of monophasic, as well as everyman/uberman, individuals may be able to place themselves in one of the groups, although obvious variance as you consider the following variables:
1. Number of sleep cycles, vs. length of sleep cycles
2. Quality of sleep cycles vs. length/number of cycles
3. Adaptation to a free sleep/rigid schedule, based on lifestyle, and if that affects numbers 1 and 2.
I appreciate the input, any other thoughts/objections/arguments/slander/hate mail… er, just kidding! Thoughts?
Correspondence may also me addressed to polyphasic*at*aximilation*dot*com.
~Aximilation
Good points, both of you. I agree that the evidence does not bear out that Uberman gives any more REM than a normal schedule, though back when I did it, that was the explanation that seemed to make the most sense for why we had so damn much energy. Now…well, I dunno. It’s a mystery!
Ax, my experience seems to support your theory of the variable length and quality of REM cycles. I have definitely noticed that my sleep patterns are affected by stress in ways that would point to that — for instance, under a high but steady load of stress, I need to sleep more often but for shorter periods. I’ll wake up after as little as 10 minutes feeling refreshed, but then be tired again 2-3 hours later. During high “spikes” of extreme stress however, I tend to need to sleep at least an hour every time I lay down; less than that and I feel like I didn’t sleep at all.
I’ve always been pretty physiologically sensitive to stress (my mom used to call me “psychosomatic girl”), but maybe that just means I’m a good test-case. ;)
Thanks!
PD
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