Nap Adjustment & Miscellany
Okay, there are officially so many little things that I keep meaning to post that they’ve now warranted a big post full of ‘em. Welcome to the grab-bag!
+ First, a nap adjustment has happened over the last few weeks, I think in response to the cold weather. Instead of getting to work between 7 - 8 and then napping at 9 or 10, I’ve been napping right when I get to work — usually about 7:00. My car is still warm, then, and I can go until 2-3 p.m. without needing another nap. (That midday boost that many of you have noticed.) This means only one sleeping-bag-nap per day instead of two, which I like, because the sleeping-bag-in-the-car thing is a pain in the patoot.
So, naps at 7:30, between 2-3 p.m., between 8:30 - 9 p.m., and a 1-4 a.m. core, is what it is now. Seems to be working quite well; I didn’t even really sleep in this weekend, except to take a long (30-40 minute) nap here and there because I could. ;) I do like getting so much done over the weekend (though I was kind of brain-fried this last weekend, and spent perhaps more time on video games than I should have); and I enjoy my 7 a.m. Sunday morning breakfasts with my mother-in-law, who I otherwise probably wouldn’t see much of.
+ Second, the nice fact-checker at Wired emailed me to let me know that the polyphasic article will be coming out in the January issue. w00t!
+ Third, tomorrow is Fasting Day #5. I’m going to try a juice fast this time. Will be picking up good organic juice from the grocery store tonight, after Taiji. I’m seriously eyeballing longer fasts now, but patience is a virtue. (Isn’t it?)
+ Fourth, I went to one of the Yoga classes offered by my kun, and it was amazing and amazingly weird. I want to go to one more before I actually report on that (the class is on Thursday), but suffice to say I had no idea that Yoga could be such a powerful experience. I’ve taken Yoga before and it was somewhere between XTreme Stretching and wussy exercising. This, however, was something else! I guess it takes a kung fu master teaching it, eh?
+ Fifth, it’s Medical Experimentation Time. What started as a mild case of poison ivy has perpetuated itself, now, into a self-sustaining immune-system response that’s meant six weeks of itchy hives appearing randomly all over my body. (It stopped being poison ivy after about 2 weeks.) I’ve been putting alcohol on it regularly to fend off infection, and trying to ride it out with calomine lotion, since with most things like this that’s what you can do. (Unless you’re rich and/or insured, in which case you can afford a cortizone shot, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t — my system hates steroids, but to be honest at this point I’d totally try it…if I was rich/insured.) But now I’m going crazy, and it’s not getting better, so it’s time to see what the ol’ kitchen remedy route can do for an outbreak of hives, probably touched off by poison ivy and continued by stress (I do tend to get hives, usually mildly, when stressed out. This, though, is NOT mild.). I’ll let ya’ll know what I discover.
…Aaaand I have a personal rule about stopping lists at multiples of five, and I don’t have ten things, so that’s it for now. I will close, however, for entertainment purposes, with this lovely tidbit from my daughter:
Grandma: Honey, you have to wear your jacket, it’s cold outside.
Her Highness, who hates jackets: Why do people want their kids to be hot??
Grandma: We don’t want you to be hot, dear, just safe and warm.
Her Highness: But I like danger!
Mmm-hm. At four years old. Bets on her asking to bungee-jump before she’s twelve?
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Nice adjustment on the early nap at work. I’ve been doing it since starting last week and it’s been treating me pretty well. Things are starting to get interesting on my end. Any advice heading into week 2?
Hmm, advice depends entirely on what your challenges are. What’s up?
I’m planning on starting the everyman schedule around the first of the year when I have some time off from work and law school. I’ll be in class 14 hours a week and at work about 30 hrs/week (plus commuting) and would love to have time to exercise and get my reading assignments done (and have some free time!)
Question: Do you think doing Uberman first helped your adaptation to the Everyman Schedule?
I figured trying the Uberman schedule at the first might speed up my adaptation to a polyphasic sleep schedule. My reasoning is that it would force my body to learn how to nap correctly/efficiently and would be a faster transition because I wasn’t getting any type of “core” sleep at night.
Depending on how much time I have off from work I was planning on an Uberman schedule the first 3-5 days and then starting Everyman. Uberman is intriguing but I won’t be able to stay on that type of schedule. Everyman allows the best of both worlds: more time and regular working hours (I plan on taking a nap during my lunch break).
Thoughts?
Thank you!