Everyman 3 after a 3-month break…was really easy.
So, for all that I've hax0red sleep a bit, which I'll admit to being cautiously proud of, apparently the subtle art of taking notes is just horrendously beyond me. This is the first I've written of any of it since last week! *d'oh*
So this is the, um, end of the first week of Everyman 3 again, after about three months monophasic–er, wait, when did I make that post?–or roughly so. (Look, scientists, at what a terrible job I'm doing! I'm worthless at data! Somebody should really do this right, in a lab!!) But hey, gimme a break; what I just experienced can only barely be called an adaptation.
A more accurate term, I think, is "I just fell back into the sleep schedule I've had for the last almost four years". And I've been busy enough at computery-stuff lately that I haven't had free time that I could spend in front of the box, not unless I wanted my neck to stage an outright revolt. Plus, what to write? It was…well, it was nothing, really. I was tired for like, an evening. I couldn't get, or sleep for, one nap or another for the first couple days, but if I just missed one I plowed through and kept going, and if I missed two naps, I slept 4.5 at night — which is basically how I always do it, with some variation. I went back to making adjustments-on-the-fly almost immediately, though I'm trying to be more disciplined so that hopefully the habit will weather some upheaval. I have been pretty good compared to my average behavior the last 3.5 years.
Er, if my failure to make "adaptation notes" or something disappointed anyone, I'm terribly sorry. There just wasn't much to tell — other than that I feel awesome, and wow am I glad to have that back. Better still, it looks possible — far from guaranteed, but maybe doable — that I can keep this schedule straight through my upcoming transition. When I tell you what happened to suddenly make this a possibility, you may find your jaw in your lap all a'sudden; I did. But I can't yet. Then again, only being able to have my Everyman schedule back is hardly a fail!
Details, though — I can provide some more of those. Click through if you'd like to read them. And….woot! \o/
It did take a few days before I could sleep for all my naps. I'm just getting to the point of waking up regularly before my alarms go off; and simultaneously to the point of being able to sleep soundly for all my naps. Today all of them were awesome, and I woke up feeling great. The grogginess after naps was markedly less yesterday and today, too.
You probably remember that I tend to need more than an average amount of sleep (except, for some reason, when I was on Uberman). In this case, my individual take on Everyman 3 is, so far, just about like it was before: I sleep 3 hours most nights, 4.5 hours a couple nights a week; I get 2 or 3 20-minute naps (actually, usually they're 18 or 19 minutes; I know I'm getting back into them because I'm waking up a minute or two before my 20-minute alarm). This time the naps happen at 7:30a, 1:30p and 7:30p, with a comfortable hour in each direction that I can use as a window for restful naps. If I get outside that window, I start to get less from the naps.
While I was monophasic, I lost the beanbag face-pillow thing I put over my eyes, and trying to re-adjust without it has sucked. I finally ordered another one a few days ago, because I couldn't find one at a store around here. I can't stand the kind with the strap. Straps on my head while I sleep is not a comforting feeling, okay? I've slept in a mental hospital before.
I'm getting a *lot* of exercise lately, compared to, say, six months ago. I do some kind of workout every day, and martial arts classes at least three times a week, and lots more practice at home. (And a big swingy jumpy katana form omg *squee*.) I've lost a bit of weight and gotten seriously muscly in places. (I keep meaning to blog about that, but besides being busy it's a tricky thing to bring up. Oh hai! I'm inarguably skinnier than usual all of a sudden and why yes, I do have quite the athletic build. Also, stop looking at me.) Anyway, a really hefty workout one day–more than I'm used to; enough to make me good and sore–will prompt me to want to sleep 4.5 hours that night, and as per my long-term-polyphasic M.O., if that happens and there's no practical reason to fight it, I usually go ahead. I don't feel that my physical strength or stamina has been negatively affected at all; and nobody at the Temple has said anything to hint that they do either.
9 comments
Great to hear! I would have to say that my re-transition has been somewhat similar, it would appear that I have been able to go pretty much straight back to where I used to be before I took a break. It will probably be some time before I can say I am on a strong schedule, but there was a time, I think two summers ago, a time when I had my schedule down pat and I would have to say that from the way I feel currently I'm closer to that than around this time last year.
So from your experience so far, would you say that once you have a polyphasic schedule long term (eg >8 months?) it's something that your body has learned, more like an ability than something to be adapted to?
The legendary lady is back. Though we'd lost ya.
Hello,
great to hear that you are back on Everyman. I am trying to adapt for the second time now and have managed to survive 25 day. ;-)
Thank you so much for all the information you share with us!
This topic is quite important for me, because I am going on a trip to England in 10 days (as I explained already on the google group) and I guess I won't be able to maintain my schedule there while travelling with three other people. I hope that my re-adapting will be easy as well, even though I am not fully adapted at the moment.
I have a 14 year old son who is considering sleeping on a dymaxion sleep schedule, (30 minutes every six hours) so he can keep up with schoolwork and just because he feels like it. he has a two week vacation coming with which time he plans to "adjust". do you think something such as polyphasic sleeping could be damaging to a young teenagers health?
This is funny, John.
There is no evidence that Dymaxion works at all, and for a 14 year old to do it would be… just stupid.
Two weeks time is not enough for any type of polyphasic schedule adjustment, even if you have a core of "4.5h."
Just don't let him do it – there is no scientific data whatsoever about how such schedule affects our bodies, let alone a growing body!
If he wants to have more free time, let him do 1-3 naps + however long of a core happens NATURALLY (ie, no alarm clock). Guaranteed to be safe, because the body would choose what it needs.
I disagree; I don’t think it’s “funny” or “stupid”, but a serious question that deserves an answer. (Maybe it’s because I have kids.) I also want to note that I don’t agree with eek’s conjecture that taking naps and “whatever core comes naturally” will result in a polyphasic schedule; in my experience one doesn’t adapt to being polyphasic without deciding on and sticking to a polyphasic schedule. I could, of course, be wrong about that, but off the cuff I don’t think I buy it. (Sorry eek.)
Since you asked for my beliefs — not scientific evidence — I will offer them, then. My belief is that polyphasic sleep itself is probably completely harmless: Infants do it, for pete’s sake. And I’ve never seen any indication in any of the many people I’ve known and talked to that it causes any kind of health deterioration or mental dysfunction.
However, adjusting from a monophasic to a polyphasic schedule involves sleep-deprivation, which in a best-case-scenario would only last a few days, but it is still not what you’d call “light”, and it definitely causes some symptoms that, as a parent, I would be concerned about happening unsupervised. An average young teenager can barely manage to weather a flu without constant hand-holding and checking-in, so I can’t imagine them doing well with the not-exactly-dangerous, but-still-not-fun symptoms of moderate to severe sleep-deprivation. Choosing an easier schedule such as Everyman will make the adjustment longer (two weeks off school would be enough to adjust to Uberman or Dymaxion, as long as no mistakes are made; but after two weeks an Everyman adaptation would still be settling in), but will also lessen the severity of the sleep-deprivation symptoms, so that may be a worthwhile consideration, too.
But mostly I would say: You’re the parent. You know your kid. Some kids are ready to fly planes solo at thirteen, and others can’t balance a checkbook at twenty. Moreover, some kids who can’t manage their video-game time can somehow do other things that adults would find daunting, so just because a kid isn’t responsible or capable one way doesn’t mean they aren’t hyper-competent or advanced in another — and the best person to know if your kid is capable of adjusting to polyphasic sleep is, I would think, you.
To sum up, I’ve seen many, many older teenagers do it and do just fine. (One could even argue that their tendency to ignore sleep is helpful is that case.) When it comes to younger kids, it’s entirely likely that polyphasic sleep may be okay or even helpful, especially if regular sleep isn’t working too well. But I would definitely caution that you, the parent, should make that call, and should probably supervise things closely, at least for the first few days.
I hope that’s helpful!
PD
PD,
you are saying as if Dymaxion is actually a viable sleeping schedule. Is it? I've read nothing but fail stories.
Anyway, it just baffles me you'd suggest doing something even more drastic than Everyman to a child who is going through a growth spurt. Messing with growth cycles during that time seems like a horror story in the happenings to me.
I think that the best case scenario is - the kid cops out when things get tough and all goes back to normal.
eek: if it is just a matter of willpower, i beleive he can do it without much trouble, he is a very strong and independent young man.
pd: thanks for all the advice i really appreciate it, the onyl thing im concerned about are ill physical or mental affects, but it doesnt seem to be too large of an issue.
he decided to hold off until the summer in case it might take a copious amount of time to adjust, but thanks for all the helpful advice
Eek,
Dymaxion was the FIRST recorded polyphasic schedule; Buckminster Fuller (a highly respected scientist) did it for two years and kept exquisite notes. That’s enough evidence for me that it’s possible, yes.
I wouldn’t suggest it — I would suggest that it’s up to the parent. Under most circumstances, sure, you wouldn’t want to mess with a teenager’s sleep-schedule; but I’ve been a teenager and I have a child and I know that in real life, things are almost never that simple. Children are individual people, with individual health issues, mental configurations, and lifestyle needs. Who am I to say that polyphasic sleep might not be a reasonable thing to try if someone’s child has a physical, mental or situational need that it might fill? This young person studied it and brought it up to his parent as something he thought might work for him, and his parent turned around and did some research. I fail to see why any of that deserves condemnation, or treating those two people like they aren’t capable of making a responsible decision.
Also, stop being a jerk on my blog. Thank you.