<p>Lol I tried it the night before a Lit quiz, I did so badly I never went back!</p>
<p>The polyphasic sleep pattern simply does not work as well as the normal human sleep pattern.</p>
<p>For one thing, your entire biological clock is built around a 24-hour rhythm. A lot of your hormones have 24-hour cycles. For example, whether you sleep a night or not, melatonin is going to be higher when it's dark out, and melatonin signals you to sleep. Even sleeping on a 24-hour cycle that's reversed (sleeping in the day, being awake at night) is contrary to your body's natural rhythms. Your body simply wants you to sleep when it's dark out -- and if you don't, it's going to be confused, and eventually sick.</p>
<p>Also, see what I said above about REM sleep. Each time you go to sleep, your body goes though an approximately 90-minute long cycle of sleep stages, including REM sleep. If you sleep all night, the REM part of the cycle naturally gets longer and longer. However, if you sleep only for short periods of time, you deprive yourself of REM sleep, which will mess up your memory and somtimes cause behavioral problems -- EVEN if you still get about 8 hours of sleep every day.</p>
<p>Your body simply isn't designed to do it. Sure, some people can, but it doesn't mean that it's a good idea, or that they're not feeling the effects of it.</p>
<p>Yeah, you really need your rest. I guess if you're like me (or like I was) and at a dead run through college, going on 3-5 hrs of sleep is fine. But you're to start feeling dumber and making careless mistakes. Also, you're going to become un-conscientious of things you say, things you eat, and things you do. Your stomach is going to feel like a bottomless pit and no matter how much you eat, you're going to want more. You're going to have a hard time focusing on one thing, so you'll constantly be going from one thing to the other. You'll start off reading, then you'll watch TV, then you'll get on the computer, then you'll study, then you'll get back on the computer, then watch TV again...</p>
<p>It's bad. Get eight hours of sleep a night. Don't nap except maybe on the weekend. Your body needs time to rest. If you're working out, your gains are going to be stunted because your body doesn't have time to rest and recover. Go to bed. Drink a lot of water and get a good night's rest.</p>
<p>You people are saying "sleep 8 hours a night" like it's as easy as it sounds. Try doing that when you have 5 huge assignments due in a 2 day period each week, hours of reading each day just so you can keep up with - let alone understand - the material covered in lectures. Sometimes it's impossible to complete your work and maintain a healthy sleep schedule. That's college life for some of us.</p>
<p>I never get in bed any later than 12 on weekdays. Yes, there's a lot of homework, but there is always time to do it if you work ahead and get off of AIM. It seems like there's "just no time" but if you really honestly look at yourself, then yes, there is.</p>
<p>yeah you really do have time unlesss you have a job. turn off AIM and no distractions and you have all the time in the world, even with clubs social life etc.</p>
<p>Polyphasic sleep has little, if any, scientific evidence supporting it. </p>
<p>In fact, what evidence exists suggests that sleep deprivation actually causes the deprived to stay longer in slow-wave sleep and less in REM. So therefore, contrary to claims that the polyphasic sleeper falls "straight into REM" sleep, during a half-hour to an hour nap the sleeper (no matter how deprived) may never actually experience any REM sleep at all.</p>
<p>It's also incorrect to think that all one needs is REM sleep. While REM sleep seems to be the most critical stage of sleep, every stage of sleep is important for proper brain function.</p>
<p>I need my sleep. When I start skimping on my sleep, I get sick, get pneumonia, and end up in bed for a few days. Same thing with water consumption. If I don't drink my 10 glasses of water a day, I feel like crap and look like it too. This summer I was having problems sleeping and went to a sleep clinic and was prescribed sleeping aids but I haven't really used them much this year because I find that I am so tired by the time by bedtime rolls around that I don't need them.</p>
<p>I contemplated polyphasic sleep for 3 months. I quit 3 weeks ago after a 2 week trial period. The initial 1 week adaptation period was hell, but the week after that was perfect. I did not oversleep once; I kept myself busy during the first week so it worked out well. The reason I decided to quit is because, quite frankly, 21 hours is a LOT of time. I highly doubt anyone with even the most difficult schedule will require half that time. It isn't hard to maintain the schedule, but it is simply not worth it. </p>
<p>The way it works is that during the first week, your body is trained to go directly to REM. The 6 20 minute naps during the day accumulate to the amount of REM you would recieve in a full night's sleep. That's why, if you miss a nap completely, you will crash. There is no REM deprivation except for the first week, and usually you will get some REM during that week, just not as much as normal. It is perfectly safe to do it, but it just isn't worth it. It is like living in an alter reality; days seamlessly transition; I see my roommate sleep all night, while I don't; I have so much free time that I feel like I am living longer. Just don't do it. I was wrong when I thought I would stick with it, it is simply too much time and trouble.</p>
<p>how do you do polyphasic sleep? anyone have a guide or something? it's worht trying...</p>
<p>I used to get about 3-5 hours of sleep a night. I was doing mech engineering and playing basketball. It was tough getting up, but after I got a shower, I always felt fine. I don't think it's the best thing for you, but it can be done. If you feel ok, go with what you want to do. Listen to your body, don't listen to some kid who read about sleep patterns in a book</p>
<p>Come on, that was a little snide. I didn't just "read about sleep patterns in a book." I took an entire class on it with one of the world's leading sleep experts. I read numerous peer-reviewed journal articles about various research on the effects of sleep loss. And I've experienced it myself.</p>
<p>Research shows that it hurts your body even when you don't feel it. By the time you're conscious of the harm you're doing to your body, it's too late. Numerous studies show that your reaction time and memory, as well as various hormonal cycles, are quite disrupted before people are aware of it.</p>
<p>And if "it was tough getting up," that IS your body telling you that it needs to go back to bed. If you are truly getting enough sleep, it will not be difficult to get up in the morning.</p>
<p>Note that I said it's not the best thing for you. I was never arguing that it was. I'm saying that people react differently to different amounts of sleep. If the OP needs to get that amount of sleep and feels fine, then I don't think there is anything wrong with it.</p>
<p>The statements you got from your class are generalizations. Also, the study of sleep has a lot of theories that are contested. The function of sleep (restorative, physiological growth processes, etc) is also contested. </p>
<p>I'm saying I did it and that he should listen to his body about his sleep cycles. If he feels fine, then go for it.</p>
<p>ILoveBrown: So you never feel tired in the morning?</p>
<p>Yes, I do. But that's when I haven't been getting enough sleep.</p>
<p>And even if someone "feels fine" on 3-5 hours of sleep, their body is not fine. There's very little variability within people our age -- the minimum someone could really be perfectly healthy with might be around 7 hours per night, and even that would be rare.</p>
<p>It's mostly society and colleges placing pressure on people to be superacheivers with five pages of accomplishments and saying it's some kind of virtue to sacrifice sleep. What they don't realize is that getting 8 hours of sleep isn't being lazy, but rather that not getting enough sleep actually lowers productivity because you're falling asleep during class or work. It can also be serious if you're driving. No one would advocate skipping meals to put more time into activities, so it's ridiculous that society sees sleep as a luxury or a pleasure.</p>
<p>Not only do I see sleep as a luxury, I view it as wasted time. I -hate- it.</p>
<p>neverborn, you are on your own there! Most nights I fall asleep around 1, and get up between 7-8 am, depending if my first class is at 8 or 9am. If studying or something keeps me up until 2 or 3am, then I'll take a nap the next day if I have time. On the weekends, I got to sleep between 1-2am Friday and Saturday nights, and get up between noon and 3pm on Saturdays and Sundays. If I have the opportunity to sleep 10, 11, or 12 hours, I will.</p>
<p>I love my sleep!!! :)</p>
<p>I'll sleep 3-5 on weekdays and catch up because I have to on weekends. I despise it.</p>
<p>Neverborn, you are quite the super-human. </p>
<p>I can't live without a minimum of six hours/night. Eight hours really is ideal.</p>