How to follow a polyphasic sleep pattern. Polyphasic sleep - a story of successful experience

The rhythm of modern life is high, and a person often does not have enough time for what he would like to do. Sleep occupies a full third of our lives, many researchers have worked and continue to work on the task of reducing the time a person spends in sleep. Polyphasic sleep is a practice that involves breaking up a night's rest into several parts, incl. transfer of sleep to the daytime. The first apologists for the idea of ​​sleeping less appeared long before our days.

Who was the first in history to practice sleeping in parts

The term “polyphasic sleep” itself was introduced by the Russian psychologist S.P. Shimansky at the beginning of the 20th century, but this technique was used in practice much earlier.

The semi-savage Pirahan tribe lives in the Amazon Delta. The origin of the Amazonian savages is from the Mura Indians, who arrived in the Amazon about 10 thousand years ago. The inhabitants of the tribe believe that it is harmful to sleep for a long time: it relaxes the tone of the human muscles, the hunting instinct is lost, and most importantly, if the soul of the sleeping person stays in the other world for too long, the spirits may not be allowed to return to the body. To avoid premature death, Mura Pirahi sleep 4 times a day: 30 minutes every 5.5 hours.

If we consider people from the civilization familiar to us, the famous Italian Leonardo da Vinci became the first person to practice polyphasic rest. The day of genius was divided into 6 parts, each consisted of:

• 20 minutes of sleep;
• 3 hours 40 minutes awake.

Later, such a system will be called Uberman. Another famous scientist who proved the effectiveness of sleep by the clock is Nikola Tesla. During important research, he slept only 2.5 hours a day. The night stage took about 2 hours, during the day - only 30 minutes!

To one degree or another, the regime of polyphasic sleep, which took a total of half or even three times less than the prescribed 7-8 hours, was practiced by many historical figures: Winston Churchill, Thomas Edison, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Benjamin Franklin, Vladimir Ulyanov (Lenin) and others.

First application in practice observed by experts

A scientific study of the effectiveness of sleep by the clock on a personal example was first conducted by the American inventor Buckminster Fuller. He came up with a technique by which only 2 hours a day were allotted for rest - 4 times for 30 minutes. Mr. Fuller went to bed every 5.5 hours, so his day was divided into 4 blocks, including the phase of wakefulness and sleep. As an inventor, he patented this mode, calling it Dimaxion. Later, this name turned into a trademark, under which many inventions of a talented American were released.

The whole experiment lasted a little over 2 years. Fuller regularly underwent examinations of the physiological and mental state. He was forced to stop this practice at the urgent request of his relatives. At the end of the experiment, experts conducted another thorough analysis of Mr. Fuller's condition - he was recognized as absolutely healthy.

Basic polyphasic sleep techniques

Without taking into account individual less common practices, four main types of fractional rest can be distinguished:

1. Biphasic or biphasic rest.
2. Everyman (every person).
3. Dimaxion(Dimaksion).
4. Uberman.

Two-phase rest

It is a system that combines night and day rest. The duration of sleep periods is 4-6 hours at night and about 1-1.5 hours during the day. This practice is widely used in a number of countries with hot climates. There has historically developed a situation where it is simply unbearable to work during the day because of the scorching sun and high air temperature.

Therefore, people were forced to get up early in the morning, and in the hottest time of the day they indulged in rest. The biphasic mode allows people who practice it to slightly “reboot” the body and work fruitfully in the afternoon and evening. Sleeping twice in 24 hours is the most common technique among polyphasic sleepers.

Everyman

The name suggests that any person can master such a technique of multi-phase rest. At night, it is proposed to sleep from one and a half to three hours, and during the day, three twenty-minute intervals should be allocated for rest at regular intervals. This type of polyphasic sleep is considered the easiest to implement in practice, apart from biphasic sleep.

Dimaxion

Using Dimaxion, a person sleeps only 2 hours a day. It seems incredible, but the two-year, confirmed by experts, practice of the inventor of this method, Buckminster Fuller, says that you can sleep like this without harm to health. Mr. Fuller impressed the experts watching him with his 30-second falling asleep. He also woke up rapidly, reminding him of turning on and off some apparatus.

The Pirahan Indians also practice dimaxion, having invented and implemented it long before the American inventor.

Uberman

According to this technique, you need to go to bed 6 times a day. The duration of the rest should be only 20 minutes. In twenty-four hours, it will be typed, in general, 2 hours allotted for rest. This technique is similar to Dimaxion, but the time periods when a person sleeps are shorter and more frequent. It was Uberman's schedule that Leonardo da Vinci adhered to.

Who practices polyphasic sleep in our time

In fact, a lot of people sleep several times a day - these are children from infancy to 9-10 years old, the upper bar of this age is purely individual. Researchers Murphy and Campbell, in their 2006 work The Nature of Sleep in Adulthood, conclude that polyphasic rest is the rule rather than the exception for the entire animal world and for humans as well. The monophasic rest schedule is a consequence of modern life, when we simply cannot afford to sleep in the afternoon or at other times than at night. Not the last role is played by the active use of stimulants: caffeine, nicotine, energy drinks.

There are many examples where the polyphasic sleep regimen is used at a professional level.

Naval aviation of Italy, Canada, USA

Experiments with the fragmentation of the period of sleep into several parts, with a parallel reduction in the total time allotted for rest, were carried out by the Canadian, Italian and American military. The task was to study the influence of the polyphase schedule on the human body.

The conducted experiments showed that in extreme conditions, for example, during special operations or in war, polyphasic rest is necessary, since it is not possible to allocate 8 hours at a time for rest. Canadian experts noted lower labor productivity and concentration of attention among the pilots participating in the experiment.

Criticism of polyphasic sleep

The rest is not "a single block at 8 o'clock" has supporters and opponents. One of the scientists consistently criticizing this technique is the researcher Piotr Wozniak. He believes that the concept of splitting sleep into parts is harmful to a person, and the efficiency and productivity of those who sleep several times a day are significantly reduced when compared with people who rest according to their usual schedule.

Wozniak studied the diaries of fractional rest supporters. And in each of them I found evidence that practicing polyphasic techniques is extremely difficult for the body. Bloggers note a syndrome of chronic fatigue and a constant desire to sleep. The scientist believes that our body will always strive to collect all the rest in a single segment of 7-8 hours. Wozniak warns about the negative consequences of the polyphasic sleep technique. According to the scientist, practicing people may experience:

• weakening of the immune system;
• decrease in mental, physical activity;
• loss of concentration;
• an increase in stress levels;
• unexplained anxiety.

How to switch to polyphasic sleep

If you still want to try to save a few hours a day on sleep and switch to multi-phase rest, we suggest following a few simple recommendations:

1. You need to select the appropriate mode. Make a schedule of your affairs, add time for some force majeure and think about what polyphasic sleep technique you can put into practice. Cutting out during the day 3 20-minute segments for sleep in Uberman mode is only possible for people with a free schedule.
2. Remember that the adaptation period will be the most difficult for the body. It takes, according to various estimates, about 5-12 days. It is desirable if at this time you will not solve serious work tasks, important problems or operate precise mechanisms.
3. Listen to how you feel. There are frequent examples of deterioration in health with the introduction of a polyphasic sleep regimen. One of the bloggers wrote about the appearance of pain in the heart on the third day after the start of the experiment.
4. Follow the schedule. It is important not to miss the scheduled time periods for sleep. The body receives serious stress with such a global change in the rest regime, so additional changes will be detrimental to health.

A lot of evidence shows that it is possible to go polyphasic, but it must be done with careful consideration of the possible consequences.

In addition to physiological manifestations, one must not forget that you will enter into serious dissonance with the rhythm of other people's lives and get some organizational problems.

28.03.2011 14:21

I recently decided to try biphasic sleep, which implies the division of sleep time during the day into two stages. This topic has been discussed extensively on my forum, so if you want to learn more about it, read the multi-page discussion of the subject there. If you have only read the first post on this topic on the forum, then you are already quite knowledgeable and familiar with the basic concepts.

Of course, this is not my first experiment with sleep. I previously wrote How to Become a Lark and described my experience of "polyphasic sleep" for 5.5 months in 2005-2006.

Polyphasic sleep has been an amazing but highly controversial experiment. I slept for 20 minutes every 4 hours during the day, which in total was only 2 hours out of 24. The first week was accompanied by a terrible lack of sleep, but once I adjusted, it became much easier.

What I didn't like about polyphasic sleep was the rigid schedule. Sleep and wakefulness were divided into very clear time periods. Each period of activity was exactly 3 hours and 40 minutes. I could shift the schedule slightly from the set time, but skipping even one phase of sleep meant terrible well-being for several subsequent cycles. Also, I really disliked being away from people who had to fall asleep every night while I was awake. Looking back, I'm amazed that I lasted this long. Apparently, despite all the difficulties, after the first month, such a rhythm became a habit and became natural for me.

My Biphasic Sleep Experience

Biphasic sleep has many options. The version I chose looks something like this:

0:30-5:00 - basic sleep (4.5 hours)

18:00-19:30 - nap (1.5 hours)

I feel good after the main sleep period. Perhaps later I will try to reduce its time, but for now I will leave it at 4.5 hours, at least for the time of adaptation. I usually get up at 5:00 every day, so I have no trouble waking up at the same time and after switching to biphasic sleep. And, in general, it is not difficult for me to go to bed a couple of hours later than usual.

I am not sure about the correct timing of the second segment of sleep (evening nap). My choice in this case was entirely based on the positive experience of other people who practice biphasic sleep, and, in addition, this time fits comfortably into my rhythm of life. However, a little later, I am ready to move this time, based on the analysis of my own well-being. Apparently, I will have to conduct several experiments in order to find out the time that is most suitable for my body.

Based on other people's descriptions of biphasic sleep, I come to the conclusion that it is much easier to adjust to it than polyphasic sleep. One person compared the feeling of switching to it to a slight shift in the rhythm of life during the week. I am ready to accept this. Once I started practicing biphasic sleep, I completed all my plans for this week without any problems. This experiment did not cause any disruption in my life.

Why biphasic sleep?

My motivation is extremely simple. I want to see if I can use the best of both worlds: stay an early bird and stay active late at night.

If I had to choose, I would prefer morning activity. I LOVE waking up before dawn. I love going to the gym when it's not crowded and getting home while it's still dark outside. I like to have breakfast at sunrise. I really enjoy the early start of the day.

If I wake up to sunrise, I feel lazy and unproductive with drastically reduced self-esteem. If I lie in bed at 7 am, I feel like I slept through the better half of the day.

But other than that, I live in Las Vegas. People who come here want to have fun and hang out in clubs after 10pm. There are many interesting activities that require staying awake during the evening hours.

In the past, I have sometimes switched to a midnight life for a while, only to switch back to my comfortable morning life. I do not like to injure my body with these switches. Sometimes I deliberately avoided entertaining evening activities because I didn't want to break my routine. I know I feel much better when I get up early and didn't want to be sleepy the next day.

There are also some things that interest me, but for a person who starts his day early, which are difficult to complete. For example, participation in dance parties. Rachel and I had a great time earlier this year attending many dance events in New Orleans. Moreover, we even wanted to take some lessons and learn different dance styles. But Las Vegas clubs don't open until 10:00 pm, so in order to carry out my plans, I have to give up my regimen.

Thus, I'd really like to have a sleep schedule that allows me to be an "early bird" and at the same time not interfere with evening entertainment. Of course, it should fit my work and allow me to get enough sleep.

Biphasic sleep looks like a promising solution, so I'm excited to try it out and see the results. Taking a nap at the beginning of the evening is not a big problem for me and does not require any serious sacrifice. Even if I do an afternoon seminar, I always have free time to sleep in the evening after it. In addition, if I am extremely uncomfortable, I can skip the evening nap altogether, and get a "full" night's sleep. I always have a choice: follow the two-phase schedule or temporarily abandon it and spend the day in single-phase mode.

Another benefit of biphasic sleep is that you get more sleep with less time in bed, and there are people who testify that they feel much better after switching from standard monophasic to biphasic sleep. I'm not overly interested in the extra waking time, but I'm curious to see if I would feel more energized than usual by switching to biphasic sleep. If so, and I notice a difference, then I am inclined to continue my experiment further.

Biphasic sleep is another tool I want to add to my personal growth toolset. Even if this tool will serve me well only a few times during my life, I won't need it the rest of the time. I feel that right now is just such a moment when this skill can be very useful.

Self Discipline vs. Spontaneity

Achieving a reasonable balance between self-discipline and spontaneity is a very difficult and important task. If you are too disciplined, you run the risk of becoming overly rigid and missing out on some great growth opportunities. But if you are too spontaneous, then your life can turn into a disorderly, poorly organized and directionless attempt to move forward on the path of self-improvement. Purposeful, focused efforts can create wonderful long-term sources of income, including multiple passive income streams that will free you from completely unnecessary sitting in the office. To create a free life suitable for self-realization, it is important to maintain a reasonable balance between these two factors.

If my biphasic sleep schedule works, then I'll be able to enjoy the best of both worlds - maintaining a regular, orderly sleep schedule while also being able to accept unexpected invitations from friends who decide to go to the nightly disco, and so on. I know that for some people, going through the night without sleep is not a problem. I myself sometimes leave the party already at dawn, but on a regular basis this mode will not please me. As a teenager, I had had enough of sleepless nights for many years to come. Now, in my 30s, I have fallen in love with self-discipline.

Self-discipline is not so terrible if it allows some spontaneity. It's much easier for me to act spontaneously when I have complete control over my schedule and don't need to work. So if you like spontaneity, you must also love self-discipline. Otherwise, you risk spending your efforts on realizing someone else's dream of freedom.

The feeling of freedom, in turn, also makes it easier to work on self-discipline. If all you see in front of you is work, work, and more work, it is not at all motivating. But if you make an effort to have fun, enjoy unplanned trips and unexpected adventures, then your motivation increases dramatically. Happiness is much more stimulating than tension.

The experiment has already begun

I started biphasic sleep yesterday and today is my second day of the experiment. Yesterday I took a light nap in the afternoon and then went to bed at 0:30 as scheduled. I got up at 5:00 and felt a little more overwhelmed than usual, but not too bad. I went about my normal morning routine without any problems. It's almost 13:00 now and I still feel pretty good.

To help ease the transition, I eat a mostly raw diet (remember, I've been a vegan for over 14 years) based on fresh juice and no caffeine. In the morning I made 2 liters of juice (carrot-celery-romaine-dandelion-ginger-lime-apple), which is approximately 50% of my today's calories. The advantage of juice is that it requires very little energy to digest, and more energy remains in the body. I know from experience with polyphasic sleep and various dietary experiments that when I eat mostly fresh fruits, vegetables, and fresh juices, I need less sleep and feel more energized throughout the day. In addition, with such a diet during training, my heart rate decreases. Thus, I want to give myself a little edge to minimize the feeling of sleep deprivation. I have big plans for this week and I don't want to be like a zombie, especially since I can avoid it.

I don't plan to blog every day of this experiment, but I will report on it from time to time, especially if I have something interesting.

I do not set myself the goal of completely switching to two-phase sleep. My current challenge is to go through an adjustment period and see what changes it will bring after my body gets used to the new routine. Once I see this, I will make a decision whether I want to continue with this system or not. If I don't like something, I will immediately return to my normal routine.

I have a friend who once dreamed of sleeping only two hours a day and at the same time practically not feeling tired. I dream that on certain days there would be not twenty-four, but at least thirty-six hours in a day.

Fellow workaholics and other creative individuals, I have good news for you! Stretching the day to thirty-six hours, of course, is impossible, but sleeping less and staying awake longer is very real! Because in addition to the usual for most cycles of "6-8 hours of sleep, 16-18 hours of wakefulness" there are four more that just allow you to work miracles;)

So, in addition to the single-phase sleep cycle that is familiar to most of the population, there are other options for multi-phase sleep that can help expand your working day without harming your health. Jordan Lejuwaan, creator of HighExistence, shares some interesting information.

Cycle of the Superman

This cycle includes sleeping for 20-30 minutes every four hours. The result is that you sleep six times a day. The Uberman cycle is considered to be very effective - people feel healthier, feel energized and have very vivid dreams. But it has one significant drawback: if you miss at least one phase of sleep, you will feel sleepy and tired.

Steve Pavlina practiced this cycle for 5.5 months, but after that he returned to normal sleep in order to live in unison with his family.

ordinary cycle

This cycle includes one "basic" long sleep (1-1.5 hours) and three or four to five short sleeps of twenty minutes. The remaining time after the main sleep is divided so that short breaks occur at regular intervals.

This schedule is considered more flexible, easier to adjust to, and can be combined with a single-phase sleep cycle of three to four hours. In addition, sometimes you can skip "short dreams" without harm to health.

Dimaxion Cycle

Bucky Fuller derived this sleep cycle from his belief that humans have two reservoirs of energy. And if the first reservoir is very easy to replenish, then the second (second wind) is replenished much more reluctantly. He ended up sleeping for thirty minutes 4 times a day every six hours, for a total of only two hours of sleep! At the same time, he said that he had never felt more energetic. Doctors examined Bucky after two years of such a cycle and declared him completely healthy.

This is by far the most extreme of the four alternatives, but also the most effective sleep cycle.

Biphasic cycle or siesta

This sleep is practiced by many high school students and students and includes four to four and a half hours of sleep at night and about an hour and a half during the day. This cycle is not much different from the single-phase, but still a little more efficient.

It will not be easy to switch to new multi-phase cycles and from about the third to the tenth day you will feel like a zombie. Just be patient, eat healthy low-fat food and you will be fine. In about two weeks, you will feel the promised result.

Such experiments can only be carried out if you know for sure that you have two or three absolutely free weeks left and that your work and study can coexist with your new schedule. As, in other matters, and your family.

It is believed that for a good rest we need 6-8 hours of sleep per day. After that, full of energy, we can start a new day, which will last an average of 16-18 hours. This sleep mode is called single-phase.

In fact, in addition to the most common single-phase sleep, there are four more polyphasic sleep patterns, when sleep is broken up into several short periods throughout the day.

As you know, the most important part of rest is the phase of REM sleep. When we switch from single-phase to polyphasic, the lack of sleep prompts us to dive into that phase immediately, rather than 45 to 75 minutes later. Thus, the body seems to receive a portion of a full-fledged eight-hour sleep, but at the same time we do not waste precious time on the transition to the REM sleep phase.

Polyphasic Sleep Modes

1. Uberman

20-30 minutes of sleep every 4 hours = 6 rest breaks per night.

Uberman mode is very effective and has a beneficial effect on health. Thanks to him, in the morning a person feels a charge of vivacity, and at night he sees vivid interesting dreams. Many who adhere to this regimen even note that they can see more often.

Don't worry, sticking to the schedule will ensure you don't miss another nap. The body will give the necessary signal.

2. Everyman

3 hours of sleep at night and 3 times of 20 minutes during the day / 1.5 hours of sleep at night and 4-5 times of 20 minutes during the day.

If you have chosen Everyman, you must set the same time interval between rest breaks. It is much easier to adapt to such a regime than to Uberman. In addition, it is many times more effective than single-phase sleep.

3.Dymaxion

30 minutes of sleep every 6 hours.

Dymaxion was invented by American inventor and architect Richard Buckminster Fuller. He was delighted with this regime and said that he had never felt more energetic. After several years of Dymaxion, doctors examined Fuller's condition and concluded that he was in excellent health. However, he had to stop this practice, as his business partners adhered to a single-phase sleep regimen.

Dymaxion is the most extreme and most productive of the polyphasic modes. But at the same time, sleep lasts only two hours a day!

4. Biphasic (biphasic)

4-4.5 hours of sleep at night and 1.5 hours of sleep during the day.

Every second student adheres to this regime. This is not very effective, but it is still better than single-phase sleep.

Which mode to choose

The answer to this question depends entirely on your lifestyle, schedule, and habits. Remember that when switching to Dymaxion or Uberman, you will be walking around like a zombie for about a week while your body adapts to the new sleep pattern.

How to enter the new sleep mode

Some helpful tips to make the transition easier:

1. Arrange the bedroom so that you feel as comfortable as possible to relax in it.
2. Eat healthy food and avoid fast food.
3. Keep yourself occupied with something during your waking hours, then the time will fly by.
4. Free up two or three weeks for the transition, otherwise there is a risk of falling asleep right at work or school.
5. Do not give up! After a couple of weeks it will be much easier. You just need to wait. Do not skip sleep breaks and do not change the time intervals between them so as not to start the adjustment period all over again.
6. Turn on loud music to wake you up, and make sure that no extraneous sounds prevent you from falling asleep.

If you are seriously thinking about the practice of polyphasic sleep, then we advise you to study

Polyphasic sleep is one of the sleep patterns that does not involve the traditional eight hours of sleep all night (monophasic sleep), but several planned and well-defined periods of sleep throughout the 24 hours. As a result, you sleep much more often (several times a day), but less in time. Supporters of the polyphasic sleep regimen are pleased that they have several hours of free time per day, which they used to inevitably spend on sleep. However, it is worth noting that this sleep mode is not suitable for everyone. Sometimes the military and some athletes resort to polyphasic sleep.

Steps

Part 1

Graphs with the main night segment of sleep

Choose the sleep mode that suits you best. In the course of preparation, you need to understand which mode suits you best, based on your goal, schedule of classes or work, as well as the general condition of the body. There are four main modes of polyphasic sleep:

• Biphasic sleep, Everyman mode, Dymaxion mode and Uberman.
• Two of them are designed for sleep both at night and during the day. These include biphasic sleep and Everyman mode.
• The easiest and safest way to switch to polyphasic sleep is to start by cutting back on nighttime sleep using one of these modes.

1. Consider biphasic sleep. The essence of this mode is that the sleep time is divided into two segments. Usually, the longer segment falls at night, and the smaller segment (lasting 20-30 minutes or 90 minutes) falls on the first half of the day. In many cultures, this sleep routine is widely used because it not only saves time on sleep, but is also a neutral option in terms of health.

   • The shorter the daytime segment of sleep (a nap that allows you to recuperate), the longer the night segment will be (during which all phases of sleep pass, including REM sleep).
   • Biphasic sleep has a number of advantages over other polyphasic sleep patterns because it matches circadian rhythms and hormonal releases that help regulate sleep. Thanks to them, our body has adapted to sleep more at night than during the day.
   • Biphasic sleep is described in history as "first" and "second" sleep. In a time when people did not yet know how to use electricity, people slept for several hours immediately after dark, then were awake for several hours, and then went to bed again and woke up already at dawn with the first rays of the sun.
   • However, biphasic sleep is hardly suitable for those who want to free up as much time as possible for wakefulness, because in terms of sleep duration, this mode does not differ very much from the usual monophasic sleep pattern.

2. A handy benefit is the ability to create your own biphasic sleep schedule. Your sleep schedule will depend on your school and work schedule, as well as your overall health. Thus, you can get the most out of this mode and adapt it exactly for yourself.

   • So, break your sleep time into two segments. Each segment of sleep should be long enough to allow enough time for REM sleep. Usually a person needs about 5-6 periods of REM sleep during the day.
   • One normal sleep cycle (including REM sleep) takes about 90 minutes. Make a schedule that each segment of sleep will include 90-minute cycles.
   • For example, your main sleep segment will last from 1 AM to 4:30 AM, and the second sleep segment could last 1.5 hours (from 12 PM to 1:30 PM) or 3 hours (from 12 PM to 3:00 PM). It all depends on your schedule and capabilities.
   • Once you are more or less accustomed to the new schedule, try to gradually reduce your sleep time until the sleep is short enough, but you still feel good and alert.
   • There should be a break between sleep segments (at least 3 hours).
   • It is important not to oversleep and not fall asleep ahead of time. Try to stick to your sleep schedule for at least a week before making any changes to it.

3. Consider the Everyman mode. This mode consists of a main sleep segment (about three hours) and three additional segments of 20 minutes each. If you still want to switch to polyphasic sleep, which will save even more time for being awake, this option will most likely suit you. This mode is easier to transition to as it still has the main 3 hour segment.

   Start gradually moving towards your schedule. Try to stick with it for at least a week. You will most likely have problems at first, because adjusting to a polyphasic sleep pattern is not so easy. Once you've adjusted and gotten a little used to your new schedule, you can break your 5 hours of sleep into 3 segments.

   • In this case, the main segment of sleep can last about 4 hours, and the additional two segments of 30 minutes each. If you work from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., split these segments so that they fall at lunch time and at the time you return from work.
   • Try to stick to the chosen mode for at least a week. Don't change the mode until you get used to it.
   • After a week or two, you can adjust your sleep schedule by shortening the main sleep segment and adding another segment.
   • In the end, if you keep adjusting your sleep pattern, you will achieve the following result: the main segment of sleep (3.5 hours) + three more segments of 20 minutes each.
   • Distribute the time of sleep and wakefulness in such a way that it matches your study / work schedule as much as possible.

4. Stick to a sleep schedule. Try to strictly follow it, do not wake up and do not go to bed early. At first, it will not be easy, because the body will begin to adapt to the new regimen.

   • Don't worry if you can't stick to your routine at first. Some people find it harder to fall asleep, especially if every minute of sleep counts.
   • If you choose Everyman mode, be sure to stick to your schedule. Plan ahead for when you need to get ready for bed.
   • Plan in advance what you will do in your free time. It is unlikely that others also adhere to a polyphasic sleep pattern. Prepare ahead of time and make a to-do list. Focus on what you always wanted to do, but each time you did not have enough time for it. This will help you adjust to your new sleep pattern.

5. Adjust your schedule to suit you best. A very popular schedule is the division of sleep time into 4 segments, as already described above (the main segment of sleep and three additional ones). If necessary, you can adjust this schedule by rearranging the sleep segments to a different time.

   • This sleep pattern can be followed by other schedules.
   • According to one chart, a night's sleep is reduced to 1.5 hours (instead of four), and there are 5 additional twenty-minute segments. There should be equal intervals of time between them.

   Part 2

   Graphs without the main night sleep segment

   1. So, if you're willing to take the risk of cutting your sleep hours even further, consider switching to Uberman or Dymaxion modes. Both methods involve the rejection of the main segment of sleep (night). If you've already adjusted enough to your previous sleep schedule and want to try something even more extreme, you can switch to one of these modes. Keep in mind, according to these charts, sleep time is only 2 hours per night.

      • A significant disadvantage of these modes is the difficulty of observing the sleep schedule, since you need to adhere to the schedule very clearly.
      • Before switching to these modes, consider whether you can keep a sleep schedule every day (depending on study, work and family plans).
      • As mentioned above, these sleep patterns require about 2 hours of sleep per night.

   2. Make a schedule according to Uberman mode. It includes six sleep segments of 20 minutes each. There should be equal time intervals between these segments. The schedule must be strictly adhered to.

      • For example, you can arrange sleep segments as follows: 1:00 am, 5:00 am, 9:00 am, 1:00 pm, 5:00 pm, and 9:00 pm.
      • It is very important to sleep exactly 20 minutes and exactly according to the established schedule.
      • Uberman mode suggests 20 minutes of sleep every 4 hours.
      • If you find it very difficult to keep yourself awake, try to focus on your plans and the to-do list that you made in advance.

   3. Now consider the Dymaxion mode. It is very similar to the Uberman regime, but it is even more difficult to follow. The reason is that, there are fewer sleep segments, but they are longer in time.

   Part 3

   How to Prepare for Polyphasic Sleep

   1. Learn to nap. The essence of polyphasic sleep is the division of the entire sleep time into several segments. As a result, such sleep takes less time than normal monophasic sleep. If you're going to try out this sleep pattern, it's important to stick to your schedule exactly.

      • Get into the habit of getting up earlier than usual, and during the day, don't be afraid to give in to the temptation to take a nap after dinner.
      • Try to turn off your computer and gadgets at least 15 minutes before bedtime so that the bright light of the monitor does not bother you.
      • Go to bed at the same time every day so that your body can quickly adapt to the new routine.
      • When you lie down to take a nap, your heart rate slows down. Mentally count 60 heartbeats, then try to hear another 60. After the heart rate has slowed down, try to clear your mind of any thoughts.
      • Set an alarm for a specific time. When it rings, don't tell yourself, "5 more minutes." Get up as soon as the alarm rings.

   2. Reduce your nighttime sleep. Don't do it abruptly. Just gradually reduce the duration of your night's sleep.

      • Set your alarm 3 hours early first. Instead of sleeping 8 hours a night, sleep about 5 hours.
      • Stick to this schedule for three days.

   3. Set an alarm and stick to that sleep schedule. At first you will be a little uncomfortable, you will feel unusual. But over time, if you stick to the rules and wake up on time, the body will adapt to the new regimen.

      • Put your alarm clock away from your bed so you have to get up when you want to turn it off.
      • As soon as you get up, immediately turn on the light in the room.
      • If you have a lamp that mimics natural light, turn it on to wake up faster after each sleep segment.

   4. Think about your schedule. Before you divide sleep into segments, think about work, school, family, sports activities. Distribute everything in such a way that it is most convenient for you. Remember that the schedule must be adhered to very clearly!

      • It is important to consider the fact that no one will adjust to your schedule. Make sure you are able to sleep in the middle of the day and live according to your schedule.
      • Do not forget about unplanned events that you did not take into account in the schedule. There should be enough time in the schedule that you could squeeze some event into.