Day 2 Conclusion: Vivid Dreams

So as Day 2 of my polyphasic sleep experiment comes to a close, I'm finding that I'm rarely hungry.  I can eat, but I really have no motivation to do so.  Earlier this evening (particularly after my hour and half nap screw up), I felt pretty energetic (6.5 out of 10).  Ever since I started, I've had what Pavlina refers to as "brain fog."  When that subsides, I'll feel like I'm really making progress. 

When I lay down for my 8 pm nap this evening, I wasn't able to fall asleep.  I kept my eyes closed and definitely had some extremely vivid (note: not lucid) dreams.  It may have been a mixture of substance use and sleep deprivation but every image my mind conjured, I could physically feel.  Mentally, I imagined a cigarette dangling off my bottom lip and then I could feel my lower lip sagging.  I imagined myself with an eyebrow piercing and instantly felt it above my right eye.  It was weird.  I'm drinking a few beers tonight so we'll see what happens with my 12 am nap.  

Depending on how I feel tonight, I might add another nap between 12 am and 8 am.  Pavlina and another polyphasic sleeper's blog suggested it as a temporary nap that can eventually be weened off.  Pavlina also said that he set his alarm clock for 30 minutes instead of 20 to account for the 10 odd minutes that it takes to fall asleep.  It's definitely possible that I've only been sleeping for 10 or 15 minutes depending on how long it's taken me to fall asleep.  A lot of interesting things to consider.

First Fuck Up

So I had my first fuck up this afternoon.  I went to sleep at 4:20 and woke up at at 6:00.  (So in response to your text Owen, I'm still in the game cause it wasn't two hours).  I don't really know how it happened seeing as the alarm clock was right next to my ear.  That being said I guess I really needed the extra sleep.  To add insult to injury, I've been getting immunizations for my semester abroad in Uganda.  Today I got my meningitis, typhoid, and influenza shots, and I wonder if that had an effect on my sleepiness.

I've been re-reading Steve Pavlina's experience with polyphasic sleep.  He found his 1 am - 5 am cycle (the equivalent of my 12 am - 4 am) the hardest to stay awake in.  So what he did was add another nap in between at 3 am.  I might consider doing the same.  While I may have slipped here, I am going to continue to go strong.  Every blog I've read has the person missing one if not more alarms, and while I was hoping to get through without a mistake, this does not deter me from my ultimate goal.

In fact, Pavlina began experiencing more alertness and energy by day 3 and 4, so maybe tonight will be a new threshold for me.  Plus the additional hour and half of sleep I got will definitely make tonight a little easier even if I don't add that additional nap.  Another thing that Pavlina talks about is a core sleep time.  Some polyphasic sleepers add a 3-hour core sleep period often in the 4 am - 8 am range.  As intriguing and inviting as this sounds, I am going to stay away from it because it will make the adaptation period all the longer.  

Shit Show

This just turned into a shit show real fast.  After waking up from my 4 am nap, I struggled to keep my eyes open.  I was able to occupy myself by taking on odd jobs like cleaning out closets and getting things ready for going abroad.  I had to stay standing to ensure that I didn't pass out.  When the sun rose, I got enough of an energy boost to last me until my 8 am nap.  Ridiculously tired, there may have been at most 2 seconds between when my head hit the pillow and when I fell asleep.  Unfortunately though, I didn't feel remotely refreshed 20 minutes later.

As I rode the subway to a doctors appointment, I was literally falling asleep standing up.  I had to take a step back from the platform  cause I was worried I'd fall in.  I picked up a Red Bull cause it was necessary for survival.  I'm doing okay right now, but I'm starting to empathize with heroin addicts who quit cold turkey.

The next nap is at 12.  It's crazy to believe that it's only been two and half days or something.  I was definitely getting a little cocky at the beginning with the first day and night being such a breeze.  Needless to say, I've been humbled.  The benefits from this sleep cycle will be unparalleled, I only hope that it gets a little easier here on out.

Day 2 Update

So I just woke up from my 4 am nap. I was a about 20 minutes late for the 4 am one because I was outside getting pizza with friends. Waking up from this nap was much much more difficult than others throughout the day. The 4 am and 8 am naps have consistently been the most difficult. A lot of the other blogs stressed the importance of sticking to your schedule directly, whereas I've been flirting with 5 or 10 minutes here and there. While I thought that the others were wrong, after waking up with so much fatigue a little while ago, I can only assume that sticking to the schedule is, in fact, imperative.

I also let my self sleep an extra 10 minutes because some polyphasic studies have suggested 20-30 minute sleep intervals. I think this might be dangerous especially when I'm using it just to get a little more sleep. Another thing I forgot to mention is that I haven't been sleeping in my bed for any of his. Rather I've been sleeping on couches with my alarm clock practically next to my ear. Other blogs have written about sleeping on the floor or in an uncomfortable position. While my couch is much nicer than the floor, I wold definitely suggest staying away from the lure of your bed.

As this experiment goes on, my concept of time is becoming more scattered. When constitutes a day when you're up for 22 hours of it? For recording purposes, I have been considering my day over at midnight. Another effect of the the blurred time is that I have to pay more attention to activities typically associated with a time period like brushing your teeth, showering, or taking meds.

I'd also like to point out that I feel like my posts are getting less articulate. I guess my brain isn't going to be working as well for awhile. I'm finally starting to get an idea of what the reality of this life would be like on a day-to-day basis. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I still think that eventually I'll get a beautiful nights sleep in my bed. Urban myths of famed polyphasic sleepers like Thomas Jefferson suggest that he would go to sleep for a full 24 hours once a month or so. The prospect is enticing. Additionally, some polyphasic sleepers have augmented 20 minute naps with a core sleep cycle from 4 - 7 am. This is definitely something to consider.

Physically, I am finding that I fall asleep relatively quickly (but completely unaware). I start each nap slightly paranoid that I won't fall asleep and my body will crash, but the next thing I know I'm waking up to a buzzing alarm clock. It's felt like I've been dreaming in a bunch of my naps even though I can never remember of what. Hopefully this means that my body is on the way to solely R.E.M. sleep.

This is definitely some of the hardest hours. My eyes are getting heavier and I occasionally nod off. My mom, a natural insomniac, is keeping me company, but I'm not sure what I can do if the computer is making me tired. I haven't noticed much of a change in diet that some polyphasic sleepers talk about. Often the amount of awake hours results in increased food consumption, but my natural eating cycle is every hour rather than 3 large meals throughout the day so I believe I'm already accustomed to it. Haven't noticed any other physical side effects besides fatigue. I'll keep you posted.

Day 2

So Day 2 has begun.  I chilled with some highschool friends tonight drinking wine and what not.  We got to my friend's place around 11 pm, so it was only an hour before I had to nap.  Even though they were blasting music in the same room that I was sleeping in, I was able to fall asleep, maybe my body's desperate need for sleep?  My friends have been really supportive.  Even though some have their checkbooks weighed against me, they're still curious to see if this will actually work.  My buddy Max pointed out that in the future we'll look back on this as that weird thing that I tried out, but as of right now it's so current, it's kinda crazy.

Sometimes I completely forget that I'm doing this.  I expect to go home, get into my comfy bed, and pass out.  And even though it's just Day 2, sometimes I wonder why.  What on earth am I going to do from 4 am to 8 am?  That being said, I'm doing pretty good.  It's 3 am and I'm wide awake.  I've been getting small headaches in between naps but nothing that can't be ignored.  Also something I completely forgot about was contacts.  Now that I'm awake most of the day, I've been wearing my contacts much more than I should.  Definitely gotta make a note of that.

So far everything is working just fine.  I'll keep you posted.