What Do Scientists Really Know About Polyphasic Sleep?

It is important to get enough sleep, but what happens when you get those eight hours in little naps instead of in one big chunk at night?
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[@siriusblack9999]

one very important factor to note that is often forgotten is that polyphasic sleep requires sleep episodes to be separated by more than two hours to ensure that your body does not interpret it as interrupted sleep, but rather as fully separated sleep cycles

[@minotaur470]

Five years too late but I love how much sleep science sounds like you're pulling off some glitch in a video game

[@ractheraccoon]

@@minotaur470 lmao it really does tho

[@XxyGoddam]

​@@minotaur470sleep overall seems like a very big glitch in the game, where NPC suddenly become aware of the possibilities of the game engine

[@cup_check_official]

sleep is for the weak. *yawns and rubs eyes*

[@jerardogarcia4337]

Software Man xD

[@Sed-the-great]

Software Man hi again

[@curvy4655]

I prefer sleep for the week

[@bapaknyasaitama5816]

I prefer sleep while exercising, it make me strong while AFK

[@Zedareon]

lol

[@channingscott009]

I have two modes: Sleep is for the weak Sleeping for a week

[@Sydney-Casket-Base]

XD if this aint me-

[@truthseeker7815]

😭😭

[@vijaygk-zj6tl]

😂🤣🤣

[@Skjoldmc]

I was sporting an "everyman" polyphasic sleep cycle for a while. Days no longer felt like separate events. It just felt like one continuous everlasting day. (But funny enough I also got this feeling from playing too much Stardew valley.) It took a long time to adjust back to my normal view of days as separate events.

[@polyjohn3425]

Strictly speaking, days aren't separate events. We divide them based on night and day, sure, but that's kind of arbitrary.

[@Samzillah]

That's what midnights/late afternoons are like. You go to work one day and leave on another. Then again I sleep better on those shifts than days because instead of going to bed after work I end up staying up late to be social.

[@Skjoldmc]

PolyJohn That's true, but it's much easier to get your head around. It's the difference between "Today I'm gonna do this, this, and this." and "Before my next nap, I'm gonna do this and this. Then take a nap and do this afterwards -- Wait why is it dark outside?" It's almost as if remembering all you gotta do in a day becomes as much of a hassle as remembering a week's worth of activities. Brains are weird.

[@polyjohn3425]

It's only that way because we expect it to be that way, though. Like, there are lagnuages that don't use tense, and people who think that way seem to do just fine. Chinese languages, for example.

[@will3346]

So why did you try Everyman and was it helpful?

[@nocelebrity6042]

I tried reprogramming my brain, but after flashing the BIOS, I bricked it, and that voided the manufacturer warranty.

[@generalralph6291]

Sounds heavenly.

[@IsmailPbx]

Try hitting it. Usually works.

[@beholdandfearme]

When they tell you it's a lifetime warranty they only mean 7 years.

[@IAMDIMITRI]

I sleep in winter, the whole season.

[@winereviewforkids3463]

Ayo bro u a bear 🐻 or something

[@LeSwata]

@@winereviewforkids3463 Lmaoo

[@coocoointhebrains]

Said by Bear... 💗

[@guy136]

I hibernate.

[@jasnoorsandhu7516]

I live in canada and if i tried that I'd be sleeping all year

[@ThinkkTwiice]

Can you oversleep? Sometimes I'm able to get 9+ hours of sleep but when I do I often wake up with a headache and feeling really groggy as if I got 3 hours of sleep. Anyone else?

[@teambeining]

ThinkkTwiice Yes. You may need only 7 or 8 hours per night. Try setting an alarm to wake up earlier and see how it goes. Another problem may be that you are not getting good quality sleep. Check with your doc to see if you are risk for sleep apnea or if your diet or medications are affecting your sleep cycles.

[@TimpBizkit]

My body doesn't let me sleep any more, although sometimes I can get a bit more but it means the time I get sleepier the next night is later until I'm going to bed at sunrise lol. I think the only way to stop this is to get out of bed the same time every day whether it's early in the morning or later, although alternating 2 weeks night shift and 2 weeks day shift makes this impossible unless I quit my job. 7 hours seems to be my equal tiredness at same time of night number, although sometimes I'll want to lie in bed longer.

[@99CentRapper]

If I get 7 hours then I feel bad like that

[@SalmanMKC]

There are different stages to sleep, if you wake up during REM/deep sleep it can make you feel really tired,waking up during the light sleep stage is best.

[@AZ-ik1me]

🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️

[@krystalia_dorawanderer77]

I work on 3 shifts for almost 2 years now. I used to force myself to sleep for at least 6 hours straight a day but it made my health went bad. I got sickly. Now, I sleep/ nap when I need to (sleepy of course) and noticed recently that I became productive, more energetic and healthier. I think I sleep 3-4 times a day and I've never been happier than I am now in my adult life.

[@iresineherb7]

may god be with you man I hope you'll be happy forever

[@ulirichert7691]

How many hours do you sleep in total per day?

[@izzyjones7108]

Absolutely relatable. I worked shifts for almost half my life. Mostly 3rd shift. Even tho I haven't done that work.in almost 15y, every nite around 930p I perk up and feel energized even when logically I know i should be settling down

[@justinkiel3194]

I was a double major in college studying biology and chemistry while maintaining an Army ROTC contract. I did polyphasic sleep for 2 years sleeping about 3-4 hrs on weekdays and would sleep 6-7 on weekends. on average I would sleep about 27-30 hours a week. I have an overall positive experience of polyphonic sleeping. I found myself very productive at all times, and really only found myself nodding off in really boring classes. I found it really important to keep my mind stimulated in order to stay awake and drank 2-3 cups of coffee a day/night at certain times. My sleep schedule was pretty concrete and did not vary too much throughout each semester. Because I was in class in the morning I could not sleep until late afternoon. Everyday I would get up at 5:30am (as the army made me). I would be in class by 8 and would usually not get out until about 2 or 3pm. My first nap would be after dinner typically and would last for about 2 hours and then I would take a 20min nap at 11:00pm stay up all night and take my final nap (30mins) at 5:00am. I often found it hard to wake from my 2 hour nap and would often sleep through alarms. I really like polyphasic sleeping but I had trouble gaining weight, I tried to work out, but never was consistent. On average, I would gain 15-20lbs during the school year and would lose it in the summer. Overall I was very successful, I graduated with a 3.85 GPA in 4 years and took a 172 credit hours and found myself very happy. I feel like someone could be more successful if they worked out more often than just a couple times a week and spread out their sleep through the whole day rather than just the evening. I hope this helps someone! P.S. The hardest part of polyphasic sleep is the transition. It took me about 6 months for my body to adapt. If you want to try polyphasic sleep I recommend that you start making gradual changes rather than a dramatic ones. I think that will make for a much easier transition.

[@hilfyhao1806]

I think you should spread out your poor little sleep

[@beholdandfearme]

Four years later do you still have a positive opinion of polyphasic sleeping?

[@wiktorkw881]

I'm also curious

[@celsiusfox2631]

Dude died of sleep deprivation after writing this comment 😔

[@________----------.........]

@@celsiusfox2631 he said he only did it for 2 years, so i'm guessing he stopped

[@DankMatter]

I sleep for 24 hours *_still tired_*

[@shadowthetwisted]

over sleeping is just as bad as under sleeping.

[@DankMatter]

Yea, but you know what I meant

[@aarohibhavsar1520]

Sleeping is sooooo exhausting.

[@sampantherwhite]

Sounds like adrenal fatigue. Try acupuncture and herbs!

[@SyrupSplash]

Lol, acupuncture

[@GS42SCHOPAWE]

I’d be delighted to see a video on the history of biphasic sleep before electric light

[@dannytaylor6725]

This is a short historical and informative video, to the point kzbin.info/www/bejne/enyliXmcerV9r8k

[@pink_lemonade76]

I've noticed that when I sleep early like at 9pm or 10pm, I'll wake up every 2 to 3 hours until the morning when I get up around 7:30am(on weekdays). When I sleep later like around 11pm to 1am I sleep the whole night and have pretty vivid memories of my dreams.

[@Master_Therion]

I spent a summer as a sheep herder. It was my job to count the sheep in the morning, as they went to pasture, and again in the evening as they returned. By counting sheep twice a day, I developed a Polyphasic *Sheep* pattern.

[@margie713]

Ugh

[@codyofathens3397]

That... That is just terrible. I... SMH... How many kids do you have? Cause you a dad. Lol.

[@IceMetalPunk]

*Slow clap*

[@flyhigh9944]

Master Therion is that a joke ?

[@codyofathens3397]

flyhigh No, it was a dad joke. A joke has to be funny-- a dad joke just has to have words followed by a pun. :P

[@IceMetalPunk]

I currently work an inconsistent night schedule, with anywhere from 4 to 11 hours of work, usually ending around midnight. As a result, my sleep schedule is erratic, falling asleep anywhere from midnight to 6AM and waking up anywhere from 10AM to 5PM depending on when I work the next day. Luckily, I only have 4 more days of this job, and my new job starting mid-July will have normal, full-time hours; hopefully my sleeping habits will improve and I'll feel better physically as a result! :D

[@Bsalais15]

IceMetalPunk I’m working overnight on weekends and normal schedule for school during school. It was easy for the first few weeks but it’s literally making me mad. What symptoms did you have with this inconsistent schedule?

[@qpSubZeroqp]

It's been 3 years now. How do you feel?

[@IceMetalPunk]

@@qpSubZeroqp Better... I mean, I still don't go to sleep until between 12 and 6, but I do wake up the same time every morning 5 days a week, so that's an improvement 😂

[@gigachad7205]

Sounds like my job. Some days they ask you to come in at 5pm and 2 days later, 5am. I really try to make it work because sleep is very important to me (i go gym), but i don't think I'll last much longer here. Some of my colleagues just don't go to sleep at all if it's a morning shift and i keep telling them it's going to kill you in the long run. They never listen

[@GeneWaddle]

So it's better to get all the sleep at once? Yeah, tell that to my bladder.😛

[@Based-and-Epic-MRSA]

Gene Waddle me too. I always wake up to pee at least once 😑

[@margie713]

Yup. Fortunately I'm able to go back to sleep within seconds after returning to bed.

[@GeneWaddle]

I guess it's better to wake up and pee rather than pee and wake up though

[@Dixitkushagra175]

LOL

[@turtle2720]

Don't dream about going to the toilet ;)

[@tosht2515]

For me, the key is simply uninterrupted sleep. I get only 5-6 hours a night but I sleep like a rock and feel great in the morning. When I'm thinking about an early morning flight or I have something pressing on my mind, I usually wake up a couple of times and feel a bit foggy during the day. Just me. This was a very interesting episode. 👍

[@gigachad7205]

This is the one. Some nights ill sleep 6 hours uninterrupted and only be a little tired throughout the day. Another night ill get "8" hours but because I'm anxious about the events of the day, i either wake up too early or too many times throughout the night causing more tiredness than the former.

[@Adonis0604]

@@gigachad7205 bro replied 4 yrs late -_-

[@4MATT3R]

Watching this instead of sleeping...

[@Willybean08]

it's currently 6 PM and i'm tired but that's just because i got 20 hours of sleep in the past 168 hours even though it should be getting like 53

[@ItsLoriK]

This may be my favorite KZbin channel. You give us info that we either should know or that is just interesting and you do it in a fun & brief way. Thanks;

[@Tamugetsu]

Definitely can back up the memory claim - I have sleep apnea, a condition that in my case means I wake up 37 times an hour without realizing it when I sleep. I lose things, forget appointments, have trouble remembering plans, and forget names and things all the time. Oddly, I have great memory for exact quotes and music, and my inability to memorize in math class forced me to learn concepts rather than steps and formulas, which served me really well and ended up with me getting my bachelor’s degree in Mathematics. That said, I’ve had a few intelligence tests done as a kid and I scored in the 99th percentile for basically everything except long-term memory.

[@gl3nda96]

Quick Reminder: Whether you sleep monophasic or biphasic or whateverphasic, sleep now. Its 1am.

[@mikado_m]

9am actually but i have yet to sleep

[@Stormaes]

I successfully stuck with the uberman schedule for somewhere around 9 months (with one break at the 6 month mark for injuries). I did not notice any significant cognitive impairment, and any sleepiness that I encountered was offset by the extra 6 hours. I did notice that my long term memory encoding was not great for that period (not total amnesia, but not as good). Its not for everyone, or just anyone. It requires discipline, fantastic sleep habits and engaging hobbies. The time around 4am to 6am is the hardest, because all your friends are definitely asleep so it helps to have friends in other countries to talk to. You need to have some good hobbies, that you can do as much as you like (I did a lot of art, cooking, was able to read so many more books). Something that I noticed about it was that your life needs to be very flexible because the schedule is very inflexible; you need to be ready and able to nap at the exact interval. When you only have 21 minutes to nap, every second is important. I was at college and my teachers were super supportive (especially when they saw my high throughput), but my girlfriend at the time wasn't particularly impressed.

[@SomeGuy1117]

I can't get enough sleep in one night (due to school) so I sleep twice a day just naturally. This allows me to better budget my time.

[@enoch327]

A lot a media personalities do the same thing. On radio in the morning on TV at night. Whatever works. And many systems might work.

[@dregoth0]

Your brain is like a computer running Windows 95. Defrag and reboot regularly (sleep) or it will crash.

[@extraaccount1343]

I need to upgrade, Im *_Windows 69_*

[@captaink2250]

My brain use Linux, LOL :)))

[@swordofallah1129]

XP here .

[@whatevermechanics]

Nikola Tesla basically added 27 years of productive time to his life through using the uberman sleep cycle

[@KatharineOsborne]

He also had some mental health issues. Whether they were the result, cause, or just a correlation would be unknown so I’m not sure he can be taken for a good model. Also without further research it would be impossible to prove causation. Tesla was clearly an exceptional person. His creative output was probably more related to his innate abilities (and disabilities; autism and OCD can be essentially superpowers in some contexts).

[@whatevermechanics]

@@KatharineOsborne I think the biggest part was the autism. I would say he was pretty close to the definition of a savant though so he still had communicative abilities well enough for people to not really notice the autism, but still at a point where people noticed he was off.

[@Nexus2Eden]

As someone that is N24 - polyphasic sleep is all I get. My circadian rhythms are useless as I often sleep in direct sunlight and am most wide awake at 2 am. Like today - I slept from 2am to 5am, then again from 3pm to 8pm. Light therapy and melatonin/ambien have zero real effect on managing my sleep disorder - it seems to rotate around the clock wildly since I was a toddler. 😱😒

[@MadazMazdas]

samer here but i sleep more like 13-14 hrs

[@Nexus2Eden]

I do sometimes as well - usually I'm up for 36-48 hrs, other times I could, and do, sleep 16-20 hrs a day for a few days. Mostly it's 3 hrs here, 5 hrs. there, usually average about 6-8 a day...but there is never any idea when I'll be exhausted and need to sleep and usually always during the day between 8 am and 2 pm. So, makes like awesome. 🙄😤

[@FenrirAldebrand]

Someone else with a sleep pattern similar to mine! I'm pretty much nocturnal. Exhausted during light hours, but wide awake at night. [Which makes summer a living nitemare] But I mean, it wasn't much more than a few hundred years ago that we had people who needed to stay awake all night to protect our people from predators. So I just think of myself as their genetic ancestors.

[@Nexus2Eden]

That's one way of looking at it - they also used to call us 'Luna-tics' 🤪. Ever since I was a toddler I'd have to lay in bed staring at the ceiling for hours until dawn and just about an hour before school I'd finally fall deeply asleep. My mother would scream bloody murder all morning long to get me up and ready for school - where I'd sleep for the first half the day until noon. Case in point, I fell asleep today around noon and just got up at 10 PM - wide awake and ready for the day. Too bad you can't have a successful career from dusk till dawn - I'd be a Pro! 😏👍😉

[@FenrirAldebrand]

The Curious Sapien In theory you could. Doctors, firefighters, overnight shelf stockers, oilfield/plant/factory workers. But the options *are* limited. I tended to have bad sleep patterns as a kid - but thankfully not that bad.

[@selewin]

I did this for a while and loved it. 3 hours at night and 3 20min sleeps throughout the day. Same time every time. Problem was it didn't work with my medication so I had the energy but couldn't take my meds because my meds make me unable to sleep as a side effect.

[@justinelaricchiuta488]

What were the meds if you don't mind me asking? I'm only asking bc I am wanting to experiment with these different sleep cycles bc I prefer less sleep but I'm prescribed a stimulant medication. I would like to come off of it. It doesn't seem like I'd be able to experiment and especially wouldn't be able to achieve any goal of changing my sleep pattern with the medications I'm on. Not only that, but my entire goal is to produce more by having more awake to do so, while simultaneously improving my health, fitness, and my entire lifestyle as a whole.

[@selewin]

@@justinelaricchiuta488 I take methylphenidate like ritalin. I hope I wrote it right. But it works for 4 hours and can't sleep during that time. So it kinda threw of my ritme. And without it i just became so unproductive that the extra time wasn't really worth it.

[@justinelaricchiuta488]

@@selewin hmmm I do see what you mean bc I'm prescribed Adderall BUT maybe starting with lower doses could work? I really don't know. I do know that I want off of it. I want to create my life the way I WANT IT TO BE. NOT HOW SOCIETY SAYS MY LIFE SHOULD BE. So I know there are methods already written out. But maybe improvise a little bit? I did an hour an a half last night so I really only need one more 30 min session. My schedule today didn't really allow for me to 4 thirty min naps every 6 hours. So it's really what works for you.

[@selewin]

@@justinelaricchiuta488 it takes at least 2 weeks to get used to the rithme you train you body to get used to it. i would look it up. like i said in my experience it doesnt work with adhd med. but give it a try if you have the time for it. but if there is anything i would like to tell for adhd dont expect a mirical cure. there sint gonna be that one thing that fixes it. this was one of the things i hoped would help me and it didnt. look for the tools that help you in your situation and be accepting on yourself and your mistakes. they will happen from 6 to 60. its sucks but its oke. you are still a great person if it works or not. hope it does though.

[@johnharvey5412]

I tried uberman for a while and it was incredibly difficult to follow. I was tired constantly, couldn't help but oversleep, and had some very vivid dreams.

[@Ahraz09]

Did you know Nikola Tesla got ideas for his research model from sleep? 😢 And he used to follow polyphasic sleep

[@FabiansLab]

I sleep from sunset, wake up for about two hours naturally, and then go back to sleep until sunrise. I haven't noticed any effects beyond feeling a bit more energetic than normal during that period. It's usually 4 to 5 hours until I wake up and then another 4 to 5 until sunrise

[@micahphilson]

This is great for me just to hear, because for the past 2 weeks or so I've been having terrible sleep deprivation from not being able to fall asleep at night, so I'll most often get from 5 - 6.5 hours per day, and it's been taking its toll. Thankfully, now it's the weekend, so I'll be trying hard to hard-reset my sleep. I started by accidentally sleeping until noon today, so...

[@micahphilson]

Yeah, I accidentally slept through all of my classes. The best way to start the weekend off right!

[@jhan168]

When I'm at school, the maximum hours of sleep I get is 5 hours. It's summer break so, thankfully, I can get 7-10 hours of sleep.

[@generalralph6291]

Here’s a theory on sleep. The state of sleep is actually what we live for. Our waking time spent working and playing is merely to collect the accoutrements and experiences we need to enjoy sleep properly. A comfortable bed in a secure house costs money. An interesting conversation provides material for a unique dream. Furthermore, the notion that dreams are nonsense while reality is logical is a false economy. So what, the natural world makes sense? What if the unintelligible properties of dreams make them better than waking consciousness? Finally, the waking consciousness-the person you are-is subservient to the unconscious mind. Your individual identity is not the primary beneficiary of dreams; you are merely a spectator. The unconscious mind that produces dreams is actually a different, and more important, person.

[@dhairyajoshi_]

Just when I was about to sleep. Video from sci show, sleep postponed😂

[@darkshinob]

I did the uberman for about 3 years. The first 1 to 2 months was hell as I was sleepy all the time. But after getting used to it I was just as awake as my monophasic friends. It is demanding socially thou. as some times you have to excuse yourself for a nap because missing one can mess up your day. Now I haven't been doing something as draconian for another 3 years, but some cool benefits were left from that uberman period. Like easiness to do lucid dreaming and I can get to sleep in 2 to 5 min, max.

[@scififanman]

I've heard people can actually train to hypnotize themselves to replace sleep with short-interval hypnosis. That might be an interesting topic for SciShow to discuss, since I haven't personally studied the process myself.

[@gigachad7205]

One thing that isn't mentioned is waking up during non-REM sleep. There's a massive difference in tiredness levels when you wake up with a loud alarm during a dream vs light no dream stage.

[@moonkookie1505]

I had this weird period over 2 years when i was 11/12 , during those two summer breaks i used to sleep since 6am to 8am. I don't know how and why, but i managed to live on 2 hours of sleep a day. Never got sick. Never happened to me again after that, but it was fricking weird (i wasn't trying to sleep less, i would just be working on my writing and stuff during the night and waking up around 2 hours later well rested)

[@paulleysway]

This is very interesting, I would normally sleep 2-4 hours a night. Noticing by other co-workers that I have slurred speech throughout the day and I myself would notice that I would have trouble recalling short term events throughout the day. I felt fine and fully energized, but when it took effect, on weekends I would sleep a good 10-12 hours a day to catch up on those hours I missed working.

[@kevinwells9751]

This is of course purely anecdotal, but my roommate in college went onto the Uberman sleep cycle in college (I tried to get on it and was unsuccessful). After a rough transition period of about a week he felt fine and reported feeling productive (though we didn't test him or anything). He maintained it during our January term where we would take one class in three weeks rather than multiple classes over a whole semester, which made the required schedule much easier. That month he watch a bunch of shows he had wanted to see, read a bunch of books, and still reported feeling like he didn't have enough to occupy all of his newfound extra time (since he was awake 22 hours a day instead of 16), particularly the nighttime hours when everyone else was asleep. He transitioned back after about a month of it due to that boredom and the fact that a normal semester was going to be nearly impossible to work around in terms of the frequent short naps that the Uberman is based around.

[@straykae]

There was this period of time where I only took naps. //shivers. Never again.

[@MrPuschel]

During my college years i had a longer phase where i slept 3x ~3 hours a day. It worked out surprisingly well. However i didn't keep it since it was inconvinient.

[@xmaswitguns]

For six years I was an on-call Firefighter/EMT. Never getting a consistent night of sleep was very hard.

[@greentearobin]

I used to work as a janitor. At one point, I decided to take on two jobs at once - one as a night janitor, where I worked from 5 pm to 1 or 2 am, and then a second where I worked from 8 am to 12:00 pm. I thought I could just get my sleep in during my twice daily "breaks" between work. I have never been so tired; that was the only time I have experienced exhaustion that was physically painful. I somehow made it through a month of that but then had to quit one of the jobs. Maybe some people can do it but not me.

[@TimpBizkit]

I was thinking about a litter picking job from 5am to 9am and a Domino's Pizza delivery job in the evening sometimes until late and siesta-ing between jobs. The main reason for not having those jobs was my mandatory need of Saturdays off. Why? Read the Bible. On a 10pm to 6am night shift I tend to sleep either side but on a 6pm to 6am I sleep all in one block as much as possible.

[@chillsahoy2640]

In the end how much and what kind of sleep you can afford to get depends on the type of job you have, and how far you live from work. Some people are on permanent night shifts, other people are on rota with variable hours, other people have stable 9 to 5 weekdays, but have to travel 2 hours each way because they live in very rural areas with no local job opportunities. The principle of 8/8/8 is very nice in theory. But in practice, it's more like 8 hours of work and then your combined 16 hours of sleep + 'your own' time must include sleep, socializing, hygiene, exercise, household chores, commute, eating, shopping and some kind of hobby or pastime.

[@abydosianchulac2]

Having just tried a CPAP machine for the first time with my sleep apnea, I can definitely second the idea of people not always knowing what sleepiness or rather not being sleepy is like. Hoo boy, I suddenly understand how people go to the gym at five in the morning.

[@Puffycheeks]

I work 12 hour night shifts and it is truly horrid.

[@EHZ181]

yeah im in the same boat, though only on the weekends, still it feels like i work more

[@OfficialWEIRD]

🤝

[@easylife6348]

Puffycheeks I work 11. I'm fine with that.

[@JKRowlingIsMyQueen]

Polyphasic sleep is a part of my life because mid-day naps are my thing. They used to be because of depression but now it’s just because I don’t get work from 2-5. So I can get a nap in if I woke up early enough

[@child_of_God316]

I don't understand why people give such bad information sometimes. Yeah a lot of what he said was true but you do not need any more than 6 hours of sleep as a full-grown adult unless you are much older. elderly people need more sleep just like young kids. there's a lot of people even scientists and doctors out there that argue that you don't even need that much. REM sleep is not this big long process that they make it out to be your usually only in REM sleep for like a half an hour to an hour at a time. If you got 3 hours of sleep and then you were awake for 9 hoursand then you got three more hours of sleep and we're awake for 9 hours and you follow that routine you would be just fine but it would take like a week or two to get used to and during that period of time you would notice a lot of crappy changes. But most people would be fine once they got through the adjustment. The thing to keep in mind though is that everybody's body and mine is different so some things that work for certain people don't always work for others

[@tommeng6522]

We dont know much because after some time, scientists get sleepy.

[@Aras483]

Good one.

[@JT-wf7ou]

I worked full time overnights (40 hour work week) while going to college full time (Between 16 and 18 credits) for three semesters and I am here to say that SLEEP IS IMPORTANT!!!!! I dropped well over 25lbs, was malnourished, irritable, drinking at least two 12oz redbulls and six 8oz cups of coffee a day, and had trouble maintaining any semblance of a normal life. I graduated though, but I wouldn't recommend it

[@morrius0757]

I sleep for 4 hours, wake up for 2 hours and go back to sleep for another 4. I'll NEVER go back to a 8 hour sleep pattern.

[@edi9892]

Can someone tell me why sleep deprivation occasionally results at some point in me being even more energetic? For a moment my cognitive functions improve again and I feel stronger again and I can't sleep even when I really should. At times, even my stamina increases considerably and I went out for a run in the middle of the night and got further than I ever did during day time. However, before I notice it, I get overly confident and childish and then my sleep deprivation kicks in even harder and no matter how much I sleep the next day I'm ill! PS: I only noticed it when I started my PhD. They really have no respect for laws protecting employees...

[@FutureChaosTV]

edi It is the adrenalin and other hormones/chemicals your body puts out in a "crisis" like that. If I sleep btw. 2-4 hrs I am also pretty alert and pretty well functioning until about afternoon, when my energy levels and my alertness start dropping of extremely fast.

[@malteeaser101]

The circadian rhythm makes you less sleepy, whether you like it or not, and fights against the sleep pressure built up by the chemical adenosine, within the brain, which increases from the moment you wake-up until the next time you sleep.

[@drrodopszin]

One of the symptoms of depression that sleep deprivation can make you energetic.

[@edi9892]

@@drrodopszin Interesting. At that time, I was close to a burnout.

[@evaavi4412]

It's called "overtired" and it's especially obvious in neurodivergent people! Basically the brain goes "Hmm, must be a reason you're not going to sleep despite being tired... Must mean it's an emergency!" and so you end up getting onw more boost that back in prehistory would have helped you outlast whatever persistent danger was after our ancestors.

[@nikonissinen6772]

I used to do polyphasic sleep three months in a row. Working from home made that possible. 4 hours of sleep, 4 hours of wake time, repeat. Always at the same time. Worked fine and I managed to do more work than ever before in my life durin those months.

[@doca989]

How, when you sleep 12 hours a day?

[@nikonissinen6772]

@@doca989 because I was always well rested and working only 4 hours. I felt good all the time and that produced better work results faster. also when I went to bed I instantly fell asleep and powerslept the 4 hours.

[@beautye5909]

I read and write alot (for work and hobby) and i switched to a triphasic pattern to help with focus. I sleep 4 at night and take 2 2-hour naps during the day. Not only do I focus better, i schedule times awake for certain activities and get alot more done during the day. Ive also been eating healthier; either because its being planned better or I have just have more energy to make something healthier.

[@DataJuggler]

If you tell most employers, I am tired I have to take a nap you will not be employed long. I have worked on problems for several days of 12+ hours, and given up in exhaustion. Get some sleep and rest over a weekend and I solved the same problem before lunch on Monday. The brain just works better fresh.

[@MrRofl131]

Back in 2005/2006 I did follow Steve Pavlina`s blog doing an experiment with Polyphasic Sleep. Good to see it get`s any attention again.

[@Tubeytime]

If humans are supposed to wake during the day and sleep at night, then I guess I'm not human... I knew it!

[@maverick.gaurav]

I'm sleepy and am still watching this.

[@ElectricPyroclast]

Gaurav Nema I'm still watching this and am still sleepy

[@Creaform003]

I work shifts in a service station, 28 hour sleep cycle resulting in a 6 day week instead of 7. It works reasonably well and I get 9 hours of sleep per day and I don't get sleepy at night. The only problem is nobody has developed a 28 hour watch, clock or app so my phone is filled with alarms for when to eat, sleep and wake up. That and estimating how long ago something happened can be weirdly off, a month is 4 days shorter and frequently ill see people twice in my day but it's been 2 separate days for them.

[@TheUnderPro]

That's crazy bro

[@curlybit]

When I was in college I slept from 3 - 7. That is 3am - 7am and 3pm - 7pm. For every 8 hours awake I got 4 hours of sleep. I went to class during the day. Slept 4 hours. Woke up, studied, than hung out with friends at night. 3am I slept until 7am. I always felt refreshed and had time for everything I wanted to do. To this day at 3pm I get sleepy and wish I could nap. For me 3 - 7 was the ideal sleep times.

[@ArtemisLuna]

Talk about a perfect coincidence... I woke up to go to toilet in the middle of the night, was having trouble getting back to sleep so decided to watch a couple vids on youtube before trying again and this video talking about the drawbacks of interrupted sleep was right at the top of my sub feed!

[@avsaucyboi9733]

I have an internal clock that most of the time wakes me up at the same time. More recently I have been waking up at 5:30 and continue to do so no matter what time I go to bed. But I still feel miserable waking up

[@samuelbaird4983]

A Vsaucy Boi Just don't sleep for a whole day and see what happens

[@michaelji6525]

I however, don't feel miserable.

[@TheMightyBattleSquid]

Samuel Baird as someone with the same sort of issue I tried that sort of "reset" and it just made it harder to fall asleep in coming weeks because I had had basically practiced ignoring my body's sleep signals for the whole 24 hours before I could sleep again.

[@daniel2300]

A Vsaucy Boi the miserable feel when waking up is probably due to lack of sugar in your blood. 2 spoons of linseed oil + cinnamon and almond butter before sleep should help.

[@pelonete5000]

Because of my circumstances I had to start sleeping 4 hours at night and two more naps one 2 hours and the third one 1 hour and I feel just great!! The deepness of the extra two naps are deeeeeeeep.I'm 60 years old

[@klutterkicker]

For more than a decade it's been absolutely impossible for me to sleep without waking up in the middle, about once every 3 hours or less.

[@abeer6383]

Why? For drinking water or going to toilet? There is solution for that.

[@klutterkicker]

@@abeer6383 I usually do both for my own peace of mind but I think the reason is that I so frequently get small amounts of sleep on the weekdays and try to make up for it on the weekends. I'm working to improve that though.

[@neo-xy3fr]

I once slept for 12hrs straight. Best sleep I ever had. But I generally feel more productive when I sleep less. Also, Often times when I decide to stay awake I don't feel sleepy even after 24hrs later and I would need to force myself to sleep because not sleeping would probably kill me

[@raychumon]

2 questions: 1. what about the recent studies showing that some people are naturally more awake at night & how this is an evolutionary result of the times when our ancestors had to stay up to keep watch over their sleeping tribes during the night? has this been debunked? is there something else that could make some people naturally alert at night? 2. what about how sleep, the need for it & effects of the lack of it are affected (or affect) people with unusual brains, such as people with ADHD, autism, OCD, and so on? i, as an adhd person, struggle to sleep and problems with memories are a well-known symptom of ADHD. do these correlate? do our brains respond differently to the need for sleep?

[@jaydenisaacs4855]

Yeah but have you hear about DPSD. Oh man I stay up until 4 in the morning before I finally feel tired.

[@robbyhenton8038]

Helicoprion it's 4am for me now lol

[@jessicaharris1608]

I was hoping for some mention of DSPS/DSPD and non-24 myself. Someone needs to work on the computer systems when most people aren't using them. Someone needs to cover overnights in the hospital and healthcare in general. DSPS/DSPD folks are designed for those fields. We biologically PREFER 2nd and 3rd shift so let's take advantage of the common shift differential pay increase for working the hours most people don't or can't do! :-)

[@chaosdweller]

Holy cow i think i have that, ....thx for the info on it.

[@jeffbrownstain]

For the past two months or so, I've been sleep an absolute max of six hours, averaging more around 3-4, and I sleep during the early morning, around 9am. I have the most insane and ridiculous sleep schedule of anyone I've ever known. I'm constantly up through the ass crack hours of the night. I don't know how I've been able to wake comfortably on 3 hours of sleep. I like to think it's because of meditation and a somewhat-not-unhealthy diet, but who knows.

[@servals2384]

My sleep schedule is completely screwed up. I alternate between not sleeping for two days, taking short naps around noon, and sleeping for 12-14 hours straight during the morning or afternoon. My metabolism is also weird; I eat two meals a day usually. One is breakfast at 7:00 am after a night of working, and then at 10:00 pm I have some snacks which I count as dinner. I'm honestly not sure how I'm still alive, and the schedule changes from week to week

[@phishENchimps]

I wake up 5 hours later regardless of what I do. Dragon energy

[@benw9949]

My sleep/wake day/night cycle can go all over the place. I have always been more of a night owl than a morning person. But around the end of high school and start of college, and ever since, I've had some level of insomnia and trouble getting enough sleep, and weirdly disconnected sleep rhythms. Then taking care of my grandmother completely wrecked any pattern I had. For about 9 months after she died, I tried to force myself into a regular sleep schedule and daily routine. It didn't work. It stabilized only a little, then would go out of whack wildly for days or weeks. At the end of it, I gave that up and let it settle into whatever pattern it would, thinking it would find some equilibrium on its own. Nope. It still will wander over time and reach some point were I have to reset, sleep for a long time, oversleep, then it begins some new timing. The most successful I've found is to be active after dark, any time of night, and sleep some around (before or after) dawn, typically in the morning before noon. This is not how the rest of the world works, but it works best for me. But even then, I can't stay on a regular cycle. I don't know what is messed up with my body chemistry that does this, and I do not want to have to take drugs to manage it, but if something on a low-level, every-so-often dosage helped, I could do that. (I am likely to try a melatonin supplement a friend recommended, but in small doses.) I would love to have good, reliable sleep habits like the rest of the planet. But I haven't ever since college age. I don't think it's going to change by now. It really interferes with my life and enjoyment.

[@enoch327]

One size does not fit all. I think my favorite sleep schedule is to sleep seven hours a night and then take a 30 minute nap around lunch time. I have done the biphasic sleep thing on accident. You fall asleep watching TV, wake up in the middle of the night and read for an hour and then back to sleep for a few more hours. So I think 7-9 hours a sleep a day is fine, whether you do it chunks or all at once. What works for you?

[@rickseiden1]

I've been having problems with my memory for a few years now. I get up twice every night--once to urinate and once because the dogs don't sleep through the night, and I have to walk them at 4 in the morning. This might explain why my memory is so bad.

[@thereaper2615]

It doesn't seems to work that simple. I also have bad memories, but it goes way back even before my sleep schedule messed up.

[@Gamerdude753]

I experimented with everyman 3 modified because 8 hours straight wasn't working for me and it was great. I reduced my sleep time to 5 hours and 10 minutes and was more well rested than before. As a trucker I know there's risks so had to modify it a bit. Atleast til I got used to it. 3 hour sleep after work then 1.5 hour nap then 20 minute nap right before work then 20 minute nap during break. I got off of it when I started working with a toxic co driver. I'm solo now so trying again

[@GregRodgers1]

I used to do a shift job of 12 hours from 6pm to 6am, and the company had a rule that you can not do more than ten days in aro, so there was a lot of people doing ten days then dropping the next day and then back for another ten.

[@tjg555]

I miss the blond patch in your hair. I thought it looked cool.

[@radagastwiz]

The guy's running his own company now, not as much time for the smaller stuff.

[@brocknspectre1221]

I've been sleeping in a polyphasic cycle for the past six years. I do the "Every Man 2" cycle which is 4.5hrs "core sleep" followed by two 20min naps spaced throughout the day. It feels natural to me now. I never set alarms and my body simply won’t sleep any other way, not even with Ambien on board. I haven’t been cognitively studied for memory problems etc, but according to my doctor all health markers are good (I’m 56) and he says some people just don’t need as much sleep as others, especially as they grow older. I don’t know if the sleep police are gonna come for me one day, but for now I’ve never felt better 👍

[@lebecccomputer287]

That sounds great. Considering the complete lack of good research, I’ve been considering trying it out myself and getting a bunch of tests regularly to see how my brain and body are affected.

[@brocknspectre1221]

@@lebecccomputer287 Good luck! I’d love to know how you do with it.

[@anish10242]

If I go to sleep by 11 or 11.30, I wake up by myself at 4.30 a.m without any alarm, I'm wide awake, so I get a total of 5 or 5 and half hours of sleep. If I force myself to sleep and wake by up by 7.30 then my entire day I would feel lethargic, but if I wake up by 4.30 then I'm active throughout the day. And I don't have a sedentary lifestyle, my work requires lot of physical activities and I also workout. Can someone tell me why this is happening ?

[@IIPaused]

Information is coming so fast I have to rewatch every moment not twice but thrice

[@tanveershaikh7070]

More than 90% of successful/great people in world slept less than 6 hour a day.... It may feel stressful or depressive at start.. but its gonna be great when you used to it

[@FreddyAtton]

I suspect that monophasic sleep pattern is a relatively NEW sleep pattern for humans. Why is a bi-Phasic sleep pattern more natural for a hunter-gatherer (pre-agriculture) society (i.e. tribe)? - Because they didn't have 4 things: 1) light bulbs 2) clocks (they didn't even have the word "hour") 3) houses to protect from predators 4) beds to sleep in "Why did we stop sleeping that way?" - Because now we have: 1) light bulbs 2) clocks (and the word "hour") 3) houses 4) beds, blankets and pillows Also, primitive tribes didn't need as much sleep because they didn't consume poison every day (sugar & salt / processed food). They also didn't eat meat every day (which requires more sleep time). Also, primitive tribes didn't need as much sleep because they didn't eat 3 to 6 times per day - because they didn't have: a) refrigerators b) restaurants c) grocery stores The proper way to study natural human sleep patterns is to observe primitive tribes that still exist today.

[@overseer5060]

I was thinking about changing my sleeping cycle, but when you said 'at my own risk' I started thinking about it.

[@TaliyahP]

My take away from this is that biphasic is the only form of polyphasic that isn't outright unhealthy and that siesta schedules might actually be decent

[@DarnWhippets]

Can circadian patterns take in to account latitude? For instance there's only a couple of hours of night at this time of year here in Scotland, and likewise not many hours of daylight in mid winter.

[@swift9415]

Definitely. The human body is surprisingly resilient and adaptable. There are some hiccups though from person to person though. I've read that seasonal affective disorder can wreak havoc on some living in more extreme latitudes and that sleep, sunlight exposure, and circadian rhythm all play key roles in the phenomena.

[@ashlynmurphy2406]

Yes! The prolonged “jet lag” feeling some people experience when visiting or moving to places with different “time” schedules (day/night times) occurs for just this reason! The brain is able to naturally adjust in most instances. If you have been living in Scotland for a while then your sleep schedule is likely markedly different than someone who, for example, lives half way around the world (from you). Everyone’s sleep patterns are unique, but seem to follow similar seasonal patterns as well as similar sleep “needs”. Circadian rhythms are dynamic and should be thought of and treated as such!

[@horrorkesh]

thats my issue not only is it really hard for me to get to sleep earlier than 2am but if i have to be up early i wake up every 2-3 hours usually

[@General12th]

Good timing. I just switched my sleep schedule from normal to nocturnal and I have no idea why!

[@mattashmore9675]

I did polyphasic sleep for about a year. I was working 4 jobs to crawl my way out of over ten thousand dollars of credit debt (I was making about 40k a year). I earned an extra 20k that year, but of course it all just went to debt. What I learned, however, was far more valuable than anything else: you are able to do more than you think. To work about 80 hours a week in constant sleep deprivation and stress, and... Somehow make it work... I didn't enjoy any of it, but I look back on it now with a fondness and pride.

[@pppshr5542]

I actually experience memory impairment, less cognitive function, low alertness, etc, when I sleep less than 7 hours. When I complete my sleep cycle of 9 hours, I become superhuman with advance memory, fast responsiveness, etc etc. I also gained fever after I slept only for 5 hours 3 days in a row.

[@useazebra]

I rolled uberman for about 9 months. It changed the way I look at time, because I watched the world pass from one day into the next. I did a metric butt ton of research on everything known about naps and sleep at the time.

[@bread6397]

This actually made me feel sleepy

[@cptncatholi]

Am I the only one who got the email notification and read it as "Polyphasic Sheep?" I mean, the sheep in thumbnail kinda influenced my perception, but it probably is a sign that I need to get more monophasic sleep.

[@Slarti]

One young graduate I interviewed once for a software development job told me how he was gradually limiting the amount of sleep he needed each night. He was down to only needing four hours of sleep. Perhaps it's needless for me to mention that he did not get the job.

[@sowmyasrithiramdas482]

my father always forces me to read for 18 hours a day, I wonder how come it be possible ,my eyes are paining and I am mentally and physically getting weak,when searched in youtube ,after watching many vedios I left with no solution , how many of you facing this kind a situation in 12 th standard

[@sebbes333]

so... if I make it so I generate as few worthwhile memories as possible in the day, then I can sleep for 2-ish hour's at night, because there is so little that needs to be stored? ;P

[@beefusmaximus2030]

You seem throw shade on previous research and historical evidence for biphasic sleep specifically without explaining why, while seeming to imply that the memory fragmentation study somehow outweighs this evidence or throws it into question.

[@frosenphoenix]

I remember reading something years ago about a sleep schedule for a 36 hour day (24 hours awake; 12 hours asleep). Does anyone know if this would be a safe sleep cycle?

[@Anonymous-df8it]

Probably not, as it goes against your circadian rhythm.

[@FriedEgg101]

I work from 10pm to 6am 5 nights a week. So I sleep from 10am to 6pm (sometimes 8pm) everyday.

[@Trag-zj2yo]

I take L-glutamine before bed and feel refreshed after 6-7 hrs sleep. Have there been sleep studies with augmentation with amino acids or other supplements?

[@tzumer2534]

Polyphasic sleeping defently works because I've been doing it for 22+ days. I'm doing the biphasic schedule and now I have 14 hours extra time each week. Just think about it what you could do with that extra 14 hours.I can reduce it even more but because of school it doesn't work.

[@thecurs3r801]

Best sleep-cycle: 4 hours awake, 1 hour asleep, repeat without end well people think it's bad but, it's the best and you are more effective. It works, everyone saying doing this is bad is just out right wrong. Also you should be awake at night, like not make a core sleep at night, well it's optional but, I wouldn't do that, but for some people it will be different. Well now that I'm thinking about it, core sleep at night can not fit, but be important in other situations, like someone maybe has a specific sleep cycle before. Also you can only 4 hour awake/1 hour asleep, your workplace/school has to already know stuff and have that like an option. So once again, school is my own (and others') demise n i c e also home schooling: someone comes to me at home well im not having this sleep cycle, im switching to it.

[@vianized5248]

This is the type of video that I watch when I have insomnia

[@namemcnameface]

Please do an episode on narcolepsy and cataplexy.