www.whydontyoutrythis.com: The average person requires 7-10 hours of sleep per night according to the National Sleep Foundation. But is it possible that using different sleep cycles, where the benefits of sleep are still achieved, we can sleep less? Much less? Read More: http://www.whydontyoutrythis.com/2013/07/alternative-sleep-cycles-7-10-hours-are-not-needed.html - Follow us on Facebook: whydontyoutrythis
10 comments:
I would really like to figure out a way to do the Byphasic sleep cycle. I've been trying to figure out my proper sleep cycle for awhile now and this one seems to work best for me. My biggest problem is finding time/a place to take a nap later in the afternoon. I know that I work better on 6-7 hours of sleep so I try my hardest to keep that schedule. It's been helpful this year as opposed to last year in that I have class every morning at the same time. It gives me a better opportunity to keep a schedule. I've also been recording my sleep patterns the past month and it's been interesting to see how long I slept versus my moods actually collateral.
It is easy to stay up late at night working even if you have class early the next day. In high school, especially sophomore and junior years, I found taking a nap when I got home very useful, which seems to mimic the Byphasic style. Although it would be nice to take a nap each day around 4:30, this does not seem practical because I usually feel disoriented after I nap, especially if I was really tired before I went to sleep, plus I usually feel like I am missing out on prime working time.
Sleep cycles are tricky. I think I would love to work in a nap during the day and sleep a bit less at night, but it's just not practical for my schedule. I find that when I try to take a nap I feel guilty about taking the nap and worry about what I should be doing…so then it ends up being pointless. I do know that when I have a regular sleep schedule, and sleep well, I'm way more productive. If I sleep too much or too little, there's no hope. One thing that I also think is really tricky about changing ones cycle is still making it work socially. I had a friend in college who was attempting the uberman cycle and it was just really difficult to coordinate with him because of his sleep schedule that was so out of the ordinary. I think different sleep cycles are really fascinating but definitely depend on your work and social life. I vote that we build in nap time again!
I agree with Sophie in that sleep cycles are tricky. I have found that I work best during the day and the later it gets the less I can focus as well. Therefore I generally only take naps when I don't have anything better to do (which is almost never) or if I am just way too tired. when that happens though it is harder for me to go to bed at a reasonable time so it takes me a while to get back to my normal rested self. I think the trick to making the most of your day is to know how well you focus and at what times.
Well, doesn't this seem lovely. With my schedule, if I tried to do the Everyman, Dymaxion, or the Uberman cycles, I would have to sleep during classes. I'm sure our teachers would LOVE that. These different sleeping cycles are not new to me. I had to read "Never Cry Wolf" in 8th grade, and Farley Mowat discovered that wolves take several naps during the day instead of one long period of sleep. This made wolves more alert and awake for most of the day. In our society, I don't think these cycles would work. There will always be deadlines, and sometimes we just have to get stuff done. If that means no sleep, then that means no sleep. I know I'm afraid to fall asleep in the middle of the day: either I'll miss something in class, or someone will take a snipe photo of me. So I drink a Starbucks Double Energy drink, I forget that there are dark circles under my eyes, and I pass out when I'm done working. I call it the DP cycle.
So this article kind of blew my mind a little bit. For about the past 5 years, I have had horrible sleeping problems and nothing I tried ever did anything about it. From natural vitamins, to sleep medicine, to prescription drugs, nothing. I would really love to try one of these cycles out because I don't really get that much sleep at night anyway so I might as well try, and the byphasic seems to be the most logical way to go, especially since I have a very loaded irregular schedule and can't always rely on having the same time to sleep during the day for a nap.
While most of us would love to be able to sleep on a normal cycle, most people don't have the time to sleep for 7 - 10 hours a night. However, it is also tricky to get used to a sleep cycle that we are not used to and as much as we would all love to take naps during the day, our class schedules make this hard. In the end, I think everyone needs to find a schedule and amount of sleep that works for them. I think the most important thing is getting consistent sleep, hours that are the same each night, and a morning alarm that is the same for everyday. Hopefully then, the body can get used to a certain amount of sleep that you have set aside.
Last year i definitely did the Everyman sleep stage, i would sleep a little-medium amount at night then nap accidentally in my classes, it wasn't the best thing for me to do and i was never fully sleep satisfied. I think the Byphasic sleep stage is the absolute best. Everyday around 3-4 I get super SUPER sleepy and its extremely difficult to stay awake. Not only do I always feel amazing after i take a nap around this time but my work ethic always seems to go up. I really wish that i had a time during the day so that i could do this, I know more people would get more work done if this was the case. If i were the ultimate work-aholic i would love to one day try out the Uberman cycle because i feel like you can get a lot of work done but im not sure how i would feel with that little amount of sleep. Maybe its not an everyday kind of thing.
I'm surprised this article doesn't mention Mr. R. Bucky Fuller, since, and maybe I'm wrong about this, I'm pretty sure he named the "Dymaxion," schedule, and he is at least one of the more interesting practitioners of that cycle. There's also an interesting sleep cycle that used to be practiced on sailing vessels that involved four hour shifts or "watches" that would be staggered so that the hours a crew member was on deck would shift over the course of a few days. That way you only had the "mid watch" (from 12 - 4am) every three days or so. I've always been interested in trying this cycle out in every day life, but of course if you have a job or school or pretty much any responsibilities at all, it's kind of impossible. I think the most interesting thing about it would be getting to see the times of day less strictly the way we do, where 12 pm is for lunch and 4 am is for sleeping. Maybe there's way better ways to spend 4 am if you hung out there every few days. In general I think exploring non-traditional systems in just about everything is a good idea, and often opens up avenues to creativity and productivity we never even considered. And in general, if Mr. Fuller thought it was worth trying, who am I to argue?
I would love to have all the extra time that adjusting a sleep cycle would give me but something tells me its not that easy. Mostly because we are already so used to getting a certain amount of sleep per day and usually at regular times during the day so adjusting our body clocks would be tough. Even if you were to manage to adjust i think it would be really tough just to sleep for that limited 20 - 30 min and not keep sleeping for hours. Or maybe that's just me.
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